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8th Battalion, Black Watch
8th Battalion was raised at Perth on the 21st of August 1914 as part of Kitchener's First New Army, they joined 26th Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. Following inital training in the Perth area they moved to Aldershot. In January 1915 they moved to Alton and in March to Bordon. They proceeded to France on the 10th of March 1915, landing at Boulogne and went into action in the The Battle of Loos. In 1916 they were in action in the Battle of the Somme, including the capture of Longueval in which the fierce fighting reduced the 8th Black Watch to just 171 men, The Battle of Delville Wood and The Battle of Le Transloy. In 1917 they fought in the The First and Second Battles of the Scarpe during the Arras Offensive, The First Battle of Passchendaele and The action of Welsh Ridge. In 1918 they fought on the Somme, in the Battles of the Lys and The Advance in Flanders, capturing the Outtersteene Ridge and seeing action in in the Battle of Courtrai and the action of Ooteghem. They were resting in billets at the Armistice. 9th (Scottish) Division was selected be part of the occupation force and on the 4th of December they crossed into Germany to take up a position at the Cologne brideghead on the Rhine. In late February 1919, the original units were demobilised, being replaced by others and The Division was renamed the Lowland Division.
21st Aug 1914 8th Battalion, Black Watch raised. 8th Battalion, The Black Watch was raised at Perth, Scotland on the 21st of August 1914 as part of Kitchener's First New Army, they joined 26th Brigade, 9th (Scottish) Division. Following inital training in the Perth area they moved to Aldershot.
10th May 1915 On the Move
11th May 1915 On the Move
11th May 1915 Motor Vehicles
12th May 1915 On the Move
15th May 1915 Concentration
15th May 1915 Report
15th May 1915 Orders
16th May 1915 On the March
16th May 1915 Orders
17th May 1915 On the March 
17th May 1915 On the March
20th May 1915 Respirators
21st May 1915 Instruction
21st May 1915 Instruction
23rd May 1915 Instruction
23rd May 1915 Instruction
24th May 1915 Instruction
24th May 1915 Instruction
25th May 1915 Instruction
25th May 1915 Bombs
26th May 1915 On the March
26th May 1915 Orders
27th May 1915 On the March
27th May 1915 Working Parties
28th May 1915 Working Parties
30th May 1915 Working Parties
31st May 1915 Instruction
1st Jun 1915 Working Parties
2nd Jun 1915 Route March
3rd Jun 1915 Into Billets
3rd Jun 1915 Relief Completed
5th Jun 1915 On the March
6th Jun 1915 Training
24th Jun 1915 On the March
26th Jun 1915 Orders Cancelled
27th Jun 1915 Into Billets
28th Jun 1915 On the March
30th Jun 1915 Reliefs
1st Jul 1915 In Reserve
2nd Jul 1915 In Reserve
3rd Jul 1915 In Reserve
4th Jul 1915 Reliefs
5th Jul 1915 Reliefs
6th Jul 1915 Shelling
7th Jul 1915 Reliefs Complete
8th Jul 1915 Inspection
9th Jul 1915 In Billets
10th Jul 1915 In Billets
Jul 1915 Training Instruction
Jul 1915 Billets
11th Jul 1915 In Billets
12th Jul 1915 In Billets
13th Jul 1915 In Billets
14th Jul 1915 Heavy Rain
15th Jul 1915 Mines Exploded
16th Jul 1915 Heavy Firing
17th Jul 1915 Shelling
18th Jul 1915 Enemy Mine
19th Jul 1915 Heavy Firing
20th Jul 1915 Shelling
21st Jul 1915 Shelling
22nd Jul 1915 Shelling
23rd Jul 1915 Trench Work
24th Jul 1915 Trench Work
25th Jul 1915 Trench Work
26th Jul 1915 Trench Work
27th Jul 1915 Houses Shelled
28th Jul 1915 Working Party
29th Jul 1915 In Support
1st Sep 1915 Instructions
1st Sep 1915 Orders
2nd Sep 1915 Orders
7th Sep 1915 Observation Precautions
10th Sep 1915 Instructions
14th Sep 1915 Instructions
15th Sep 1915 Defence Scheme
17th Sep 1915 Reliefs
21st Sep 1915 Orders
25th Sep 1915 Beyond Powers of Description
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
9th February 1916 Call Ups
14th Jul 1916 26th Brigade Attack
18th Jul 1916 Gas
19th Jul 1916 Heavy Casualties
1st Jan 1918 Reliefs
3rd Jan 1918 Enemy Aircraft
4th Jan 1918 Air Raid
