Scottish Black Watch (World War I)

**Sanitized Transcript:**

The Black Watch in World War One

In the history of the British Armed Forces, there have been many regiments whose glory and fame were forged on battlefields across the world. However, there is a unit whose devotion to duty and gallantry earned it the honor to be ranked among Britain’s finest: the men of the Third Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, also known as the Black Watch.

The Black Watch has a long history of service. In the early 18th century, they were formed following the famous 1715 Jacobite Uprising in Scotland. For years afterward, even though the rebellion was crushed, the northern regions of the country were far from being pacified. The warring clans continued to cause trouble, and King George I’s administration was unable to control them. He decided to form a force among the Highlanders themselves to help maintain law and order in Scotland.

On May 12, 1725, he commissioned men from four loyal clans—Camerons, Grants, Frasers, and Munros—and formed a force comprising six companies under the command of General George Wade. Their task was to maintain law and order in Scotland by preventing clashes between the clans. The unit became a regiment of the line of the regular army in 1739 with a total strength of 10 companies. The following year, the unit became the 43rd Highland Regiment of Foot, and in 1742, they were renumbered to the 42nd Regiment, also known as the Fortitude. However, men of the 42nd were better known among their compatriots as the Black Watch, or “Am Frangach” in Scottish Gaelic.

There are many unverified stories about how the unit earned the nickname, but the most plausible explanation relates to the dark colors of the tartan worn by the men, coupled with their duties. Besides their recognizable dark tartan plaid, Black Watch soldiers originally wore scarlet waistcoats and jackets with buff facings and blue tam o’shanter headgear. In the late 18th century, they adopted the red hackle on their caps, which became the most distinctive part of their uniforms.

Although they were initially raised to maintain order in Scotland, men of the 42nd Regiment were soon deployed overseas. They fought in the Americas, North Africa, and European wars against the French until the end of the 19th century. They served their sovereign in the Crimean War, India, Egypt, Sudan, and the Boer Wars.

At the onset of World War One in 1914, the Black Watch was ready to serve once again. Twenty-five battalions were raised by the regiment during the war, most of which fought in the trenches of the Western Front. Two battalions fought on the battlefields of the Middle East and the Balkans. The bravery and tenacity displayed in combat were evident in battles from Givenchy to the Marne, Festubert, Somme, Mesopotamia, Arras, and Ypres. The enemy quickly learned what it was like to fight the Highlanders; the Germans referred to them as “the Ladies from Hell” in reference to their ferocity in combat.

From the Battle of Mons at the beginning of the war to the final assault against the Hindenburg Line in 1918, the Black Watch’s distinct uniform, along with the sound of their bagpipes, made their presence felt on battlefields across Europe. Unlike previous campaigns, uniforms in the British Army during World War One prioritized camouflage in the trenches over parade aesthetics. The days of lining up in rows to fire volleys were gone; it was now time to dig deep into the mud and prepare to repel massive assaults.

The Black Watch’s buttons, shoulder titles, and the famous dark tartan pattern completed their uniforms. In response to the muddy, horrific conditions of trench warfare, kilt aprons and covers became standard issue to protect the uniforms from getting wet and dirty. These kilt covers came in two variations: a fully wrapped design with a front pocket and another front apron design. Both covers had a cotton drawstring that tied around the soldier’s waist.

Many Black Watch soldiers wore a sporran, a leather pouch that acted as a pocket. This was one of their most prized pieces of clothing, as the kilts worn by the regiment did not have pockets. Soldiers utilized the sporran to store coins, fire-making equipment, or other small useful items. Accompanying the kilt and sporran were various types of headdresses, including the bonnet with the red hackle, the Glengarry cap, and the tam o’shanter.

The weapons and equipment used by the Black Watch included the Lee Enfield Mark I SMLE bolt-action rifle and the 1907 pattern bayonet, which allowed soldiers to fix the blade onto their rifle when mounting charges across no man’s land to take enemy trenches.

Before the war, the Black Watch consisted of seven battalions. Two of these, the first and second, were regular battalions, while the third belonged to a special reserve. The fourth (Dundee), fifth (Angus), sixth (Perthshire), and seventh (Fife) were part of the territorial force. Over the course of the war, this territorial force mobilized 12 new battalions. Additionally, another five battalions were formed within Kitchener’s new army, plus there was also one labor battalion.

