Opening 5th September Poet, playwright, performer and soldier, Alexander James “Hamish” Mann was a talented and prolific writer whose creative ambitions were taking shape when war broke out in 1914. Sing, O Sad Heart explores the life and remarkable creative output of Hamish Mann, drawing on the extensive archive held by the museum. The exhibition … Read more
As part of the development of the temporary exhibition in 2025, Highland Laddies, we searched the photograph archive for images of boys who served in The Black Watch throughout its history. A selection of these photographs are currently displayed as a photographic collage in the temporary exhibition gallery. Photograph of D Company, 1st Battalion, Black … Read more
The Volunteer movement can tell us a great deal about British society and how it responded to external threats during the nineteenth century, and it also played a part in the developing identity of The Black Watch as a regiment. As Project Archivist at The Black Watch Castle and Museum, I have recently been cataloguing … Read more
Highland Laddies tells the story of some of the youngest soldiers to have served in The Black Watch. From the 18th and 19th centuries through to the First World War, boys enlisted in the regiment as drummer boys, buglers, stretcher bearers and, in some cases, as front-line soldiers. Some joined seeking adventure, while for others … Read more
Marking 300 Years Since Their Formation By Pipe Major Alistair Duthie, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) Association. The origins of what became The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) can be traced back 300 years to a period of instability in the Scottish Highlands following the Jacobite Rising of 1715. With local authority weakened, criminal activity … Read more
When it comes to curating exhibitions we traditionally try to take a step back. Curators aim to describe a setting, tell a story using interesting and enlightening objects and ultimately remain objective. This always fails, of course. In every word of every panel and label there is an opinion or emotion. We simply cannot tell … Read more
An ionic image of the military art genre is Comrades by Robert Gibb (b.1845-d.1932), which was first exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1887. The location of this original painting is now unknown. Whilst studying the life of Napoleon, Gibb had made a sketch of the retreat from Moscow. The dominant group of three … Read more
As a Regimental Museum it is difficult, when wandering around the store, to avoid the occasional sharp, pointy thing, which always seem to be either at head, or elbow, level. All of us who work with the objects in storage have a story to tell about a particular item that is always ‘out to … Read more
The Portrait of Piper Donald Bain My favourite object in the collection is a portrait of piper Donald Bain. The portrait itself is not on display but is held in store in the archive. I became aware of the portrait when one day an lady from Glasgow, accompanied by members of her family, came … Read more
On this day one hundred years ago, 75 men of The Black Watch lost their lives. Read on to discover what caused this spike in casualty numbers. As the situation for the besieged British forces at Kut grew more desperate, General Townshend eventually announced that he would have to put the defenders on half rations. … Read more
