By Eric Nicolson

THE TRIBUTES to The Black Watch over recent months have been wide and varied, but until now they had never come in the form of 10-week-old puppies.

Two West Highland white terriers, known as Jack and Hamish to their owners, have been given the formal names of Black Watch Warrior and Black Watch Red Hackle.

The dogs were brought to the regimental headquarters, Balhousie Castle in Perth, yesterday, and looked every inch new Black Watch unofficial mascots.

Ruth and Ian Babbs, from Kirkcaldy, owned the two pups and their three sisters—Armistice Princess, Armistice White Poppy and Lady of Peace—before selling Black Watch Red Hackle to Dunfermline couple Maurice and Sheila Walker.

Ruth explained, “It was my husband’s idea. They were born on Armistice Day, and like everybody else, we knew about the Black Watch soldiers serving in Iraq, and we thought it would be a nice thing to do.

“We asked permission from The Black Watch to give the dogs these names. I don’t know if we actually needed it, but Major Ronnie Proctor said it was no problem.”

Major Proctor described the tribute as a “very nice gesture.”