Mistakes were made but we fought with honor

BLACK Watch soldiers risked their lives to liberate Iraq two decades ago.

It was his last act of heroism before the iconic infantry battalion, created in 1881, was absorbed into the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Deployments to the war-torn Middle East in 2003 and 2004 were also tinged with tragedy, with nine recruits dying during operations.

And today, their service will be honored at a special event in the regiment’s hometown of Perth, bringing together hundreds of veterans and the families of fallen comrades.

Major General Mike Riddell-Webster commanded the 1st Battalion The Black Watch battle group as part of a British armored brigade that led the crossing from Kuwait on 21 March 2003 and the subsequent battle for Basra.

The father-of-two, 63, from Coupar Angus, Perthshire, said: “It’s about remembering and commemorating, but also bringing together these people who did extraordinary things and checking that everyone is doing well as we get older.

“There are some cases and moments that you remember with absolute clarity, and others that are not completely blurry, but fade into the background a little.

“When you join the military, you think the commanding officer is god, and as time goes by, your perspective changes. Without a doubt it is the most extraordinary honor.”

Mike, who left the regular army in 2014 and worked in the reserves as Governor of Edinburgh Castle until 2019, added: “Basra was a disaster.
“It was mostly a disaster because it was within range of Iraqi artillery, and Iraq and Iran had been at war with each other.

“The universal feeling around the battalion was that it should have been an oil-rich country, and here they lived with dirty water, no electricity and their buildings destroyed.

“June 22 will be a great time to come together, march proudly through our hometown, commemorate our fallen colleagues and reunite with old friends.”

The moving day will begin with a service at St John’s Kirk, Perth, where a special plaque will be unveiled. A choir of Fijian soldiers, made up of former Black Watch and three serving Scottish soldiers, many of whom fought in the battalion in Iraq, will sing an anthem.

The church meeting will be followed by a Perth Freedom Parade through the streets for veterans, while the pipes and drums of 2 SCOTS play, before a salute leads to a private reception for veterans and their families at the hall of St Ninian’s Cathedral.

James Cowan, Mike’s successor as commander-in-chief, took over the second deployment in 2004 to both Basra and Fallujah. He has since returned to the former war zone in his role as chief executive of The Halo Trust, a charity that clears landmines and other explosives to help countries recover after conflict.

The 60-year-old father-of-three, from Thornhill, Dumfriesshire, said: “The strange thing is it was 20 years ago and I need to pinch myself because I remember it vividly, like it was yesterday.

“For me, the key things remain the primary colors and I remember that with great pride, particularly our soldiers, colleagues and those who gave their lives.

“It always stays with you, you remember the families. I am a family man with a wife and children, and I remember the loved ones of those who died and were left behind.

“It gave me great pride to command Scotland’s most famous regiment, a name known around the world.
I hope I have repaid them with my leadership because they repaid me with great courage and bravery in the face of adversity. Now we are friends and comrades above all.”

James, who was encouraged by the progress during his return trips to Iraq, added: “I go to Iraq and Afghanistan from time to time as part of my job and have been in the strange position of meeting senior Taliban members.

“We were enemies trying to kill each other and now we are cooperating in humanitarian service. The point is that wars come to an end and reconciliation has to follow war.

“I find it quite therapeutic in a way. It’s good to see that peace can come. “Iraq was ruled by an extremely nasty dictator (Saddam Hussein), who was committing crimes against humanity, against his people, and we put an end to that.”

Brigadier Alastair Aitken, who commanded a Black Watch company in Iraq in 2004 and was later awarded a CBE, is leading the regimental association’s commemoration steering committee for today’s event.

He stressed that the purpose was to mark the regiment’s final campaign and recognize the service of those who fought in Iraq, especially the final sacrifice of the Black Watch soldiers killed in action, as well as the many wounded.

The 55-year-old said: “It’s been 20 years and I think, having spoken to a lot of our veterans, a lot of people just haven’t talked about Iraq or their experiences.

“Part of this is because the public doesn’t like to talk about Iraq. I have a friend who hasn’t talked about Iraq in 20 years, so a lot of things are bottled up.

“It’s an opportunity to make people feel valued for their service. It was the time before homecoming parades and there was a very different atmosphere to which people were returning, so it is an opportunity as a regiment to thank the people who served in that period.

“It is a shared experience. “People come together and when someone says a person is struggling or raises their hand and says they are having a hard time, we are a network that helps people when they are down.”

Alastair’s former colleague Lawrie MacDougall, 53, from Methil, Fife, who is now a civil servant, hopes the meeting will bring comfort to those involved.

He said: “It gives people a chance to laugh. It’s a good opportunity for people who haven’t seen each other in a long time. On the civilian street we don’t always talk to people about where we’ve been.

Meanwhile, former comrade Monty Montague, 42, from Kirkcaldy, who is now a DJ, added: “We had a lot of young lads and that time was a defining moment in your life.

“It made me who I am today, so being able to remember the hardest moments and the best will be a huge help. I’m pretty nervous about that. “Some of these guys I’ve known for 25 years and I haven’t seen them in 10 or 15 years.”

And while serious mistakes were made in Iraq, James said the country has now changed for the better and, above all, today is about honoring the Black Watch.

He added: “Now we look at Iraq and see that it has a functioning government, democratic aspects and the Iraqi people live in much greater peace and security than ever under Saddam Hussein.

“I think mistakes were made, but in war mistakes are always made. And you wonder if you do your job well and if you do it with pride and honor. The Black Guard did that.”