The Otaki Shield (Captain Archibald Bissett Smith VC and Midshipman William Esson Martin)

The Otski Shield, Robert Gordon's School, date of photo estimated - Taken by Robert Gordon's School 01 Nov 2010

Report this image

Submit a new image

Reference WMO/245693

Address:

Robert Gordon's College

Schoolhill

Aberdeen

AB10 1JQ

Scotland

Open large map

Edit memorial name, location & address

Status: On original site

Type: Non freestanding

Location: Internal

Setting: Inside a building - public/private

Description: Board/Plaque/ Tablet

Materials:

Metal Metal (any)
Timber Timber (any)

Lettering: Unknown

Conflicts:

First World War (1914-1918)

About the memorial: The Otaki Shield is awarded every year to the School Captain. It commemorates a sea battle involving a former pupil during the First World War. Archibald Bisset Smith was born in Cults on 19 December 1878, the second youngest in a family of three sons and two daughters. His father was an accountant and later a wholesale tea and dry goods merchant who could trace his ancestry back to Bold Peter Smith, a Jacobite killed at Culloden. Archie Smith spent two terms at Robert Gordon's College from August to December 1893 before joining the Merchant Navy. He gained his Master's ticket in 1903 while serving with the New Zealand Shipping Company. In March 1917 Captain Smith was in command of the SS 'Otaki' sailing from London to New York, when his ship was attacked by the German raider 'Moewe'. Although armed with only a small 4.7 inch gun, the 'Otaki' returned fire and fought bravely. But when the 'Otaki' was badly damaged and four of his men had been killed, the Captain gave the order to abandon ship. He himself stayed on board as his ship sank. After the war, Archibald Bisset Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery and devotion to duty. In 1937 his family presented a Shield to the College as a memorial and this is presented every year to the School Captain who is judged 'pre-eminent in character, in leadership and in athletics'. The New Zealand Shipping Company, later P & O, offered a free passage on one of their ships to New Zealand for the winner of the Otaki Shield and the New Zealand government organised transport and accommodation for the School Captain during there travels there. Also on the 'Otaki' was William Esson Martin who was born on 11 April 1902 at Edinbanchory near Rhynie, only son of a farmer at Cultercullen near Udny Station. He attended Cultercullen Primary School until he arrived at Robert Gordon’s College on 7 January 1913. He left the College on 21 February 1917 to join the SS “Otaki” as a midshipman. Before he joined his ship, he wrote to his childhood sweetheart Annabelle Rennie from The Midland Grand Hotel in London. The letter can be seen in a glass case in the corridor beside Room 7. Dear Annabelle, I am very sorry I had not time to see you before I left but I only got one day’s notice. You need not write here for I will be leaving here on Monday or Tuesday. I don’t know when I will sail but I am going to the ship about the middle of the week. I will write again and tell you my address. The name of the ship is the 'Otaki'. Sadly, less than a month later he was killed, as he bravely helped to load the 'Otaki's' gun. He was only 14, the youngest Gordonian to die in the First World War. His parents William and Margaret supported the College in the form of prizes for English and Modern Languages in memory of their son. (See also Otaki Shield). They also had at the former Auchindoir North Parish Church near Ryhnie, a memorial tablet to William erected.

Edit memorial details

Report a concern with this memorial

Report a duplicate memorial record

Report an inappropriate record

Submit a condition update

Report this condition update

View more details

Grants to support the repair and conservation of war memorials are available from the charity War Memorials Trust if it has raised funds. Support is focused on war memorials in Very bad or Poor condition or where there is a serious Concern.

Before applying for a grant you should read the advice available on War Memorials Trust`s website. The What we can and cannot fund helpsheet explains what types of work the charity can fund.

If you believe your project is eligible for a grant you should complete the Pre-application enquiry form. You will need to be registered and logged in to complete this.

The Pre-application enquiry form is a series of questions to see if your project is eligible. If it is, you will need to provide further details and submit current colour photographs of the war memorial in either a png, gif, jpg or jpeg format.

You can save your Pre-application enquiry form as you go along. Once submitted War Memorials Trust will respond.

