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Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada
1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada embarked for Great Britain on 25th of August 1940. The Battalion served with 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. Three platoons saw action in the raid on Dieppe in August 1942 and the battalion saw action across North Western Europe from mid 1944 until the end of the Second World War.The 2nd Battalion served on home defence duties in Canada.
3rd Oct 1944 In Action
4th Oct 1944 Advance
6th Oct 1944 In Action
11th Oct 1944 Shelling
13th Oct 1944 Attack Made
26th Feb 1945 Attack Made
28th Feb 1945 Position Held
11th Jun 1945 Letter
If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here.
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Want to know more about Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada? There are:8 items tagged Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Pte. William Henry "Lad" Canary Black Watch My Dad, William Canary was very proud of his service. He saw a lot of action in Europe but he did not talk much about it. He used the Sten, Bren and Piet guns. He was wounded in France and the telegram that my Mom received said "blast to the head and lungs". He was also hit in the shin with a brick from a blast by a German 88 shell, he wound up with a steel plate in his head. Doctors told my Mom that he might live for 5 years. He lived for thirty. He had a good sense of humor and laughed all the time. He told me a funny story once about how it was always hard for him to get over the tall wall obstacle during training camp. In combat a German machine gun opened up on him and the other soldiers while they were out in the street. The bullets were kicking up water in the puddles all around them. The only cover was a tall wall like the one in training camp. He said that he went over that wall in 2 seconds flat.
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Pte. Scott Adams 1st Btn. Royal Highland Regiment of Canada Scotty Adams sent a letter in 1945 to members of my family in The Netherlands. He was a cook with the 1st Battalion, Royal Highland Regiment of Canada. In the letter, he thanks my Dad's family for their hospitality and friendship during the time he was on duty in the Netherlands. My dad was a child in his early teens and remembers this soldier visiting the family Bakery that his aunt Anna owned. They lived in Herpen, a suburb of Nijmegen.
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A/Sgt. Sydney Stanley Chandler MM. 1st Btn. Royal Highland Regiment Black Watch  Sydney Chandler married my maternal grandmother in the 1950s after the death of her then husband Douglas Lawerence (who I believe served in the same unit)
My Uncle had a photocopy of the the award letter.
On 26th of February 1945 during the initial phase
of the assault South of Calgar, Germany
Sgt Chandlar (then a Corporal) was in
charge of a section of the First Battalion,
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of
Canada. His company's objective was a key
position on the escarpment South of the town of
Calgar.
Early in the attack this company came under very
heavy fire, the company commander was wounded and
Sergeant Chandler's platoon commander killed.
This Non-commissioned Officer immediately took
command of the platoon, reorganised it and maintained the assault to the objective, there co-ordinating
the consolidation in spite of heavy shell and mortar fire.
Again on 28th February 1945 this Non Commissioned Officer took command
of his platoon when its Commander was wounded during a wood clearing
operation in the Hochwald Forest. The platoon was held up by well
dug in snipers and a machine gun nest and subjected to intense shell
and mortar fire. Realizing the gravity of the situation Sergeant
Chandler quickly organized his platoon and with one section rushed
and knocked out this enemy position.
On the objective this Non-commissioned Officer by his own example so
inspired his men that when it appeared that valuable ground would have
to be abandoned under extreme pressure repeated counter beaten off
and the position held.
Sgt Chandler by his good judgement, leadership and cool indifference
to danger throughout this whole operation contributed very materially
to the success of his company's task and his conduct was an inspiration
to all ranks. He was awarded an immediate Military Medal.
I no longer know the whereabouts of the certificate and some photographs as he was moved to a home and items were removed by person unknown.
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