Dr. John Watson

1852-

Physician Athletics [Good] • Connections [Good] • Education [Good] • Physique [Good] • Marksmanship [Good] • Medicine [Great] Dr. John Watson is a man of middle height, sturdy of build and of a remarkable constitution despite a bullet taken during his service in the Second Afghan War that left him a convalescent for many months. His face sports a thick moustache that nicely compliments his square jaw. Although he describes himself as lazy and of little motivation, his actions on behalf of his friend Sherlock Holmes prove otherwise. He's still physically fit, having played rugby at school, and still occasionally turns out for Blackheath. He favors the conservative clothing of the time, and frequently wears a bowler hat that also serves to hold his stethoscope, which is visible as a bulge in its side. At most times he carries his medical bag containing his diagnostic instruments, and when accompanying Holmes on a case he never travels from London without them. While Watson will never be the great detective that his friend is, frequently bungling his attempts to duplicate the methods of the Great Detective, the one strong trait that he possesses is his great loyalty, not only to Holmes, but to his wife and country as well. While he does not always readily follow the clues and deductions so obvious to his friend, he nevertheless is able to accurately chronicle the methods of Sherlock Holmes upon their explanation at the conclusion of a case. As a physician, he is more than capable (Holmes had the utmost respect for Watson in this regard), and while his practices may not always have flourished, this was due to his desire to remain ever at Holmes disposal, and certainly not attributable to any lack of motivation.

John Hamish Watson was born August 7, 1852, the son of Henry Watson. His mother died while he was still quite young, and his remaining family moved to Australia for a time. He returned to England around 1865 and attended a prestigious school, his father having made his fortune while Down Under. In June of 1872, he entered the University of London Medical School, taking his degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1878. He immediately moved to Netley where he took the prescribed course for army surgeons, and by November of that year was dispatched to Bombay as part of the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers when the Second Afghan War broke out. Too late to join his original unit, he remained stationed in Bombay.
In the spring of 1880, Watson was reassigned to the 66th Foot Berkshires, and on July 27 he took part in the Battle of Maiwand. During this conflict, he was wounded in the shoulder by a Jezail bullet and nearly captured by the enemy, but his orderly Murray courageously saved him from that fate. He was then taken to Peshawar where he contracted enteric fever as a side effect of his war wound. Over the next few months he had a slow recovery, but by November he was discharged and allowed to return to England. He decided to settle in London, as he no longer had any living relatives to call upon.
In January of 1881, he was desperately seeking a roommate with whom he could share living expenses. By chance, he happened upon an old associate named Stamford at the Criterion Bar in Regent Circus, Piccadilly. Stamford was Watson's dresser at St. Bart's Hospital when he attended the University of London Medical School. Stamford knew of another gentleman also seeking a roommate and took Watson to St. Bart's to meet Sherlock Holmes, thus orchestrating their historical first meeting. The next day, Holmes and Watson visited 221B Baker Street, and finding the rooms to their liking, moved in. The two gentlemen took to each other almost immediately, and a strong, lasting friendship began. Watson recounted their first shared adventure in his novel A Study in Scarlet, feeling that the public should be made aware of the methods and contributions of Sherlock Holmes.
Despite working as a doctor, he was always able to pull himself away from his practices to accompany Holmes on his cases, and his remaining free time was spent serving as Holmes chronicler and biographer. The two continued to live on Baker Street and share many adventures for eight years, until Watson married Mary Morstan in May of 1889 and subsequently moved out. Watson first met Mary Morstan in September of 1888 during the adventure of The Sign of Four. After their marriage, Dr. Watson bought a practice in the Paddington district of London, but his understanding wife allowed him to continue to accompany the Great Detective on many of his cases, which he continued to document for the public record. For the next few years, Watson was content with his life until the fateful year of 1891, when he lost not only his best friend at Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland during the events chronicled in "The Final Problem", but his loving wife Mary passed away from the world as well.

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