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PREFACE
This record of The Black Watch during the Great War
shows how some thirty thousand men served in the Regiment in France, Belgium and
Salonica, in Palestine and Mesopotamia, of whom eight thousand were killed and
over twenty thousand were wounded.
The long days in the trenches encouraged a very close understanding between
officers and men, and many hours were spent talking over what might best be done
for the good of the Regiment after the war. Serving in the earlier part of the
war as a company officer, I gathered from these discussions that there were
three schemes which great numbers of our men hoped might, one day, be realized.
The first of these schemes entailed the reorganization of the Regimental
Association, in order that help might be given to the large number of men, who,
it was feared, would find themselves in difficulties or in distress after the
war. This first object has been achieved through the labours of many officers of
The Black Watch, among whom I must mention the names of the Earl of Mansfield,
Colonel S. A. Innes and Major L. Gibson.
The second scheme often spoken of was that of a War Memorial, which should not
only be a visible monument to those who fell, but, at the same time, be of help
to those who had suffered through the war, and to all widows and children.
This object has also been achieved by the establishment of the Dunalistair Home,
the successful foundation of which was so largely due to the labours of the late
Brigadier-General W. McL. Campbell and of Colonel H. H. Sutherland.
The third object which I found so many of our men were anxious to see fulfilled
was that a history of The Black Watch during the war should be written and
published at such a price as would render its purchase possible by all ranks and
their relatives. It was hoped that this history would form a true record of the
main achievements of our Regular, Territorial and Service Battalions, that is to
say, a record of the gallantry of all those men who bore the Red Hackle and
crossed the seas in the service of the Regiment; and further, that this account,
written by those who shared equally in the hardships and in the fighting, might
also furnish a picture of the life led by our men in various lands and campaigns
throughout these years of trial and danger.
It has been, therefore, in the endeavour to realize this last object that this
history has been written. In these volumes the work of each separate battalion
is described mainly by officers who took part in the actual actions and scenes
here set out; and the thanks of the Regiment are due to those who have given so
much time and labour to this end. But as these accounts have been revised, and
in many parts re-written by me, I accept full responsibility for the whole.
Our Territorial Battalions, direct descendants of The Black Watch Volunteer
Battalions, had long held a fine reputation in Scotland for discipline and
soldierly bearing. The conduct of their contingents which served as
reinforcements to the Second Battalion during the South African War, served but
to enhance this reputation and to knit all units of the Regiment yet more firmly
together. It was no surprise therefore that our four Territorial Battalions were
among the earliest ready to take the field, and among those who earned the
highest praise for gallant deeds and unstinted good work.
Unlike the Territorial Battalions, the Service Battalions had no organization
and no history, yet from the first day that they went into battle till the end
of the war they nobly upheld the traditions of The Black Watch. This was partly
due to their well-trained officers, to the splendid quality of the recruits who
came so very largely from our 42nd Regimental District, and, above all, to the
fine spirit—of which the Red Hackle is the symbol—that enheartened every man
and, though unseen, was felt by every man to be the link that binds together
each platoon, company and battalion of The Black Watch.
The task of editorship has at times seemed almost beyond my powers. As editor I
am conscious of many defects, both of omission and commission. None the less I
believe that this history, which describes the many gallant deeds and cites the
names of those who fell in action, gives a faithful record of all those
Battalions whose spirit and achievement have brought yet more honour and glory
to The Black Watch. I believe also that this history shows that the same spirit
of trust and good fellowship which has united all ranks of the Regiment since
its earliest days still flourishes: that this spirit which inspired The Black
Watch in the great victories of the Peninsula, Waterloo and Seringapatam, and
sustained the heroes of Fontenoy and Ticonderoga, is the same spirit which
filled the hearts and strengthened the resolve of those who in this last war
gave their lives in the service of their King, their Country and their Regiment.
It is impossible for me to thank all those officers, non-commissioned officers
and men who have given their help in the writing of this history, but I well
know that they gave their help willingly and for the good of the Regiment. I
must, however, take this opportunity to thank Colonel John Stewart and Colonel
A. P. Wavell for their assistance in revising proofs and arranging the
appendices of these volumes.
It is therefore with the hope that the great deeds described in these pages will
serve as an example and an encouragement to all those who in future years join
The Black Watch and wear the Red Hackle that I am emboldened to publish this
history.
I ask all readers who detect errors m the text, or who are in possession of
additional material or facts dealing with the history of the Regiment in the
Great War, to send any information or corrections to the Officer Commanding, The
Black Watch Depot, Perth.
A. G. W.
Berlin, November, 1925.
Volume 1: Regular Army
1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions
Volume 2: Territorial Force
4th, 5th, 4/5th, 6th and 7th Battalions and Allied Regiment The Royal
Highlanders of Canada
Volume 3: New Army
8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Battalions |
