The bravery of The Black Watch and Private George Reid

As the centenary of Armistice Day 1918 approaches, over the next week we will take a look at real-life accounts of some of the soldiers who were involved in the First World War, recorded in The Courier’s special commemorative book, The Scottish Soldier’s Story

The story is told in a tribute to the members of the 8th (Service) Battalion The Black Watch, Royal Highlanders by Major Ronnie Proctor MBE, whose wife Sonia’s grandfather William Reid was in The Black Watch in the First World War.

“The battalion was raised in August 1914 by Lord Sempill of Fintray and first mustered at Albuera Barracks, Aldershot, in September 1914. It was part of the 26th (Highland) brigade and 9th Scottish Division.

“Unlike the Territorial battalions recruited from their own local area, the 8th and successive new army battalions were recruited from the regimental area of Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perthshire.

“Farm workers stood side by side with miners, factory workers, shopkeepers and so on throughout the war. Many officers and soldiers were ex-regulars who had re-enlisted soon after war was declared, and the battalion had a firm backbone to steady the young men who had enlisted straight from civilian life.

“Although the battalion quickly reached its established strength, it took some time for uniforms, weapons and equipment to be issued and it was the New Year of 1915 before it was equipped to scale. The men were shipped to France in early May and were soon involved in trench warfare.

“The battalion was engaged in most major battles, the first being the Battle of Loos in September 1915 where Captain the Hon Fergus Bowes-Lyon, the brother of the Queen Mother, was killed at the Hohenzollern Redoubt.

“Trench warfare continued till May 1916 then the battalion took part in the battles of the Somme and Vimy Ridge, first battle of Arras until April 1917 and the second battle of Arras, followed by Passchendaele in March 1918.

“March to May 1918 saw the battalion involved in repulsing the Germans’ last assault against Britain and her allies on the Western Front.

“When David Lackie Findlay joined in June 1918, the battalion had been in the line in the Hondeghem area and were involved in the attack at Meteren.

“The battalion was heavily involved in the ‘last one hundred days’, the advance to victory. From November 1918 to November 1919 the battalion carried out garrison duties on the Rhine.”