The first unit to arrive in France and experience fighting was the first battalion, which took part in the retreat from Mons and had a baptism by fire in the Battle of Givenchy from December 18 to 22, 1914. The second battalion also participated before being deployed to Mesopotamia to fight against the Turks. In 1915, the battalions of the territorial army and Kitchener’s army began to arrive in France. The severity of the combat immediately started to take a toll on the Black Watch.

Despite their bravery at Festubert, where they earned two Victoria Crosses, they suffered heavy casualties. At Loos alone, the 9th Battalion had over 700 losses. In 1916, the Battle of the Somme marked a bloody chapter for the Black Watch. Like most British units engaged in the battle, the Highlanders were heavily involved in a fight that lasted for more than four months. Five battalions of the Black Watch fought in the battle, with notable actions taken by the sixth and seventh battalions at Highwood and by the eighth battalion at Delville Wood and the village of Longueval.

On July 8, 1916, during the eighth day of the battle, the eighth battalion of the Black Watch arrived at the front line and was deployed on the far right of the ninth Scottish division. In the first few days, they prepared for the anticipated offensive. Finally, early in the morning of July 14th, following a heavy artillery barrage, the bagpipes announced the attack by the eighth battalion on German positions in Delville Wood and Longueval. The sound of the bagpipes and the fierce onslaught by the Black Watch initially took the Germans by surprise; however, they quickly recovered and put up a stiff resistance.

Despite the hail of bullets from German machine guns and the artillery barrage from the woods, the Highlanders reached the village and engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. The well-organized German defense made seizing the village extremely difficult and exhausting. Nonetheless, for five days, the men of the eighth battalion fought hard and, after driving the enemy out, managed to repel many counterattacks. The most intense fighting occurred on July 18th, starting with a heavy bombardment of the Longueval area and Delville Wood. With the help of the sixth, seventh, and fifth Cameron battalions, the eighth Black Watch held the line they had established in the village earlier but paid a heavy price for their efforts. At one point, the battalion was reduced to only 171 men, sustaining 568 casualties in Longueval and Delville Wood.

On July 19th, due to their heavy casualties and battle fatigue, they were relieved by the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. Not far from there, the sixth and seventh battalions of the Black Watch were thrown into a real bloodbath at Highwood. This position was the highest point on the ridge above the Somme Valley and provided an excellent overview of the battle. The British wanted to capture it, but the Germans were determined not to give it up.

The fighting around the ridge began on July 14th with unsuccessful attempts to reach the German lines. Despite the heavy barrage thrown at them, the Germans repelled every single British attack, inflicting heavy casualties. For two weeks, British troops, including the sixth and seventh battalions of the Black Watch, were dying in vain trying to reach Highwood. On the evening of July 30th, 1916, the British made one more attempt to conquer the ridge. Men of the Black Watch were tasked with capturing the eastern and western corners of the enemy positions. The artillery bombardment that lasted for almost an entire day yielded little results. The German defense was as strong as it had been before, met with devastating machine gun fire and German shelling.

The Black Watch continued pushing forward until they were 25 yards from the German barbed wire, but that was as far as they would get. The seventh Highlanders were held up in a redoubt in Highwood, while the men of the sixth battalion had to take shelter in muddy, water-filled shell holes. The attack ended in bitter disappointment; Highwood remained out of reach for the British, and too many bodies were left in no man’s land. The Black Watch tried to rescue their wounded comrades under the cover of night. On that day, the Black Watch lost 154 men.

The heroism and bloodshed of the Black Watch continued until the very end of the war. Their relentless determination carried on into the Second and Third Battles of Arras and the Third Battle of Ypres, where the fourth and fifth battalions were reduced to no more than company strength. By the time of the Armistice on November 11, 1918, the Black Watch had lost 8,000 men. However, for the outstanding bravery shown during the conflict, the regiment was awarded 25 battle honors and four Victoria Crosses, the highest and most prestigious award a British soldier could earn.

The Black Watch’s contribution during World War One was just another chapter in the glorious history of one of the finest regiments in the British Army.