James Brunton Wilson (1888–1940)
In January 1915, as World War 1 intensified, Cellardyke-born James Brunton Wilson became skipper of the steam drifter Craignoon, KY279, one of the vessels requisitioned for duties.
With his crew, he left Anstruther harbour for Aberdeen. First they were sent to patrol off Cornwall, and then against the Austro-Hungarian Navy, off Southern Italy.
Based at Taranto, at the Strait of Otranto, the Craignoon was one of forty steam drifters lined up across the Adriatic Sea, forming a barrage between Brindisi and Corfu, a distance of 45 miles (72 km).
James’ brother Andrew said: “Their job was to shoot the mesh wire nets to try and trap Austrian submarines.” The job of manning the Otranto Barrage was dangerous. For “unknown action” which took place on 23rd July 1916, King Alexander awarded James Brunton Wilson the Serbian Gold Medal, by Grand Order of Peter 1st, for his ‘meritorious conduct’. Further details are held by the Scottish Fisheries Museum.
The Craignoon was involved in the Battle of Otranto in May 1917. Austro-Hungarian destroyers set out, under cover of darkness, to destroy the barrage of drifters.
When the Craignoon was hit, James ordered his crew into the lifeboat and he was the last to leave and almost lost his life when the wheelhouse blew up. Engineer John M. Smith, in Memories of a First World War Sailor, wrote: “The second shell must have hit the boiler with high steam pressure on for our ship blew up in pieces.” James and seventy other sailors were captured in the battle and spent the rest of the war as prisoners of war in Austria.
James Brunton Wilson continued to skipper many boats after WW1. During WW2 he died of natural causes aboard the William Wilson while serving at Scapa Flow.
By A E Humphries