No. 151 May 2015 THE RED HACKLE Here’s another SAVE AS MUCH benefit of working AS % 34 1 for the Armed Forces ONLINE OFF PRICES 20% WITH OFF AT RENEW AL2 Reasons to join the AA affinity scheme: • You’ll have the option to put your AA Membership on hold, for example when you’re on duty overseas • AA Membership covers the whole of the UK including Northern Ireland • More dedicated patrols than any other UK breakdown service3 To join, call 0800 048 0075 quoting reference F0690 Breakdown Cover 1. Applies to Family Roadside and Relay cover in the first year only. Other levels of cover are available and varying discounts apply. Offer only available to Armed Forces personnel by calling the number given, quoting the stated reference and paying annually by direct debit under a recurring transaction arrangement. Enrolment offer available to new Members for their first 12 months of Membership only. Offer not available in conjunction with any other offer/discount or on any other AA product/service. Details correct at time of issue. 2. Renewal offer available to Armed Forces personnel who are existing AA Members, or who join under the enrolment offer, and will be available at each renewal date until they cease to be Armed Forces personnel or the withdrawal of this scheme. 3. Mintel – UK Vehicle recovery report, September 2014. Automobile Association Insurance Services Limited is an insurance intermediary authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered office: Fanum House, Basing View, Basingstoke RG21 4EA. Registered in England & Wales, number 2414212. RAF00704_Catterick Garrison_266x186mm.indd 1 15/01/2015 09:43 am No. 151 42nd 73rd May 2015 THE RED HACKLE The Chronicle of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), its successor The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, The Affiliated Regiments and The Black Watch Association On 24th October 2014, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Keating placed a Cross of Remembrance on the Great War “Memorial Wall” at Balhousie Castle. The names of the soldiers being commemorated were William Langslow, Hugh McDonald and James Wright. MAY 2015 THE RED HACKLE 1 Accountants to The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) For over 60 years the primary concern of Morris & Young has always been to provide sound business advice which is truly appropriate to the client’s needs. In order to achieve this it is vital to understand the commercial objectives, structure and nature of each client’s business and/or their personal financial aspirations. Our clients range from private individuals to public limited companies who require a rapid response to take advantage of new opportunities and whose activities may present major tasks requiring specialist knowledge. Long connections with The Black Watch give the firm a genuine understanding of the needs of those connected with the Regiment. For a copy of our brochure and/or a no obligation consultation contact Peter Young. 6 Atholl Crescent, Perth PH1 5JN Tel: 01738 626257 Fax: 01738 630845 e-mail: [email protected] Registered to carry on audit work by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for investment business. DEDICATED LEGAL PROFESSIONALS Providing legal advice for over 100 years Proactively serving the Armed Forces: Family, Child & Matrimonial Law Property Conveyancing Property Shop & Estate Agency Wills, Powers of Attorney and Executry www.munronoble.com Commercial Law 26 Church Street, Inverness IV1 1HX Injury & Compensation Claims T: 01463 221727 E: [email protected] 2 THE RED HACKLE MAY 2015 THE Contents Editorial .............................................................................................................................................. 3 RED HACKLE Regimental News ............................................................................................................................... 4 The Black Watch Museum and Friends of The Black Watch ............................................................... 10 Correspondence ............................................................................................................................... 13 Book Reviews ................................................................................................................................... 17 Obituaries ......................................................................................................................................... 18 Articles .............................................................................................................................................. 28 The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland ............................................ 33 51st Highland, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland .................................................. 53 The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada .......................................................... 57 HMS MONTROSE ......................................................................................................................... 59 Black Watch Battalion Army Cadet Force .................................................................................... 60 Association News ............................................................................................................................. 62 Editorial After the excitement and activity of last year when the Association’s focus was firmly on Black Watch Corner, we prepared for the autumn and winter and Branches of the Association held The Chronicle of their various dinners and the traditional Burns Suppers. The annual Remembrance Service for the families of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan was conducted at Balhousie Castle on 7 The Black Watch November and was well attended. Local children from Kinnoull Primary School sang their own (Royal Highland Regiment) composition of a song called “We will Remember”; its successor Turn your thoughts on that occasion The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion To those who fought and died in war The Royal Regiment of Scotland Years have passed and time has forgotten but We will remember the soldiers once more The Affiliated Regiments The Perth Branch Dinner commemorates the award of the Croix de Guerre by the French and 5th Army to the 6th (Perthshire) Battalion after the Battle of Tardenois in July 1918; the Angus The Black Watch Association Branch holds its annual El Alamein Dinner, the Fife Branch their Rhine Crossing Dinner (the 7th Battalion were the first Allied troops to cross the River Rhine in March 1945), the recently formed Edinburgh Branch will have held its first Al Basrah Dinner on 9 May 2015 whilst the May 2015 Highland Branch will also hold its Aberfeldy Dinner on the same date. No. 151 In a new development the Association has created links with each Company in The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, the aim being to foster closer ties between the old regiment and those who continue to wear the Red Hackle. The linkages are as follows; Battalion Headquarters – Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders Branch and London Branch Published for The Black Watch A (Grenadier) Company – Angus Branch B Company – Fife Branch C (Fire Support) Company – Perth Branch D Company – Dundee Branch HQ Company – Highland Branch The Museum of The Black Watch, supported by the Association has established a Great War Memorial Wall in the grounds of Balhousie Castle. At 11 am on the 100th anniversary of the death of an officer or soldier killed in the First World War, a cross of remembrance bearing his name is placed on the wall. The Museum Staff have also prepared an exhibition of work by the First World War artist Joseph Gray which is well worth a visit. Events commemorating both the First and Second World War are recorded in the articles METHOD PUBLISHING section of the magazine and remind us of the sacrifice made by our forebears and just how few Sutherland Press House, Golspie, of our Second World War veterans are now able to travel to Europe and beyond. Sutherland, Scotland KW10 6RA Finally, The Black Watch Battalion has had a very compressed programme as it prepared to Telephone (01408) 633871 deploy as a Battalion Headquarters and two Companies to support the UN in Cyprus. Those Fax (01408) 633876 staying at Fort George will undertake training in Kenya and France but the battalion will not be together in Fort George until the autumn. to whom all enquiries regarding advertising should be addressed. The opinions expressed in the articles of the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy and views, official or otherwise, of the Regiment or the MOD. This publication contains official information. Editorial Matter and Illustrations It should be treated with discretion by the recipient. © Crown Copyright “The Red Hackle” is published every six months in May and November. Contributions large and small will always be welcome. They should be typewritten in double spacing on one side of the paper only. Photographs, cartoons and sketches of Regimental interest are also welcome and will be returned if requested. Design and Typography All material for inclusion in the various issues must reach the Editor not later than 1 April and 1 October © Method Publishing 2015 respectively. From 1 January 2013, bulk orders are supplied at a rate of £7 per copy. Individual copies are sent out to permanent subscribers, both in the UK and abroad, at a subscription rate of £14 annually