Black Watch 300th Anniversary

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Motion by Bailie C Ahern and Councillor J Duff
The 300th Anniversary of the Black Watch
That this Council celebrates the tercentenary of the origins of The Black Watch,
understanding that, in 1725, six companies were raised at the request of General
George Wade and formed the Highland Watches to police the Highlands in the
aftermath of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion, with a further four companies raised in
1739 to form the Regiment of the Line. The companies were referred to in Gaelic as
Am Freiceadan Dubh or The Black Watch, most likely due to the distinctive dark
tartan which its soldiers wore, with the Regiment being first mustered at Aberfeldy in
1740.
The Council acknowledges the fearless and renowned reputation which The Black
Watch has established and reinforced throughout its lifetime and recognises the
significant part the Black Watch Regiment has played throughout many of the United
Kingdom’s most important military campaigns including the Seven Years’ War, the
American War of Independence, the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimean War, the Boer
War, the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, the Troubles in Northern
Ireland and the Gulf Wars.
It further acknowledges the countless stories of individual gallantry by its members,
in particular, the 14 soldiers who were awarded the UK’s highest military decoration,
the Victoria Cross, and commemorates with gratitude all those who have served and
died in this historic regiment. The Black Watch was granted the Freedom of the City
of Perth in 1947 and the Freedom of the Burgh of Aberfeldy in 1970. Its members
come predominantly from across Perth and Kinross, Angus, Dundee and Fife but
also elsewhere in Scotland and further afield and, in recognition of their service, this
Council offers its full support to all veterans, and their families.