6th Jan 1918 Air Raid
7th Jan 1918 Quiet
8th Jan 1918 Harassing Fire
9th Jan 1918 Orders Received
11th Jan 1918 Prisoner
12th Jan 1918 Shelling
13th Jan 1918 Enemy Artillery
14th Jan 1918 Frosty
16th Jan 1918 Poor Conditions
17th Jan 1918 Shelling
18th Jan 1918 Attack Planned
19th Jan 1918 Quiet
20th Jan 1918 Orders
21st Jan 1918 Shelling
22nd Jan 1918 Some Shelling
23rd Jan 1918 Raid
24th Jan 1918 Relief
25th Jan 1918 Fog
26th Jan 1918 Prisoner
27th Jan 1918 Orders Received
28th Jan 1918 Shelling
1st Feb 1918 Foggy
2nd Feb 1918 Reliefs Complete
3rd Feb 1918 Cleaning up
4th Feb 1918 Training
5th Feb 1918 Training
6th Feb 1918 Training
8th Feb 1918 Training
9th Feb 1918 Training
10th Feb 1918 Training
11th Feb 1918 Training
12th Feb 1918 Training
13th Feb 1918 Training
14th Feb 1918 Training
15th Feb 1918 Training
16th Feb 1918 On the Move
18th Feb 1918 Inspection
19th Feb 1918 Training
20th Feb 1918 Training
21st Feb 1918 Training
14th Mar 1918 Attack Expected
3rd Apr 1918 In the Line
5th Apr 1918 Divison to be withdrawn
10th Apr 1918 Confusion
10th of April 1918 Into Battle
11th Apr 1918 An Officer's Diary
25th Apr 1918 Shelling Continues The enemy continued the shelling of Poperinghe during the morning and, at 9am., a shell fell in the stables, killing two grooms and severely wounding five others. Two horses were hit and had to be destroyed. Orders were received at 10.15am by the 6th West Ridings to move to Ouderdum, where the Brigade would be placed at the disposal ox IX Division. The Battalion embussed on the Poperinghe to Busseboom road and reached Ouderdum at about 12.15pm. On arrival, orders were received for the 1/7th. D. of W. Battalion and ourselves to form a defensive flank on the line of Milky Way and to establish connection between the left of the French troops at Millekruise crosswords and the right of Cheapsie Line at Beaver Corner. The battalion moved off by platoons to Millekruise crossroads to take up positions but orders were received about 3pm. for our line to run from the French left flank at approximately N7d 4.4 to N8d 4.5 (map references). The 1/7th West Riding Battalion was establishing a line from that point to map reference N15b 0.5. 'A' and 'B' Companies immediately set to work and dug in on this line in support of the Black Watch and the French, with 'C' Company in support at map reference N8a 7.8 'D' Company was kept in battalion reserve at map reference N1b 3.3. At 6.10pm, further orders were received to take over the line occupied by the 4th. Royal Scots (27th. Brigade) and the 8th. Black Watch (26th. Brigade) from N7d 6.6 to N8b 0.2 (map references). This was carried out by 'A' and 'B' Companies, 'C' and 'D' Companies 6th West Ridings in their original positions. Word was received at 8.40pm that the Royal Flying Corp had established that French troops were on Kemmel Hill and in Kemmel village. Lieutenant Spencer was sent to get in touch with the French H. Q. at La Clytte but the French authorities could not confirm this report, stating that the nearest French troops were those with whom 'A' Company were in touch on the right. Casualties of 6th Btn D of W West Riding Regt on this day were 2nd. Lt. G. F. Swaby (Missing), 265234 Acting Lance Sergeant W. Laycock (Wounded), 265236 Private W. Birkby (Wounded), 265480 Private A. Dinsdale (Killed in Action), 265509 Private G. Docksey (Wounded), 265130 Private J. H. Hey (Wounded), 265421 Private H. Leaf (Wounded), 265040 Private W. Moore (Wounded), 265208 Private H. Stansfield (Missing), 265409 Private F. Wardman (Killed in Action).
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These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with 8th Battalion, Black Watch during the Great War 1914-1918. - Allan William. Pte. (d.25th Apr 1916)
- Allen Arthur Crawford. Pte. (d.19th Oct 1916)
- Anderson Thomas. Pte. (d.27th Sep 1915)
- Annan Charles Melville. Pte. (d.19th Jul 1918)
- Balkwill Albert Thomas James. 2nd Lt. (d.17th Oct 1916)
- Birkinshaw MM. Jesse. L/Cpl.
