Exhibition to uncover the lives of Scotland’s prisoners of war

Insight into the lives of captured Black Watch soldiers through letters, photos, and art

Amidst the commemorations for the dead of the First World War and the silver screen celebration of rescue at Dunkirk, there is a third story of conflict.

It concerns the many thousands of Scots left suffering with the trauma of capture and the knowledge that as prisoners of war they had been deprived of the chance to continue the fight.

A new exhibition at The Black Watch Castle and Museum in Perth will offer a new insight into those young men forced to endure “Life Behind the Wire”.

It will uncover the lives of Black Watch soldiers captured and imprisoned during the 20th Century’s many theatres of war.

The exhibition explores their experiences shared through letters, photographs, art and objects brought home as mementos of their time in captivity.

The term “prisoner of war” can conjure images of deprivation, hardship and harsh treatment and in many cases that perception was true.

As prisoners of war they had been deprived of the chance to continue the fight

For others captivity, while not pleasant, proved at least to be safe.

The initial shame and trauma of capture gave way to an understanding that boredom and physical weakness rather than bullets were now the greatest enemies.

Prisoners would battle against these foes by trying to educate and entertain themselves.

Alongside the wartime artefacts, the exhibition invites visitors of all ages to write their own prisoner of war letters to loved ones back home, taking inspiration from the stories shared.

Hope Busak, curator at The Black Watch Museum said: “Our aim is to share knowledge and create opportunities for our visitors to engage with that knowledge.

“We are inviting those who view the exhibition to use the emotional response it provokes to craft their own prisoner of war letters.

“We already have some amazing letters from children as young as six featuring as part of the exhibition. “One in particular stands out. “It is written by an 11-year-old visitor, who writes to tell family she has been captured and her friend has been killed and that she hopes to survive this war and return home to her cottage in the village soon.”

Letters by visitors will be featured on The Black Watch Castle and Museum’s social media in the coming months.

The Life behind the Wire exhibition is on display until November 30. mmackay@thecourier.co.uk

Picture: Phil Hannah. Curator Hope Busak with a macrame bag which was made by Private Sturrock while a prisoner of war in Limburg camp, Germany around 1916.