The Black Watch: The Most
Feared Regiment in the British Army
They wore the kilt, carried broadswords, and played bagpipes while marching
into the mouth of hell. To the British Army, they were the 42nd Regiment of
Foot. To their enemies, they were the "Devils in Skirts." This is the
bloody, heroic history of The Black Watch.
Forged in the mist-shrouded glens of Scotland in 1725, the Black Watch began
as a paramilitary police force meant to suppress the rebellious clans. But
as the British Empire expanded, these "watchers" were transformed into the
tip of the spear.
In this documentary, we trace the "Golden Thread" of the regiment across two
centuries of warfare. From the suicidal bravery of the wooden wall at
Ticonderoga, where they tried to hack down a forest with swords, to the
desperate square at Quatre Bras where they stopped French lancers with
bayonets and bare hands. We uncover the origins of the Red Hackle, the
terror of the Highland Charge, and the tragedy of Magersfontein that marked
the end of an era.
Discover why a unit of former rebels became the most trusted shock troops of
the King, and why the drone of their pipes terrified armies from Napoleon’s
France to the Zulu Kingdom.Scottish American
History Forum featuring Derek Patrick
1811 - 1816 Return of the 42d to
England, Embarks a second time for Portugal in 1812, Consolidation of
the first and second battalions, Spain, Battle of Salemanca, Madrid,
Siege of Burgos, Retreat into Portugal, Campaign of 1813, Battle of
Vittoria, Siege of St Sehastian, Pyrenees, Succession of battles,
Fall of St Sebastian, Allied army enters France, Crosses the Nivelle,
Passage of the Kive, Series of actions, Bayonne, Battles of Orthês and
Ayre, Bordeaex, Tarbes, Battle of Toulouse, Peace of 1814, War of 1815,
Quatre Bras, Waterloo, Return of the 42d to Scotland, Edinburgh.
1816 - 1854
The Highland Society’s Vase, Ireland, The
White-boys, Critical Service, Anecdotes, Old Manoeuvres, Bad Management,
The Dublin Medal, Gibraltar, Innovations, Regimental Library, Malta,
Ionian Islands, Lieutenant-Colonel Middleton’s Farewell Order,
Scotland, Ireland, Malta, Corfu, Death of Major-General Sir R. H. Dick,
Bermuda, Halifax, Home.
1854 - 1856
Regiment Embarks for Crimea, Landing at Kalamita Bay, March to the Alma,
Russian Position, Battle of the Alma, The Highland Brigade, Sir Colin
Campbell, Work done by the 42d, Sir Colin’s Bonnet, Work of the 42d
before Sebastopol, Sir Colin Campbell’s Addresses, The Kertchi
Expedition, Return Home.
1856 - 1869
The 42d proceeds to India, Cawnpore, Seria-Ghat, Marches and Skirmishes,
Lucknow, 42d Storms La Martiniere, The Begum Kootee, Fort Ruliya,
Bareilly, Rohilkund, Maylah Ghaut, Khyrngher Jungles, Presentation of
Colours, Title of ‘‘Black Watch" restored, Cholera, Embarks for
England, Reception at Edinburgh, Leave Edinburgh for Aldershot.
1817 - 1873
Account of Variations in Dress of the Black Watch, Regimental Pets,
"Pincher", "Donald the Deer", "The Grenadiers’
Cat", Monument to Black Watch in Dunkeld Cathedral, Conclusion.
1873 - 1881
The Ashantee Campaign, Occupation of Cyprus.
A History of
the Black Watch
Royal Highlanders, in the Great War, 1914-1918 by Major-General A.
Wauchope, C.B., Author of “The Black Watch, 1725-1907” in three volumes
(1925)
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