Above: This photograph taken white James P. Watson was a member of the United States Army Medical Corps. The Corps
distinctive green Maltese type cross is visible on his hat ans well as both sleeves. He wears a M-1851 belt plate and carries a
holstered revolver.

Below: The reverse of the above photograph inscribed to his uncle Charles Watson of Canada. Dated 20 July, 1903 it also shows that
James P. Watson was serving as Postmaster for Camp Angeles, Philippine Islands in addition to his regular duties with the Medical
Corps.
While I have not been able to find any service papers relating to Watson's time with the Highland Light Infantry one might assume from the
use of the regiment's old number "71st" in the above inscription that he was a member of the 1st Battalion. While this may indeed be the
case the use of that number could also be an anachronism on his part. Could he have been a member of a volunteer battalion? This could
explain the lack of service papers.

Watson emigrated to the United States sometime before 1898 when he enlisted in the 1st Illinois Volunteer Cavalry on 26 April of that year.
His enlistment took place in Chicago where he seems to have taken up residence. I have found no record of Watson arriving in the U.S. via
ship and he may have actually emigrated to Canada first where he obviously had family.
Watson mustered out of the 1st Illinois on 11 October, 1898 after that
unit failed to deploy during the Spanish-American War. About a year
later on 9 September, 1899 he enlisted "F" Company, 39th Regiment
of United States Volunteer Infantry at Fort Crook, Nebraska. He was
discharged on the 20th of that same month to transfer to the Hospital
Corps of the regular U.S. Army. His Hospital Corps unit must have
been attached to the 39th Regiment since he deployed with his former
regiment to the Philippine Islands during the Philippine Insurrection.
The 39th became known as Bullard's Indians after its Colonel,
Robert E. Lee Bullard who trained the 39th with tactics he learned
while fighting the Apaches in the American Southwest in the 1880's.
These tactics would prove very successful against the Philippine
guerrillas.

According the Register of Enlistments United States Army Watson was
discharged for the United States Army on 23 September, 1902 at
Angel Island, California. His character was listed as excellent. In the
Register he was listed as bing 5 feet 4 3/4 inches tall with blues eyes
and light coloured hair. His home town was mentioned as being
Edinburgh, Scotland and his pre-enlistment occupation being that of a
nurse.  This last fact may help to identify Watson's family origins.

Watson must have taken a liking to the Philippines since he had
returned to the islands  by 1904 when he is listed in the Official
Gazette as receiving a promotion within the Manila Police
Department from Clerk Class A with a new salary of $1000.00. By
1905, when the photograph at left was working as a "Clerk Class 10"
in the office of Manila's Chief of Police.

Watson pops up again in 1916 as a plaintiff against the Manila
Electric Railroad & Light Company where he complained about being
 grossly overcharged on his electric bill. In 1921 he was heavily
involved in an ongoing case against prostitution and gambling
concerns in Manila that reach to the highest levels of local
government. This involvement must have stemmed for his taking up
the trade of private investigator several years earlier.  
Mounted Photograph
6 Inches by 7 3/4 Inches
(Approx. 15 cm x 19.5cm)
Unknown Photographer
Scotland
c. 1891

Above: Private James P. Watson of "H" Company, The Highland Light Infantry in a photograph taken c. 1891 in Scotland while stationed at
Hamilton Barracks. Watson inscribed this photograph some 14 years later to his cousin Charles Waston of Durham, Ontario, Canada while a
clerk for the Office of Chief of Police, Manila, Philippine Islands. In this photograph he wears a white drill jacket, tartan trews, a glengarry cap
and carries the ever present walking out stick.
Above: The reverse of Watson's photograph take in Scotland addressed to
his cousin in Durham, Canada, Charles Watson.
Mounted Photograph
5 1/4 Inches by 7 1/4 Inches
(Approx. 13.5 cm x 18.5cm)
Unknown Photographer
Camp Angeles, Pampanga, Luzon, Philippine
Islands
20 July, 1903
As stated in the Register of Enlistments Watson was born in
Edinburgh, Scotland around 1874-5. While this is little to go
one from a genealogical stand point his stated occupation of
nurse may offer a clue as to his origins.

I have come across one James Watson in the 1891 Census of
Scotland  who was born around 1874 in Edinburgh the son of
Walter and Anne Watson. The fact that caught my eye was
that this James Watson was listed as being a Student of
Medicine. This poses the problem of him being both a student
of medicine and a member of the Highland Light Infantry
during the year of 1891.

Perhaps these two James Watsons are different people or
perhaps as stated above our James P. Watson was a member
of a volunteer battalion of the Highland Light Infantry which
would allow for him being both a student and a soldier. It
would explain how James P. Watson took up his posting in the
U.S. Army Medical Corps and his stated occupation at the
time of his enlistment of a nurse.
Watson appears in the 1922 edition of the International Police and Detective Directory where he ran a full page advertisement for his
firm known both as the Philippine National Detective Agency and Watson's Detective Bureau. One of his marketing slogans was: "We give you
the information as we find it, or we do not give it to you at all." Unfortunately I have been unable to uncover any additional information
regarding Watson in the Philippines after this date.