The Museum of The Black Watch

Through “This Happens In War”, the Museum of The Black Watch will be organising a series of events from 2008 to 2010 in order to gather and record personal histories from members of this legendary regiment. Stories from local veterans who served during World War II and subsequent conflicts will illustrate many facets of the Regiment’s experiences.

The Museum will be involved in training young people in the art of collecting oral histories and hopes to involve the YMCA. The YMCA is keen to collaborate and promote local Black Watch veterans as role models to the young people with which it works.

The culmination of the project will be a DVD and an exhibition aimed particularly at the younger generation and shown throughout the Regimental area.

In addition, further themes that will be investigated will include: Conscription and National Service, Peacekeeping: A soldier in Peacetime, Prisoners of War and Letters from Home.

It is hoped that these will all create a unique history of a regiment that served the Crown for over 266 and continues to serve as The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, and The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Commenting on the initiative, Emma Halford-MacLeod, Collections Coordinator, said: "The Museum of The Black Watch is excited to be leading the Their Past Your Future Scotland Phase 2 project in Tayside and Fife. It gives us a great opportunity to build on work already being undertaken by staff and volunteers and to develop new partnerships within the Regimental area. We're particularly excited to be working with the YMCA Perth - the involvement of young people in the project will ensure it has a profound impact across a broad section of society. The title, "This Happens In War", sums up our aim - to investigate the impact of conflicts from the Second World War to the present, in both wartime, peace-keeping and peace-enforcement operations."