The South Africa War 1899-1903
When war broke between the British and the Boers, Canada promptly rallied to assist the Empire with a contingent of seven thousand volunteers. This was the first time that Canada sent troops abroad. The 5th Royal Scots answered the call and contributed more men in proportion to its numbers than any other infantry regiment in Canada.
In total, 62 members of the regiment served in South Africa. The Battle of Paardeberg in February 1900 marked a solemn milestone, as Corporal R.C. Goodfellow and Private F. Wasdell became the Regiment's first fatal casualties in action. The Battle Honour ‘South Africa 1899-1900’ is the first awarded to the unit and is to emblazoned in its Colours.
Chocolate tins were given out by Queen Victoria to all of her soldiers serving in South Africa in celebration of the New Years of 1900. On the top of the box, under her portrait, are the words “I wish you a happy New Year, Victoria Reg”.
Read our story and visit our museum
The next article will showcase items from the First World War. All the information mentioned above is taken from the recently published three-volume regimental history books. They can be purchased at our armoury or online on the McGill-Queen’s University Press website. The Black Watch Museum is open on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and by appointment by contacting: museum@blackwatchcanada.com
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The first regimental flags date from 1862. Offered by the Ladies of Montreal, they cost six hundred dollars, or approximately twenty thousand dollars in today's money.
This medal of the South Africa War has bars for the Johannesburg, Driefontein, Paardberg and Cape Colony battles. It belonged to Pte J. A. Mac Donald.
This medal belonged to Lieutenant Colonel T. Lyman. It has bars for the Red River Rebellion of 1870 (also known as the First Riel Rebellion), and Fenian Raids of 1870 and 1866.
On New Year's 1900, Queen Victoria offered a box of chocolates to all her soldiers serving in South Africa.
Unveiling The Black Watch Legacy
| Lieutenant Felipe Posada, Black Watch
This series of articles, which began in July, narrates the illustrious history of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada by showcasing select objects from its museum at the Bleury Street Armoury in Montréal. This third installment focuses on the Regiment’s participation in the Second World War.
Entire books and documentaries—such as Seven Days in Hell by David O’Keefe or The Black Watch Snipers by the History Channel—have chronicled the Regiment’s heroic exploits during this conflict. This article highlights just a small portion of the many events experienced by the Royal Highlanders during those six years of war.
Back in Europe, strengthened by its heritage
The Royal Highlanders of Canada had already earned international recognition for the valor of its three battalions (13th, 42nd, 73rd) in the First World War. By 1939, the Regiment—renamed The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada in 1930—was the only militia unit in the country with two strong battalions based in the same city. Many of its non-commissioned officers (NCOs) were veterans of the First World War.
War was declared in September 1939, and The Black Watch set sail for the United Kingdom in August 1940, after several months of training and duties in Newfoundland.
Photos: Black Watch
The Dieppe Raid
For nearly two years, The Black Watch was stationed in southern England, conducting training exercises and coastal defence drills. On August 19th, 1942, two detachments of the Regiment—one consisting of three rifle platoons and another with mortars—were selected to take part in the Dieppe Raid.
The plan called for Black Watch riflemen to be part of the third wave of the attack, tasked with capturing anti-aircraft batteries, while the Battalion’s mortars provided smoke and high-explosive fire to support the assault. After eight hours of brutal combat, the German defenders repelled the Allied forces with heavy losses.
Three Black Watch soldiers were killed, eight went missing, 17 were wounded, and 57 were taken prisoner.
The Battle for Verrières Ridge
Almost two years after the Dieppe Raid, The Black Watch arrived in Normandy on July 6, 1944, one month after D-Day. After a series of hard-fought victories, the Regiment faced its greatest trial during Operation Spring.
On July 25, the Highlanders were ordered to capture Verrières Ridge in a morning assault meant to outflank the 1st SS Panzer Division (Leibstandarte). Advancing up the slope, they encountered devastating fire from German positions concealed in the wheat fields and were hit by concentrated tank, artillery, and machine-gun fire at point-blank range.
Entire sections of the Regiment were wiped out as they pushed forward without promised artillery or tank support. Only a fraction of the attackers reached the top of the ridge. The battle resulted in catastrophic losses: 324 casualties, including 120 killed, among them Major Griffin who took over command when Lieutenant-Colonel Cantlie was killed earlier that morning while conducting a reconnaissance prior to the attack.
A stone sourced from the beach at Puys—where Black Watch soldiers disembarked during the Dieppe raid— was presented to the Regiment’s commanding officer in August 2024 by the Normandy Highland Pipe Band during their visit to Montréal. The stone is carved with the Regimental Crest and accompanied by a cornflower (bleuet), a symbol of remembrance in France.
A map in the museum depicts the battle plan for Operation Spring (July 25–27, 1944), launched by 2 nd Canadian Corps to create pressure on German forces along the British and Canadian front.
A photograph taken two months before the battle shows officers from the 1 st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada. Only eight of these men survived the campaign in Normandy.
