Black Watch Memorial & Fundraising in Dundee
Within Dundee, Scotland, there are two Memorial projects relating to The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) that require substantial amounts of financial assistance to ensure they become fitting Memorials to our illustrious and famous Regiment. These projects are;
Project A – The Black Watch Memorial at Powrie Brae, Emmock Road, Dundee
This Memorial which was the inspiration of Brigadier James A. Oliver and Lt Col Charles N. Thomson both of whom had served in the 4th and 5th Battalions of the Black Watch during World War Two (WW2), was created by Scott Sutherland, a Scottish sculptor who was also responsible for the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge and other memorials around Dundee and Angus.
The bronze statue was modelled by Sandy Rankine who served in the 4th Battalion during WW2.
On the front of the statue plinth, the inscription states, ‘To the memory of all ranks of the 4th and 5th Dundee and Angus Battalions of the Black Watch who died in the Second World War’.
The Memorial on its original site to the north of Powrie Castle, was unveiled by HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on 15th October 1959 in front of 3,000 people.
In 1985, when the A90 Dual carriageway was constructed, the Memorial became rather isolated, therefore it was decided to move the Memorial to its present position on Powrie Brae, Emmock Road.
On the 18th October 2009, 50 years from the original unveiling, HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay attended a re-dedication at Powrie Brae where he was welcomed by Dundee Lord Provost John Letford a great supporter of all matters relating to the Black Watch. The service was conducted by Reverend Vincent Logan, Bishop of Dunkeld, Canon Peter Allen and Reverend Bob Wightman, Chaplain to the City of Dundee Combined Ex-Services Association. In attendance were many serving Black Watch Officers and Soldiers, Black Watch Veterans and relatives of Sandy Rankine and of the men who served and died during WW2. Other dignitaries included Angus Provost Ruth Melville and local MPs Jim McGovern and Stewart Hosie.
More recently, on the conclusion of various inspections of the Memorial and grounds, it was agreed that much refurbishment was required to ensure that this famous Memorial was constantly displayed in its full glory.
The work required includes repointing of all the stonework on the wall surrounding the Memorial and repointing the stonework on the plinth on which the Statue stands. The slabs on all standing areas and pathways require lifting, levelling and re-laying, with all broken slabs being replaced. The garden and grassed areas require constant maintenance.
The estimated costs are £6,000.
Project B – The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) Memorial on Black Watch Parade, Dundee
Colonel Alex Murdoch, a previous Chairman of the Black Watch Association, had a desire to have a Statue (Memorial) erected in Dundee to commemorate The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) 1739-2006. The idea was to replicate either the Black Watch Piper as located at Balhousie Castle or the statue erected at Black Watch Corner, Ypres, in Belgium.
The process commenced in late 2018 with a small committee in the shape of Col Murdoch, Willie Barr (Chairman of the Dundee Branch) and Major (Retd) Colin Gray (President of the Dundee Branch). In October 2019 an initial meeting was held with members of Dundee City Council planning department.
The process commenced in late 2018 with a small committee in the shape of Col Murdoch, Willie Barr (Chairman of the Dundee Branch) and Major (Retd) Colin Gray (President of the Dundee Branch). In October 2019 an initial meeting was held with members of Dundee City Council planning department.
The Committee strongly suggested that the ideal location for this Memorial was on Black Watch Parade which is located on the newly developed Waterfront and was named so, after a campaign by Charlie Reid, an ex-Warrant Officer who served in in The 1st Battalion. Black Watch Parade is a walkway/cycle path, directly on the edge of the River Tay running from the bottom of South Crighton Street to just under the Tay Road Bridge. This location is in Dundee, with its back to Angus, looking across towards the Kingdom of Fife and looking westwards up the River Tay towards Perthshire. The four traditional recruiting areas of our illustrious Regiment.
The initial thoughts for the new proposal, was not to erect a single Memorial, but to create a Walkway using the length of Black Watch Parade to tell the story of the Regiment. Along the route, paving stones could be etched with significant timelines in our history. QR Codes would be placed along the walkway, allowing the user to obtain further information via the Black Watch Castle & Museum website.
During that initial meeting, it became quite apparent that the City Council were not in favour of having a Memorial such as we had suggested (HD Piper or BW Corner). They believed that such a figure would not necessarily blend in with the more modern surroundings of the V & A Museum, the Urban Beach and the then proposed Whale Sculpture. It was agreed that the Committee would come up with a different proposal. At this stage, Col Murdoch handed over the project to the Dundee Branch for them to drive it forward.
John Gray, a retired member of Dundee Council Planning Department and an extremely eager supporter of the intended project, was requested to liaise with local artists with a view for them to provide their own individual proposals. The selected artists were then invited to present their proposals to the Black Watch Association Committee at Balhousie Castle after which the decision was made to offer the project to Ailsa Magnus whose proposal fully encompassed the desires of the Committee.
The estimated costs are £80,000.
Fundraising
The Dundee Branch of the Black Watch Association are aiming to raise the total sum of £86,000 (cost of both projects) and they are working extremely hard to fundraise that amount via raffles, auctions and events. It is hoped that many personal and corporate donations will also be received.
Donations can be made via either a bank transfer to the Black Watch Regimental Trust Account, through the Just Giving page or by sending a cheque. All monies received will be deposited into a ring-fenced Account to be used purely for the purposes of these two projects. Any monies remaining after all costs have been paid, will be used to conduct future maintenance work on either of the projects.
Details for Bank Transfers
Just Giving Page
Address for Sending Cheques
Details for Bank Transfers
Name: The Black Watch Regimental Trust Limited
Sort Code: 83-47-00
Account Number: 11477506
Just Giving Page
If you would like to donate online, please visit our Just Giving Page: The Black Watch Memorials in Dundee – A Fundraising Appeal – JustGiving
Address for Sending Cheques
The Dundee Memorial Fund
Black Watch Castle & Museum
Hay Street
Perth
PH1 5HR
Donations can be made for a specific Project by leaving a Reference with the donation, i.e. if you want to make a donation specifically for Project A, use the reference Powrie Brae followed by your full name, and for Project B, use the reference BW Parade followed by your full name. If you wish to remain anonymous, please just leave the reference to the project. If you have no preferences of project, then please just leave your full name or if preferred, make an anonymous donation.
For More Information about the projects or how to donate, Contact Major (Retired) Colin Gray via email – blackshade2017@outlook.com