- Black Archibald. Pte. (d.14th Jul 1916)
- Brown Thomas. L/Cpl. (d.2nd October 1918)
- Butchart Malcolm Gibson. Pte, (d.12th Oct 1917)
- Clark Charles. Pte.
- Connelly Patrick. Pte (d.27 Sep 1915)
- Cooke Harry Maltby. Pte. (d.3rd May 1917)
- Crombie Alexander. Pte. (d.21st October 1915)
- Douglas William. Pte. (d.21st Mar 1918)
- Fleming William Mclymont. Sgt.
- Goldsmith Mark. Sgt. (d.24th March 1918)
- Henretty John. Pte. (d.12th October 1917)
- Heslin John. Pte. (d.17th Dec 1917)
- Imrie Robert. Pte. (d.3rd Oct 1915)
- MacMurchie DCM, MM and bar. John Stuart. Sgt. (d.3rd March 1917)
- Mann Alexander James. 2nd Lt. (d.10th Apr 1917)
- McKenzie MM. James. L/Cpl.
- McLean Murdoch. Pte (d.19 July 1918)
- Mellon James. Pte. (d.27th Sept 1915)
- Moses Joseph Priestman. Pte. (d.1st May 1915)
- Nelson Stephen. Sgt. (d.19th July 1918)
- O'Kell John Edward. Pte. (d.18th Oct 1916)
- Philp Hugh. Pte. (d.9th April 1917)
- Rennie John Robertson. Pte (d.24th October 1918)
- Robertson David Elder. L/Cpl. (d.3rd May 1917)
- Sinclair John Campbell Anderson. Pte. (d.14th Oct 1918)
- Smith William. Cpl.
- Sweeney Edward. Pte. (d.14th October 1918)
- Taylor George Laird. Pte. (d.25th Sep 1915)
- Tennant John. L/Cpl. (d.12th Oct 1917)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 8th Battalion, Black Watch from other sources.
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Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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Pte. Charles Melville Annan 8th Btn. Black Watch (d.19th Jul 1918) Charles Annan is my great great grandfather, he served with the 8th Black Watch.
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Cpl. William Smith 8th Btn. Black Watch William Smith served with the 8th Battalion, Black Watch in WW1.
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Pte. William Douglas 8th Btn. Black Watch (d.21st Mar 1918) Billy Douglas served with the 8th Black Watch.
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Sgt. William Mclymont Fleming 8th Btn. Black Watch William Fleming was born in Slammanan, Stirlingshire in Nov 1890. He moved to Fisherrow, Midlothian circa 1904.
He worked as a coal miner and signed with Tottenham Hotspur just before the outbreak of war.
He enlisted in 8th Battalion, Black Watch in 1914.
William was married in 1917 and fathered 3 children. Two daughters and one son also named William.
He survived the war and returned home then served in Ireland as a temporary cadet in the Royal Irish Constabulary 1919/20.
He returned home to work down the pit.
William died in July 1970 aged 78 at East Fortune Hospital, East Lothian and is buried at the Inverness Cemetery, Musselburgh, East Lothian.
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Pte. Joseph Priestman Moses 8th Battalion Black Watch (d.1st May 1915) Joseph Moses is interred in Bordon Military Cemetery.
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L/Cpl. David Elder Robertson 8th Btn. B Coy, 5 Platoon. Black Watch (d.3rd May 1917) Great Uncle David Robertson was born in Inveresk, Musselburgh, at the end of 1889. After school he worked on the railways and as a miner. He was married early 1915 and volunteered on 2nd of June 1915. He joined the training company of 8th Black Watch at St Lucia Barracks, Bordon. A letter he wrote home just after 3 weeks manoeuvres without shelter in bad weather and little sleep (being a L/Cpl) made him determined to lose his stripe and get to the front. Little did he know when he wrote on 26th of September 1915 that his unit and 9th Scottish Division, had been launched the day before at Loos and would suffer terrible casualties. By mid-October, he was with 8th Black Watch near Zillebeke, opposite the infamous Hill 60. He survived a week of hell at Longueval where 8th Black Watch assaulted with 739 all ranks and only 171 came out, right through to Arras, April 1917. But on 3rd of May 1917, a poorly ordered assault on Greenland Hill did for him and he died that day. He is remembered on the Arras War Memorial.
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L/Cpl. Thomas Brown 8th Battalion Black Watch (d.2nd October 1918) Thomas Brown was my grandfather. He was a miner, but chose to enlist very early on in the War. He died in 1918, leaving a wife and 7 children. the youngest being my father who was 6. I have visited his grave in Bellicourt Cemetery, France, but don't have any other information or pictures of him.
