[1] He worked for a time as a coal miner, but retrained as a mining engineer.
He played a prominent role in rescue efforts, repeatedly descending into freezing water, and was as a result awarded the silver medal of the Royal Humane Society.
[4] Watts became an active trade unionist, and at the 1918 United Kingdom general election was selected as the Labour Party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Stoke.
However, the local North Staffordshire Miners' Federation decided not to sponsor him, so he was forced to withdraw due to a lack of funds.
[5] At the 1922 United Kingdom general election, Watts did stand in Stoke, with sponsorship from the Miners' Federation of Great Britain.