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About the Artists The War of the Austrian Succession brought The Black Watch its first Battle Honor, at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745. Shortly afterward, it distinguished itself at the Battle of Ticonderoga during the French and Indian War. Although The Black Watch participated in many battles during the Revolutionary War, it clams no honor for these engagements against its American cousins. The red tackle or plume, which the Regiment considers a Battle Honor, was awarded in 1795. Legend claims it was awarded for service at the Battle of Geldermalsen. However, more than likely it was an award for many years of service in North America. During the 19th century, The Black Watch served all over the world. In the Napoleonic Wars, it comprised part of the British Army at the Battle of Corunna, Toulouse, the Peninsula Campaign, and Waterloo. It also fought against Russians in the Crimean War, quelled mutineers during the Sepoy Rebellion in India, fought against Colonel Arabi Pasha in the Egyptian Campaign of 1882, and the Dutch South Africans in the Boer War.
The Regiment raised 27 battalions for service on all fronts during World War I, Battle Honors for the Great War include the Marne, Ypres, and the Somme. The Black Watch fought the “Axis” in theaters as far away as France, Greece, and North Africa. Notable engagements during World War II include Crete, Tobruk, and El Alamein. The Regiment's service since World War I has sent it to Borneo, Korea (where it fought with the U.S. Marine Corps at “The Hook”) as well as several tours in Germany and, most recently, Hong Kong. Today, The Black Watch continues to serve as a fully operational Battalion in the modern British Army. The Black Watch was spared during the recent defense cuts, which caused the amalgamation of many historic regiments. The red hackle worn on the bonnets of The Black Watch was adopted in 1795. In the Regiment, the red hackle is more than a trophy; it represents an honor and on most headdresses is worn in lieu of a regimental badge. When the feather bonnet (which does have a badge) is worn by the Pipes and Drums, the Pipe Major and Drum Major wear a small sphinx under the tackle in commemoration of the Battle Honor “Egypt”—specifically the 1801 Battle of Alexandria. Pipers of The Black Watch have always worn the feather bonnet. The feather bonnet itself is something of a curiosity. Originally, it was a simple Scottish bonnet stuck with a few feathers or tufts of fur. During the Napoleonic Wars, it evolved into an imposing structure that reached full bloom in Victorian times. Originally, it was made of ostrich feathers but today it is made of synthetic material to look like feathers. Surprisingly, unlike the Scots Guards bearskin cap, it is quite light. The scarlet doublets (Highland jackets decorated with white “Crown and Inch” lace, Inverness skirt flaps and wings) worn by the drummers of The Black Watch have remained virtually the same since 1914. The blue facings denote their royal status. Pipers wear Archer Green Doublets much like those worn before 1914. The cut and style is similar to the drummer's doublet. Pipers also wear a full-body plaid and kilt of Royal Stewart tartan, with silver mounted, buckled waist belts and cross belts. Drummers wear white waist belts with a brass buckle. While it had been worn for some time, the Royal Stewart tartan was officially granted to pipers of the Regiment as a distinction in 1889. Drummers wear a fly plaid and kilt of regimental tartan. Leopard skins are worn by the tenor and bass drummers. Both pipers and drummers wear a regimental pattern white hair sporran (Highland purse) with five black hair tassels. Sergeants and ranks above (including the Pipe Major and Drum Major as well as all pipers) wear a sporran with a gilt cantle (top). All drummers below the rank of sergeant wear one of black leather surmounted with the regimental badge. All ranks wear red and black-diced hose tops, white spats with square toes, and black shoes. Both the Pipe Major and the Drum Major wear doublets embellished with gold lace, rank chevrons and appointment insignia on their lower right-hand sleeves. Sergeants and ranks above wear red sashes over their right shoulder and the Pipe Major wears a sash over his left shoulder. N.C.O.’s wear chevrons on the upper right sleeve. The Drum Major carries a staff or mace and wears a sash over his left shoulder bearing the regimental Battle Honors and badge. He also carries a claymore, the Highland broadsword. Both pipers and drummers carry dirks, or Highland daggers, on their waist belts. Drummers also wear decorative cords across their chests in red, yellow, and blue as authorized for a Royal regiment. The regimental dance team, which is drawn from the Pipe Band, wears modified Pipers and Drummers uniforms. This includes glengarries with regimental badges, Archer Green doublets with wings, black or white waist belts, kilts of either Royal Stewart or Government (Black Watch) tartan, Pipers or Drummers sporrans, diced hose tops and “ghilles,” Highland dance shoes. The Pipe President, Major D E J Kemmis Betty Major David Kemmis Betty comes from a family with a long line of service in the British Army and family links throughout the British Isles. He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1987 and was commissioned into The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) serving as a Platoon Commander, Reconnaissance Platoon Commander, Operations Officer, and Company Commander. Having started his service in Berlin, he has since served in Northern Ireland, in Hong Kong including the final six months prior to the handover to China in 1997. He has served in Kosovo twice, on the Staff of the Multi National Brigade (Centre) in Pristina in 2000, and again commanding A (Grenadier) Company of The Black Watch as the Brigade Operations Company in 2001. In early 2003 he became Battle Group Warfare Officer for the initial deployment to Iraq on Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 1. Major Kemmis Betty has traveled extensively in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Canada. He is a keen country sportsman, alpine skier, tennis and polo player. The Pipe Major, Warrant Officer Class II Scott Taylor Pipe Major Taylor comes from Glasgow and started to learn to play the bagpipes at the age of seven. Coming from a well established piping family, he was taught initially by his farther and grandfather. He started competing with Milngavie Juvenile Pipe Band and by the age of 12 he had progressed to The Red Hackle/Clan Campbell Pipe Band, a grade one band that was under the direction of Pipe Major and adjudicator Malcolm McKenzie. He joined Black Watch in 1987 and has served with the Battalion in Germany, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Hong Kong, and two tours of duty in Iraq. He has also toured with the band extensively including China, Indonesia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe, and four previous tours of America and Canada. He was appointed Pipe Major of the 1st Battalion The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) in 2003. The band of the Welsh Guards was formed in the same year as the Regiment (1915), and consisted of 44 musicians and a Warrant Officer—Andrew Harris, their Bandmaster. Their first instruments were presented by the City of Cardiff and this enabled the band to carry out the first King’s Guard Mounting on St. David’s Day 1916. That evening it gave its first concert on the stage of the London Opera House and the occasion was such a success that the band’s reputation for its high musical standard was immediately established.
