The Black Watch

Do we have any ex-members amongst us?

If so, can you add anything to the entries on the main site for:-

1st Battalion.

May 1945 Heerstedt.
May 1945 Mulsum.
September 1945 Buxtehude. (German private houses, hotels or public buildings)
May 1946- Hesedorf.
June 1946 Duisburg. (Glamorgan Barracks)
April 1950 Berlin. (Montgomery Barracks)
October 1951 Buxtehude. ( ? )
January 1956-October 1957 Berlin. (Wavell Barracks)
April 1964- November 1966 Minden. (Elizabeth Barracks)
May 1967-February 1968 Minden. (Elizabeth Barracks)
April 1980-December 1982Werl. (Albuhera Barracks)
June 1983- February 1985 Werl. (Albuhera Barracks)
March 1987-June 1989 Berlin. (Montgomery Barracks)
July 2000-February 2003 Fallingbostel. (St Barbara’s Barracks)
June 2003-March 2005 Fallingbostel. (St Barbara’s Barracks)

2nd Battalion.

October 1952-June 1953 Hubbelrath. (Gort Barracks)
July 1953-July 1954 Dortmund. (Moore Barracks)

Paul.

Paul

Stationed In Werl, Berlin

Will look out old photos of both. Daughter born Werl and we visit Berlin every year for the Xmas markets.

Phill

phill42bw wrote:

Paul

Stationed In Werl, Berlin

Will look out old photos of both. Daughter born Werl and we visit Berlin every year for the Xmas markets.

Phill

Phill,

Thank you. If you want them posted on the main site as well let me know.

Paul.

The posting to Minden of 1BW in 1964 was a particularly historic occasion as the 2nd Bn of the Black Watch of Canada was serving in Werl and the two sister regiments were together for the first time.

Shortly after their arrival in BAOR we were under canvas in Sennelager. Our CO, L/Col Duncan MacAlpine, never at a loss for an excuse to throw a monstrous party, invited the battalion down for the weekend. Steaks and chicken were bbqed, fresh corn on the cob flown in from Canada, and, oh yes, the odd barrel of beer tapped. (The corn was something of a mystery to our Jock friends; one man was seen gnawing away at the cob and voicing some consternation about the whole business.) A flat bed trailer was borrowed from the Engineers to serve as a stage where anyone and everyone could get up and pipe, sing, dance, tell stories, or whatever. It was a grand weekend.

1 BW reciprocated a few weeks later when they were under canvas but I can't remember where exactly. It must have sent Scottish-Newcastle Breweries' stock soaring.

That summer the two regiments put on an excellent tattoo at our barracks, Fort St. Louis. They were great days that I hope others reading this may remember.

NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT!

I had to chuckle re the incident around corn on the cob...of course, for the Canadians, this is a staple; we love our fresh corn-on-the-cob (especially, here in Alberta, if it is from a small farming town called Taber...sweet corn, delicious!!).

For our British and German friends, however, corn-on-the-cob was totally foreign. Corn, sure, but on the cob? As one one German acquaintance once put it "That is what we feed the pigs!"
(no insult was intended, by the way LOL...at least I don't think so!).

Believe me, fresh corn on the cob, steamed until piping hot, and slathered in butter (never margarine!) and sprinkled with a bit of salt and maybe pepper...heaven!!! The only downside is the kernels do have a tendency to get stuck in one's teeth.

I also remember, in a related field, visiting family in London and Southern England (Sussex, mainly. Lots of family in around Hastings and Bex Hill). It was Canadian Thanksgiving and Mom mentioned something about having pumpkin pie. One of our cousins thought that a horrible concoction, I suppose, but decided to surprise her Canadian relatives and made a pie from some pumpkins. Not sure where she found them in the UK.

Thing is, she essentially made it the way she would have made any number of vegetable pies...bear with me, my memory is a bit iffy on this as this all happened when I was probably 6 or 7 years old (and I am 54 now).

The pumpkin pie we knew has large amount of cinnamon and other spices added. Hers did not. It was pretty bad,actually LOL But we managed to choke it down.

Thing is, she knew it was disgusting. My mom offered to make her a proper pumpkin pie (not that dear old mom was much of a cook herself).

"Oh, my," came the verdict "That is quite tasty, isn't it?"

Various differences like that are coming to mind-- like having a beer on a summer's evening and finding out it was WARM (blech!). When told we preferred our beer cold, the solution was to add icecubes to the beer!! Odd....

The Germans, at least, understood the need for beer to be cold LOL

Recce mentions the performing of tattooes. My dad was something of a military buff, apart from being Army himself (he was one of the top cap badge collectors in Canada, with an extensive, and much coveted, collection) and a military historian, so we attended several such tattooes. Absolutely thrilling! Sadly, most civilians are totally unfamiliar with these sorts of tattooes (I've lost count of the number of times, when talking about military tattooes, that some civvie immediately assumes I am talking about ink....used to make for some very odd but hilarious "cross-purpose" conversations, I can tell you).

Remember all these occasions well Joe,as I was in the Sgt,s mess at the time.
We also took a bus trip from Minden to have a Sgt,s mess night in Albuhera Bks in Werl with the Canadian Watch,that was some night and a long journey back to Minden in the wee sma hoors of the morning.
From the Black Watch site. A Wo &Sgt,s mess member remembers his mess visit to the Canadian mess.