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Sgt. Stephen Nelson 8th Battalion Black Watch (d.19th July 1918) Stephen Nelson was my grandfather who died in Meteren, France on the 19th July 1918. His wife, Elizabeth, gave birth to a daughter, Christina, the previous year. As far as I'm aware he never saw his own child.
My grandmother struggled bravely, as a single parent, to bring up her daughter by finding work as a cook/housekeeper in private homes.
Sadly, I have no photos of my grandfather to add to this text.
When visiting Meteren on 27th of May 2018 I found my grandfather's grave. I may be the only relative to reflect on this brave man's short life. I think he was 29 or 30 when he was killed. I shall return to Meteren on the 19th July 2018 to pay my respects at his grave once more.
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Pte. Edward Sweeney 8th Battalion Black Watch (d.14th October 1918) Edward Sweeney was a distant relative but still remembered. He left a very small village called Helensburgh, the inventor of Television came from here. Sadly, Edward never had a chance to enjoy this and many other extraordinary things the world has brought us.
He fought for his country and the people at home but sadly died in a foreign country and never came home again. He has his name with many others of the Parish, in the Town Gardens on a large War Memorial. Every year the town comes out and pays tribute to all who fought and died.
This year is the 100th anniversary and my 15 year old daughter is taking a school trip to Belgium and France. I, and my now aging parents, are proud to say my daughter will hopefully find the memorial cemetery and pay our respects to Edward. Edward had no children and had not married.
His brother went to London and was the personal driver of Prime Minister Boannar Law. His other brother married my Granny and settled into life in a small rural town. We will continue to be remembered by the family name and thank Edward and his fellow men who were so brave.
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Pte. Robert Imrie 8th Btn. Black Watch (d.3rd Oct 1915) Robert Imrie was my great grandad, born 1866. He lived in Markinch which is where I lived as a boy, as did many of his relatives and children. He was injured during Battle of Loos, I believe on 25th of September 1915, and died of his wounds on 3 Oct 1915. He is buried in Choques Military Cemetery.
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Pte. John Campbell Anderson Sinclair 8th Btn. Black Watch (d.14th Oct 1918) John Sinclair served with the 8th Battlion, Black Watch.
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Pte. William Allan 8th Btn. Black Watch (d.25th Apr 1916) William Allan was one of two brothers who both died in World War 1. There is a memorial in Largs with their name on it.
I am his great niece.
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L/Cpl. James McKenzie MM. 9th Btn. Machine Gun Corps Jim McKenzie enlisted in the Royal Highlanders most likely in the 8th Battalion of the Black Watch. He married in Co Durham in 1922 and died in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1965.
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L/Cpl. John Tennant 8th Btn. Black Watch (d.12th Oct 1917) John Tennant served with the 8th Btn. Black Watch, I only found this information recently as the family never talked about the First World War.
John's three brothers also served with the Black Watch and survived with wounds.
My great uncle John has no grave but is named on the Memorial Wall at Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium. I hope that I will be able to visit one day.
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Pte. Harry Maltby Cooke 8th Btn. Black Watch (d.3rd May 1917) My great uncle, Harry Cooke, enlisted in the Yorkshire Regiment on 6th June 1914 (No 10478) and was discharged on 27th November 1914 as be "not likely to be an efficient Soldier". At some later date he re-enlisted in the Royal Highlanders (Black Watch) 8th Btn. and died near Fampoux during the Third Battle of the Scarpe. Details of his service in the Black Watch appear to have been destroyed.
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Pte. John Edward O'Kell 8th Btn. Black Watch (d.18th Oct 1916) John O'Kell served with the 8th Black Watch and is remembered on the Theipval Memorial to the Missing.
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Pte. George Laird Taylor 8th Btn. Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) (d.25th Sep 1915) George Laird Taylor was my great uncle. I knew about him from an early age because to the inscription on the family gravestone in my local church which listed him as "Killed in France 1915, Aged 17". It wasn't until recently, however, that I discovered this information contained an uncomfortable, but shockingly common, revelation - my uncle was under age when he died. The law (and British Army Regulations) at the time stated that to serve overseas a soldier had to be 19 years old, and yet his gravestone clearly stated he was only 17 when he died.
