COLONEL-IN-CHIEF HM King Charles III
HONORARY COLONEL Colonel Bruce D. Bolton, MMM, CD
HONORARY LIEUTENANT-COLONEL Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Birks
COMMANDING OFFICER Lieutenant-Colonel R. Unger, MMM, CD

COLOURS OF THE BLACK WATCH

Ever since warfare began, armies have used symbols to identify themselves in battle. The Romans used eagles fixed to the tops of poles, and the knights of the Middles Ages wore their crests on jerkins worn over their chest armour. By the end of the 17th century, every company of infantry and troop of cavalry had its own colour and standard, but by 1751 this custom had been reduced to two colours per battalion of infantry. Each Cavalry regiment eventually carried one standard or guidon.

Since the Canadian army takes its traditions from the British army, each of our infantry battalions carries a Queen's (or King's) Colour and a Regimental Colour. These two colours, known as a stand of colours, represent the heart of a regiment. More than 150 years ago, colours were carried into-battle to inspire the troops and to serve as a rallying point in the heat of battle. Colours have not been carried into battle since 1881, but they remain the focal point of a regiment's customs and traditions. They treated with great respect and formality. The Queen's Colour symbolizes the regiment's loyalty to the monarch, and the Regimental Colour symbolizes the regiment's veneration to its past. This colour has embroidered on it selected battle honours from its past, along with its name and badges. The Queen's Colour has embroidered on it the Crown and name of the regiment, and uses the Canadian Maple Leaf Flag as a background. Both Colours are carried by junior officers and are escorted by three senior NCOs.

The Queen's Colour currently in use by The Black Watch was presented by HM, The Queen Mother at St. Hubert in 1974. The Regimental Colour was presented by her at Molson Stadium in 1962 when all three Black Watch battalions were presented new stands of colours as part of our 100th anniversary celebration. Once colours are retired after 15-25 years of service, they are retired to the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, where over a dozen colours from The Black Watch's history may be seen. New colours are presented in a solemn and impressive ceremony, where the old colours are marched off for the last time and the new colours are consecrated by the Regimental padre. A member of the Royal Family, the Governor General, the Lieutenant Governor of a province or a distinguished general normally present a new colour.

Hundreds of years ago, it was necessary for each soldier to be able to recognize his colours in battle so he could rally around them. To make this recognition easier, it became the custom at the end of each day to march the colours down the ranks before lodging them for the night. This custom still survives in a ceremony known as "Trooping the Colour", the world's most impressive military ceremony. The Black Watch (RHR) of Canada last trooped the colour in the presence of Her Majesty, The Queen Mother during the Regiment's 125th Anniversary in 1987.

Armorial description

Superimposed upon a diamond cut star of the Order of the Thislte, a wreath of thistles; within the wreath, an oval inscribed NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT (no one provokes me with impunity); within the oval, on a recessed seeded ground, St. Andrew and Cross; above the oval, a scroll inscribed THE BLACK WATCH; superimposed upon the scroll and surmounting the oval, the Crown; below the oval, two scrolls, the upper inscribed ROYAL HIGHLAND REGIMENT, the lower bearing the inscription OF CANADA.

Victoria Cross Recipients