“Well done lads!” that was the shouted sentiment of one voice which captured the mood of hundreds on the streets of Forfar as the newly returned heroes of The Black Watch marched proudly through the Angus town on Thursday.
And the stirring sight of the Red Hackle-wearing soldiers, bayonets fixed, was more than enough to lift the gloom of a dreich morning as the first of a series of homecoming parades in Tayside and Fife received a royal salute.
Led by the battalion pipes and drums and the band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, some 300 Black Watch personnel took the town centre salute from their Royal Colonel, the Duke of Rothesay, in an event to honour them and comrades from the 51st Highland 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Queen’s Own Yeomanry following their safe return from a six-month tour of Afghanistan.
The deep affection for The Black Watch, who hold the Freedom of Angus, was instantly evident as the pipers struck up Scotland the Brave on the march down East High Street to the spontaneous cheers of the damp crowd.
In combat dress, the duke took the salute from the dais in front of Forfar’s Town and County Hall alongside dignitaries including Lord Lieutenant of Angus Georgiana Osborne, and Angus Provost Ruth Leslie Melville.
The folk lining the town centre gave the servicemen and women a rousing reception and after the parade had passed through their patience was rewarded with a lengthy walkabout by Prince Charles, which also saw him pop in to a couple of town centre shops.
The duke firstly quizzed staff of local butcher D. & A. Kennedy, who said the unexpected visitor was keen to learn more about the produce on offer.
“He was interested if the meat was from local farms, and also asked us if we made our own sausages,” said employee James Culley.
The prince then visited ironmongers David Irons a few doors away, where he met the shop’s owner the Earl of Strathmore.
Almost exactly four years ago to the day, the earl’s Glamis Castle home was the subject of an official visit by the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay to see the unveiling of the Queen Mother Memorial gates at the entrance to her Angus childhood home.
From there, Prince Charles moved on to Forfar’s Royal British Legion clubrooms where he spoke to many of the personnel about their experiences on the successful tour, meeting also with veterans of the Angus Black Watch Association.Click here for a full photo galleryFor 3 Scots Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Fenton, the event was a personal homecoming for a man born in Arbroath and educated at Dundee High School, and he described the day as a ”great honour” for the light infantry battalion.
He said: ”It is fantastic to receive such support and it makes the guys feel so proud and valued when you get a reception like this from the home area.”
He continued: ”It is our way of saying thank you to the people who are so supportive, such as the many who sent parcels simply addressed ‘From an Angus resident’, and it made them realise that what they were doing mattered to people in places such as Carnoustie, Forfar or all the other towns and villages in the area.”The soldiers then travelled for a second parade in the afternoon in Kirkcaldy, and will march in Dundee and Perth on Friday. The Courier will have full coverage of all