Please be aware that a summary of your enquiry, without your contact details, will appear on this page once submitted. This ensures others are aware that an enquiry has been made and can read the response to avoid duplicate enquiries. Information provided by you to us will be used for the purpose of managing the grant enquiry, for further details please read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy .

pre-application

As a charity, War Memorials Trust relies on voluntary donations and every contribution, no matter how large or small, makes a really big difference to our work. Your donation will help protect and conserve war memorials for future generations so please support War Memorials Trust’s work.

donate here

Submit a new comment

Comments:

From the school website-The Otaki Shield is awarded every year to the School Captain. It commemorates a sea battle involving a former pupil during the First World War. Archibald Bisset Smith was born in Cults on 19 December 1878, the fourth of five children born to William Smith and his wife Annie Nicoll, who were originally from Rhynie. His father worked at various times as a grocer, tea merchant, accountant and commercial traveller. Archie Smith spent two terms at Robert Gordon's College from August to December 1893. His two older brothers Alexander Nicoll Smith and William Charles Smith had previously each spent a year at the College. In 1895 Archie took up a four year apprenticeship with the Aberdeen White Star Line. His first ship was the iron clipper Sophocles which travelled between London and Australia. He worked his way up through the ranks of the Merchant Navy, gaining his Master's ticket in 1903, at the age of just 24. A year later he joined the New Zealand Shipping Company and captained his first ship, the Rakaia, in 1912. When war broke out Captain Smith continued to make the hazardous journey between London and New Zealand. In March 1917 Captain Smith was in command of the SS Otaki, a refrigerated cargo ship. With a crew of 71 he was sailing from London to New York, when his ship was attacked by the German raider Moewe. Although armed with only a small 4.7 inch gun, the Otaki returned fire and fought bravely. But when the Otaki was badly damaged and five of his men had been killed, the Captain gave the order to abandon ship. He himself stayed on board as his ship sank. After the war, Archibald Bisset Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery and devotion to duty. In 1937 his family presented a Shield to the College as a memorial and this is presented every year to the senior boy who is judged "pre-eminent in character, in leadership and in athletics". The New Zealand Shipping Company, later P & O, offered a free passage on one of their ships to New Zealand for the winner of the Otaki Shield and the New Zealand government organised transport and accommodation for the boy during his travels there. The Head Boy no longer journeys to New Zealand by sea, but he is still warmly welcomed at a number of schools and receives hospitality throughout the country. William Esson Martin Also on the "Otaki" was William Esson Martin who was born on 11 April 1902, only son of a farmer at Cultercullen near Udny Station. He attended Cultercullen Primary School until he arrived at Robert Gordon’s College on 7 January 1913. He left the College on 21 February 1917 to join the SS “Otaki” as a midshipman. Before he joined his ship, he wrote to his childhood sweetheart Annabelle Rennie from The Midland Grand Hotel in London. The letter can be seen in a glass case in the corridor beside Room 7. Dear Annabelle, I am very sorry I had not time to see you before I left but I only got one day’s notice. You need not write here for I will be leaving here on Monday or Tuesday. I don’t know when I will sail but I am going to the ship about the middle of the week. I will write again and tell you my address. The name of the ship is the "Otaki". Sadly, less than a month later he was killed, as he bravely helped to load the "Otaki's" gun. He was only 14, the youngest Gordonian to die in the First World War. His parents William and Margaret supported the College in the form of prizes for English and Modern Languages in memory of their son.

Submitted by:

Submitted date:

Comments:

Shield was donated by Capt Smith's family. The trip to New Zealand which its winners receive was funded by the New Zealand Shipping Company before being taken over by P & O. Since 1937 the New Zealand government has given the winner a tour of New Zealand. Capt Smith's merchant ship SS Otaki was sunk by a German cruiser after a short battle on 10th March 1917. She was outbound from London to the Pacific via Panama when the battle with the German auxiliary cruiser Mowe took place off the Cape Verde Island. He was one of 7 men who went down with their ship (the youngest casualty, Apprentice William Martin was aged just 14). The Mowe lost 9 men from an explosion in her engine room. Captain Smith was ineligible for a VC as a Captain of a merchant vessel (albeit a defensively equipped one) and he was posthomously granted the rank of temporary lieutenant to be awarded the VC after a vigorous campaign by his widow. The shield is awarded annually to the senior boy at Smith's old school who is pre-eminent in character, leadership and athletics.

Submitted by:

Submitted date:

Submit a new link

Report this link

Edit information

Suggest information

Listing grade:

Information Required

Listing URL:

Information Required

Unique listing reference number:

Information Required

Conservation area:

Information Required

Local list / Historic environment record:

Information Required

Claim Custodianship

Custodian name:

Information Required

Custodian website:

Information Required