I was attached to the 1st Bn Black Watch between 1983 - 1985 when they left Werl and 1st Bn Royal Scots took over. The first RSM that i met was "Chopper" Procter. Then i had the pleassure of serving under "Starchy" Smith. The QM at the time was "Skin" Beattie. He had been the RSM of the battalion at one time and i had heard many stories of his antics as the RSM.
I remember Werl with much affection. My daughter was born whilst i was in Werl, however the Royal Scots had taken over by then. Once you serve with "The Watch" they are never forgotten.

Black Watch - Ancient German History:

1st Battalion.

May 1945 Heerstedt. - near Cuxhaven
May 1945 Mulsum. - near Cuxhaven
September 1945 Buxtehude. (German private houses, hotels or public buildings)
May 1946- Hesedorf. - 47 kms SW of Buxtehude had been an Air Wpns ammo dump but was now part of the release organisation for former Wehrmacht service personnel -
June 1946 Duisburg. (Glamorgan Barracks)
April 1950 Berlin. (Montgomery Barracks)
October 1951 Buxtehude. ( Spey Barracks)
January 1956-October 1957 Berlin. (Wavell Barracks)
April 1964- November 1966 Minden. (Elizabeth Barracks)
May 1967-February 1968 Minden. (Elizabeth Barracks)
April 1980-December 1982Werl. (Albuhera Barracks)
June 1983- February 1985 Werl. (Albuhera Barracks)
March 1987-June 1989 Berlin. (Montgomery Barracks)
July 2000-February 2003 Fallingbostel. (St Barbara’s Barracks)
June 2003-March 2005 Fallingbostel. (St Barbara’s Barracks)

On Parade 10 Aug 1949 at Sennelager (Windmill strip before it was widened)  BW wearing tin bunnets!

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/21465

(if slow starting tap screen once=)


Spelling errors in this text are ALL american!
111ADC7693Signal CorpsSOURCE: AFCF (ESPC 52-49)FILM: ARCH & APC MP 675' ea Silent
ADC 7693 WESTERN UNION REVIEW (BRITISH ARMY OF MINE, BRITISH AIR FORCES OFOCCUPATION AND ALLIED CONTINGENTS)Sennelager (Paderborn), Germany  released 8 Oct 1949

VS, tanks of the British 5th Royal Inskilling Dragoon Guards moving off dirt roadand across field on way to assembly point.
FS, US light tank crossing field. American light tank coming toward camera and stopping.
CU guidon on tank "14th Constabulary".M-24 tank crossing ditch.
MLSs, MSs, kilted Black Watch troops (British) marching toward and to 1 of camera.
MS, same as above, marching toward and to right of camera.
VS, drummers of combined bands, beating drums, followed by other instrumentalists.
LS, MLS, Black Watch bagpipe band.
MLS, Lt Gen John K Cannon (CG, USAFE) in jeep prior to trooping the line.
LS, r to 1 Black Watch troops.Cutins, spectators.
HSs, pans, tanks of the 14th Armored Cav (Constabulary) in review.
HSs, pans, unidentified Allied armored vehicles on parade.
RG 111Accession III-NAV-210
ARMY PICTORIAL CENTER, 35-11 35th AVE, LIC 1, N
(American text ends)

British Pathe covered the event as well:  The Parade was a pre-cursor to a 4 day multinational exercise  (good idea - get the players fresh BEFORE the rigours of an exercise which could end up with them disliking each other!).

The 1949 Parade - before joint exercises!  (see earlier US film reels)
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/german-parade/query/sennelager
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/five-power-army-masses-in-westphalia/query/sennelager
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA2Q6SXL7S2DPJCMV2WLFA1S7TB-FIVE-ALLIED-NATIONS-PARADE-IN-GERMANY/query/sennelager

(Incl shot of Winning Mühle on the Sennelager Parade strip - inside the range area)

An interesting film.

Thks
Alan

There are two more silent reels!  Wait!


and this in colour and sound   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMVtbKiAqy8&t=405s


How it was in the 1960s

Hello, my name is Lucien and I am looking for colored soldiers or someone who had closer contact with colored soldiers who served in Werl with the Black Watch in 1980 - 1985? or maybe someone has pictures of the troupe from 1980, 1981, 1982? They would help me a lot

Thank you for your attention

Sincerely
Lucien

5 Bn Black Watch 1945/46

5 Bn Black Watch    We were about a fortnight in Bremerhaven
before the town was handed over to the Americans 24 May 1945,
(https://usarmygermany.com/Sont.htm?https&&&usarmygermany.com/Units/Occupation/USAREUR_17thMajorPort.htm)
after which we moved to a place called Gnarrenburg,
about ten miles from Bremerhaven, en route
for the final occupation area.


While we were in Gnarrenburg Major Alex.
Brodie came back from hospital, having got over
another wound, and took over "S" Coy.
The Battalion had only been settled down for
a week when the order to move arrived and this
time the destination turned out to be Steyerburg,
about 12 miles from Nienburg on the Weser.