In its new role as the 3rd Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, The Black Watch is facing new demands and commitments and along with Black Watch Territorial soldiers and Cadets forms part of a vibrant and thriving community.
The Black Watch Battalion Newsletter
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is currently based at Fort George, a spectacular 18th century fortress located 11 miles outside Inverness in the Scottish highlands.
We are one of the Light Role Infantry Battalions within 19 (Light) Brigade and therefore very much at the forefront of the British Army, capable of conducting training and operations across the full spectrum of conflict from peacekeeping to warfighting.In the light battalion role, we train in the use of the very latest machine guns, anti tank weapons, mortars, grenade launchers, sniper rifles and personal radios. We are equipped with a variety of vehicles and also train for air manoeuvre with support and attack helicopters.
The Black Watch Battalion has everything to offer a young man seeking a career in the Army: pay,
adventure, sport, excitement, life skills and technical knowledge are all there. We are committed to developing every individual to fulfil his potential and we achieve this through the variety of opportunities that we offer for employment, training, education and travel. As well as being trained as a first class infantry soldier, you can choose to specialise within the Battalion as a driver, sniper, machine-gunner, signaller, medic, physical training instructor, piper, drummer, assault pioneer or intelligence collator – to name but a few. Although based in Inverness, our work takes us all over the world. In the last 10 years the Battalion has been in Iraq, Germany, Canada, Poland, Kosovo, Hong Kong, Northern Ireland and the Falkland Islands, with individuals also visiting locations as diverse as the USA, Australia, Egypt, Crete and Russia.
In 2008, our focus was primarily on individual development, conducting cadres in advanced soldiering skills, specialist weapons, sharp-shooting, driving and leadership. Concurrently, we were on standby as one of the UK’s high readiness reaction forces and provided ceremonial guards in Edinburgh. We also managed to send our football and rugby teams on tour to the USA and the Philippines respectively, and run a diving expedition to the Red Sea. In September and October 2008 we deployed to Kenya for a 6 week exercise where we will build on the foundation of individual skills acquired thus far, by conducting collective training at company and battalion level along with supporting assets such as artillery, engineers and aviation. On our return, we refined our training by concentrating on the particular skills required for Afghanistan such as specialist weapons and cultural awareness, along with theatre-specific tactics and procedures. In spring 2009 we depolyed for 6 months as the main manoeuvre and strike force in southern Afghanistan – a role that was guaranteed to be as varied, exciting and challenging as any in our operational history. We have now returned to our base in Inverness.As you will have seen on the other pages of this website, The Black Watch has always prided itself on its local ties and family spirit. This ethos lives on in The Black Watch Battalion. The majority of the soldiers in the Battalion come from Dundee, Fife, Angus and Perthshire and many serving soldiers are following relatives into the Regiment. We also have soldiers from other nations such as Fiji, Australia, New Zealand and Canada and we extend a warm and Scottish welcome to everyone who serves with us, wherever they originate from. In particular, we consider that our families are an essential part of the regiment and we ensure wives and children are well looked after and supported.
Our name and the Red Hackle are renowned, but our reputation is based on operational success. The Black Watch Battalion combines the best of our history and traditions with the cutting-edge assets and opportunities of the modern British Army. We look forward to continuing our record of service to the nation and our Sovereign.
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