Armed with the knowledge that "boy soldiers" of his age, and younger, were allowed or encouraged to join-up in order to fill the ranks of "Kitchener's Army" I started to look deeper. Using the excellent Commonwealth War Graves Commission website I was quickly able to confirm not only his unit, service number, date of death and the battle in which died but also the fact that his age was known to the authorities at the time.
Further research indicated that sometimes families "rounded up" their son's ages on commemorative gravestones at home so I wanted to find out more by trying to find his true date of birth. Again, the CWGC site was invaluable as it not only gave great uncle George's full name but also that of his parents and his home address. Using that information I tracked down his birth date from the online records available from the Scottish National Archives. This confirmed he was born in July 1898 so was 17 years and 2 months old when he was killed.
As a member of the 8th (Service) Battalion Black Watch my great uncle would have been only 16 when he joined up and still not 17 when it arrived in France as part of the 9th (Scottish) Division on 10th May 1915. Less than five months later he was killed in action on 25th September 1915 - one of the 500+ casualties his battalion suffered in the fighting round the formidable German stronghold called the Hohenzollern Redoubt during the Battle of Loos. The most famous casualty of the battalion in that action is probably Fergus Bowes-Lyon, an older brother of the future Queen and late Queen Mother Elizabeth who was killed on 27 September.
Having found all that out, I am now looking for pictures so, hopefully, I can put a face to the name. I will be trying family but would appeal to anyone reading this who has connections to the 8th Battalion for anything they might have in terms of group photos or newspaper clippings that may have my great uncle in it. I live in the USA, but will be in Holland in the week before the 100th anniversary of his death. I intend to travel down to the area to "walk the ground" and pay my respects at the Loos Memorial to a man I never knew (and who has no known grave) but who died fighting in a war to protect the country I had the privilege to be born and grow up in.
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Pte. Archibald Black 8th Battalion Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) (d.14th Jul 1916)  Archie Black was born in Stirling on 20th April 1894, son of Peter and Christina Black (nee McEwen) of Boquhan Cottages, Kippen Station. Peter was a ploughman. They had six children including:
Catherine S. Black (b. 1892)
Archibald Black (b. 1894)
John McEwen Black (b. 1896)
Peter Black (b. 1907)
Christina McEwen Black (b. 1908). He was a member of the church, and a church elder at Dunblane, Perthshire. Archie enlisted at Dunblane in January 1915 as Private, S/7532, 8th Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) and went to France on 2nd June 1915. He was wounded, spending time in Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow. He was killed during the attack on and capture of, Longueval on 14th July 1916, aged 22. Archie is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing and is also commemorated on Dunblane War Memorial.
The
Stirling Observer and Perthshire Herald of the 4th August 1917 reported his death:
"Official notification has now been received by Peter Black, The Bield, and formerly of Greenyards, Dunblane, that his son, Private Archibald Black, of the Black Watch, who was reported wounded and missing on July 14th 1916, is now presumed to have been killed on that date. Private Black, who was 22 years of age, was prior to enlisting, employed by Mr Bain, Inch of Leckie by whom he was held in great respect. He joined the Army in January of 1915 and in May of the same year he went to France, taking part in the Somme offensive. He was known to have been severely wounded then, but every effort to trace him has been of no avail, and he is now believed to have died from his injuries. Another son of Mr Black's is serving in the Black Watch."
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2nd Lt. Albert Thomas James Balkwill 8th Btn. Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) (d.17th Oct 1916) Albert Balkwill was killed in action on the 17th of October 1916, aged 22 and is buried in the Warlencourt British Cemetery in France.
He was the son of Thomas and Annie Louisa Balkwill, of 38 Buchanan Gardens, Kensal Rise, London.
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2nd Lt. Alexander James "Hamish" Mann 8th (Service) Batallion Black Watch (d.10th Apr 1917) Alexander Mann was born on 5th April 1896 in Broughty Ferry. Educated at George Watson's College, Edinburgh. Gazetted on 28th July, 1915 and drafted to France in August 1916. He took part in the Battle of the Somme and in the 1st Battle of the Scarpe. On 9th April, 1917, whilst leading his platoon he was seriously wounded by a shell and died the following day.
Hamish Mann was a poet and a book of his work "A Subaltern's Musings" was published privately by his parents in 1918.
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Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
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History of the 9th (Scottish) Division John Ewing
The division’s record is graphically described in this history - what Field Marshal Lord Plumer in his foreword referred to as “a record of wonderful development of fighting efficiency.” There are useful appendices giving the Order of Battle, command and staff lists with the various changes; a table showing periods spent in the line, with locations; a table of battle casualties and the VC citations. The maps are good with adequate detail for actions to be followed.
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