The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada

Units of the Canadian Army (Regular)

1951 - 1970

In the inter-war years between both world wars, Canada had made do with a minuscule standing army of between 3,000 and 4,000 men. Its mission was little more than to train the Militia, both for direct national defence and for tasks associated with the provision of expeditionary forces if necessary. In 1946, however, permanent armed forces of some 51,000 personnel were authorized of which some 25,000 all ranks were assigned to the Active Force of the army with the balance going to the Navy and the Air Force. This “Active Army” was no longer to be merely a trainer of the Militia but would be available for deployments in reaction to international events to which Canada might have to respond. While the Militia remained the larger force numerically, its training would no longer be the first priority of the Regular Army. The core units of this Active Force, three Infantry battalions (RCR, PPCLI and R22eR) and two Cavalry regiments (RCD and LdSH) that were already in existence, and were formed into a brigade-group and brought up to strength.

Hostile action by the Soviet Union in the aftermath of the Second World War triggered the formation of NATO in 1949 and the subsequent reinforcement of alliance military forces in western and southern Europe. The beginning of the conflict in Korea in 1950 and the creation of a United Nations peace force to restore order there added further urgency to expand the peace-time armed forces of Canada to over 120,000 personnel. Some 50,000 were authorized for the Canadian Army (Regular). With this increase in manpower, it was decided to develop the Active Army on a divisional basis and steps were taken to recruit an additional battalion for the three permanent Infantry regiments. In October 1953, the Minister of National Defence authorized additionally the formation of a Regiment of Canadian Guards and the activation of two Militia regiments – the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada and The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada.

The stage for this realignment of the Active/Regular army ‘order of battle’ had been set two years earlier when Canada had agreed to deploy a brigade (subsequently designated 27^th Canadian Infantry Brigade) for NATO duty in what then was ‘West Germany’. Fifteen Militia regiments (five ‘highland’, five ‘rifle’ and five ‘line infantry’) each were tasked to provide one company for 1^st Canadian Highland Battalion (1CHB), 1^st Canadian Rifle Battalion, or 1^st Canadian Infantry Battalion respectively. These troops assembled for pre-deployment training at Camp Valcartier and sailed for Europe in December 1951. The following year saw preparations begin to replace all three on these composite battalions in 27^th Brigade by tasking the same 15 Militia regiments as before to each raise a second company for a Second Highland (2CHB), Rifle, and Infantry battalion to replace the first battalions in Europe – a mission that was soon changed to instead replace the Infantry battalions with 25^th Canadian Infantry Brigade in Korea in the autumn of 1953.

The Militia regiments that contributed companies to both 1^st and 2^nd Canadian Highland Battalions were, in order of seniority: The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada; North Nova Scotia Highlanders; 48^th Highlanders of Canada; The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada; and, The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s).

In mid-1950, North Korea had invaded South Korea and the United Nations was authorized to assemble a UN force to counter the invasion. That August, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent announced that a special brigade (subsequently designated 25^th Canadian Infantry Brigade) would be recruited to be available to carry out Canada’s obligations. By the summer of 1951, 25^th (CA) Infantry Brigade was fully deployed in Korea as a formation within the British Commonwealth Division. In October, the 2nd Battalions of the three Permanent Force regiments were replaced by their 1st Battalions until the winter/spring of 1953 when their 3rd Battalions replaced them. Although an armistice was signed in early June 1953, Canada was committed to maintaining a military presence on the UN-agreed ceasefire line in Korea. To meet this commitment, 2CHB spent the fall and winter of 1952/53 in Camp Aldershot training for their new mission and then, from May to October, in Camp Wainwright, Alberta for additional training.

By this time, 1CHB had completed its two-year tour of duty with 27^th Brigade and returned to Camp Aldershot, NS where a Highland Battalion Depot had been established to provide basic training for recruits destined for the now two Highland battalions.

2CHB departed Camp Wainwright in three trains on 6 October 1953 and arrived Seattle two days later where it boarded the USS Marine Lynx bound for Korea. But before the ship sailed on October 8th, the Commanding Officer of 2CHB read an announcement over the ship’s PA system that 2CHB was re-designated Second Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada (2RHC). Sufficient uniforms were on board to permit all members to be outfitted in Black Watch dress when the unit disembarked in Inchon, Korea on October 29^th.

On that same day, October 8^th . back in Camp Aldershot 1CHB was re-designated First Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada (1RHC), and the training centre which had been established the previous year to train soldiers for the two Highland battalions became Regimental Depot, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada (RHC Depot).

The Regular Force component of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada was enhanced in 1955 with the authorization of a Regimental Band. This band was stationed initially in Halifax but joined RHC Depot and 2RHC in Gagetown in 1958.

With the addition of the Regimental Band in 1955, the Regular Force component of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada comprised:

$11.    Two battalions, 1^st and 2^nd RHC, each with an authorized strength of some 900 men;

$12.    RHC Depot with an establishment of about 50 personnel and capable of training four or five platoon-size recruit squads simultaneously. Training capacity was frequently increased by reinforcing the Depot with platoon-cadres from the two battalions; and

$13.    RHC Band with about 40 musicians.

The table below summarizes the service of all four units of the Regular Force component of the regiment:

Disaster struck the regiment in 1969 when Army Headquarters decided to combine the resources of six existing Regular Force regiments to form three regiments of three battalions each. The seniority of The Black Watch in the order of battle as a regular force unit only went back as far as 1953 in an unbroken lineage and therefore suffered under the government ax. The 1st and 2nd Battalions were reduced to nil strength and most of their personnel were reassigned to become 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, on 1 July 1970. Once again the regiment was survived by its Militia battalion in Montreal.

Former members of these two Regular Force Battalions still play a very strong role in Regimental life to this day and continue to wear the Red Hackle proudly. Their legacy is embodied in the strength of the Black Watch Association, and in particular the Atlantic Branch, which still draws over a thousand members at regularly held reunions.

See A Short History of the Regiment