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The 6th Battalion went to France as part of the 51st Highland Division, January 1940, and soon after transferred to 12th Brigade of the 4th Division. It was north of Brussels when ordered to withdraw, stopping southwest of Menin, and continuing on to Dunkirk. Survivors of the battalion were evacuated to England. The 6th reformed on the Isle of Wight as front line invasion defence. It remained in Britain until 1943 when it sailed to Algiers (March 1943).
In April the 6th Battalion moved forward to west of Tunis, holding Djebel Rmel until being relieved by US troops. The 6th then continued on through several battles with bayonets, German air bombs, infantry and tanks, ultimately forcing the 6th to withdraw from Sidi Mediene 1st May. With reinforcements from the Royal Berkshire Regiment, the 6th continued with the war in Tunisia: Germans were overcome, Italians surrendered. By the end of 1943 it was in Egypt for training in amphibious landings.
The 6th Battalion landed at Naples 6th March 1944. It held the front line south of Cassino, then relieved a French unit east of Cassino. From early April to May 17th, Cassino was a heavy and close battle until the Germans pulled back towards Rome. On 5th of June the battalion started their march to Florence, passing through Rome and re-encountering German resistance south of Florence. This overcome, the 6th eventually moved north for a last battle on the outskirts of Forli, 7th November 1944.
From Forli, the battalion was sent to Palestine via Taranto in southern Italy, however it was diverted to Greece (within the 4th Division) against the ELAS, irregular Greek communist forces and an incipient civil war. After VJ-Day and still in Athens, the battalion was disbanded.
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On our 12th Anniversary we would like to thank all those who have contributed to this project.
Research your own Family History.
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June 2011 - Please note we currently have a large backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site.
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List of those who served in The 6th Battalion The Black Watch during The Second World War.
Select a story link or scoll down to browse those stories hosted on this website
- Private Philip Clive Wakefield 6th Battalion (d.13 Nov 1944) Read his Story.
If you have any names to add to this list, or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please get in touch.
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Private Philip Clive Wakefield 6th Battalion Black Watch (d.13 Nov 1944) Phil was my granddad's brother - he was only 21 when he was killed in Italy. He is buried in Cesena and from research it appears the 6th Batt were involved in terrible battles in the towns and villages around this part of Italy. I've always been aware of Phil and where he was buried but have really only just started looking into his battalion's role in the war. |
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