Lecture | Korea 1952-1953: The Black Watch Story

Alistair Irwin will give this third lecture in the series on the Korean War 1951-1953. The focus will be on the 1st Battalion, The Black Watch from November 1951, when news was received in Germany that they were to join the war, to the end of the story in June 1953 when the battalion left Korea at the start of its journey to Kenya.

The books written about the Korean War, and the relevant chapters in The Black Watch regimental histories, inevitably tend to concentrate on the headline details. In contrast, the emphasis in this lecture will be on the personal experiences of the officers and men who fought the battles and who endured the conditions in and out of the line. It is a tale that is variously exciting, inspiring, tragic, amusing, occasionally shocking, and bizarre.

Alistair Irwin was commissioned into The Black Watch in 1970 and was appointed Colonel of the Regiment just over 30 years later. He had a varied military career culminating in the post of Adjutant General, the Army Board member responsible for all personnel matters. He has contributed several articles and chapters to military journals and books and is the author of A Very brief War, the story of his great uncle Lewis Cumming who was killed serving in the 1st Battalion at battle of the Aisne in September 1914. He has recently been appointed Honorary President of the Black Watch Regimental Trust.

Stay for a post lecture supper in the Castle Bistro
2 courses £25
3 courses £30