Since its formation, the band has toured extensively and brought the pomp and pageantry of the British way of life to many far-flung corners of the world. In recent years it has visited Spain, Australia, Belgium, Egypt, the U.S., and Canada. The musicians are drawn from various backgrounds such as colleges and music schools, other bands and orchestras. Permanently based in London, members of the band enjoy a varied and challenging musical career. They can regularly be seen at the ceremony of Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace and taking part in many other State and Ceremonial occasions. The band also performs frequently with the Royal Philharmonic and Hallé Orchestras in some of the most spectacular extravaganzas staged in Great Britain. Appearances on BBC TV ‘Songs of Praise’ and at prestigious sporting events like the FA Cup Final, Royal Ascot, and The Lawn Tennis Championships, have brought the band’s music to widespread audiences. The band has shared the stage with well-known celebrities, including Sir Cliff Richard, Russell Watson, Katherine Jenkins, and Bryn Terfel, demonstrating its versatility. Links with the Battalion’s traditional recruiting areas in Wales are also maintained by regular public appearances there, often with many of the fine male voice choirs for which the Principality is renowned. Involvement with children and young people in instrumental clinics and music workshops is always a priority, and close ties with various schools and colleges have successfully developed through these avenues. Charity concerts are regularly given in aid of The Army Benevolent Fund, The Royal British Legion and The Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmens’ Families’ Association. Through its unique blend of stirring music and colourful ceremony, the band continues to appeal to both young and old by upholding those fine traditions associated with the Land of Song.
Director of Music, Band of The Welsh Guards, Major D W Cresswell BBCM psm Major David Cresswell joined the Army in 1975 as a Junior Bandsman at the Junior Leader's Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps. Two years later he passed out as the best Junior Bandsman of his term and was posted to the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall for the one-year Pupil Bandsman's course, studying trumpet. From there he served for six years with the Cambrai Staff Band of the Royal Tank Regiment in both England and Germany, under the batons of Gordon Turner and Roger Tomlinson. In 1984 he returned to Kneller Hall for the three-year Student Bandmasters' course. On graduation in 1987, after winning the Alf Young Memorial Prize for Best Church Service, he was promoted to Warrant Officer Class One and appointed Bandmaster of The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars. He served with the Regiment for seven years in Germany, England and Cyprus, and during the 1991 Gulf conflict, in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait. In 1993, upon the amalgamation of The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars with The Queen's Own Hussars he was appointed Bandmaster of the newly formed The Queen's Royal Hussars. As a result of the reorganization of Army music in 1994, the Regiment had its band disbanded. Therefore Major Cresswell has the unique distinction of being first, last, and only Bandmaster of The Queen's Royal Hussars. After passing the Army's Advanced Certificate of Music in 1994 he was commissioned, promoted to Captain, and appointed as the first Director of Music of the newly formed Band of the Hussars and Light Dragoons, serving in Munster, Germany, following which he was appointed as Deputy Chief Instructor at the Royal Military School of Music in April 1998. Having completed the arduous Household Cavalry Mounted Dutyman’s Equitation course at the ripe old age of 42 he was promoted to Major and assumed the appointment of Director of Music The Life Guards in January 2002. Following three very successful years which included tours to New Zealand and Finland he was appointed to the Welsh Guards in June 2005. Bandmaster, WO1 Nicholas Johnson BA PG Dip LRSM LTCL ALCM Bandmaster Nick Johnson enlisted as a Junior Musician in the Junior Leaders’ Regiment Royal Armoured Corps in 1984, where he received training on both trombone and piano, before joining the band of 3rd Royal Tank Regiment in Paderborn, Germany. During his time with the band, he engaged in a demanding concert schedule, traveling extensively throughout Europe. In 1988 he spent a year as a pupil at the Royal Military School of Music,
Kneller Hall and afterwards served in Germany and Cyprus. During the
Gulf War, he was attached to the 5th Armoured Field Ambulance in Kuwait. In 1999, WO1 Johnson was appointed Bandmaster of the band of the Royal Logistic Corps. Whilst undertaking a busy touring programmed throughout the UK and abroad, he returned to the London Palladium to direct a prestigious charity show. WO1 Johnson became Bandmaster of the band of the Welsh Guards in 2002 and is currently studying for a Masters degree.
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