REMEMBER WHEN SCOTLAND HAD ITS SCOTTISH REGIMENTS DID YE KEN ABOOT THE REAL HISTORY OF THE BLACK WATCH AFORE ENGLISH MOD CHANGED IT. JUST BEEN READING A BOOK ON THE REGIMENT AND SCOTLAND The Black Watch were formed on the understanding that they would solely be used to police Scotland, that they would never have to leave their native land and fight an English war. The infringement of that understanding was to lead to a mutiny in 1743. King George had allegedly summoned the Scottish regiment to London to be honoured. However, when they arrived there, they discovered that he was conveniently absent and they were reviewed instead by General Wade on the 14th May. It transpired that the real reason for their summoning south was deployment in Flanders. They had been tricked. The regiment held an unofficial meeting on Finchley Green on the 17th. Some one hundred and fifty plus, knowing full well the consequences, opted to leave for Scotland that very night. Almost needless to say, this was a rebellion not lead by the commissioned officers, but by NCOs and privates, most notably by brothers Sammy and Malky MacPherson, both corporals, who were among the leaders subsequently executed. Marching at night, and staying clear of the main roads, they got as far as Northhamptonshire before the inevitable capture. Despite the alarm and scaremongering spread throughout the population by government agents, none of the violence or pillaging by the mad highlanders manifested itself, so that by the time of their capture they had in fact gained a great deal of sympathy from the ordinary English person. Those not shot were forcibly drafted into various overseas regiments, few seeing Scotland again. This was not an isolated mutiny. At least sixteen Scottish regiments mutinied because they felt cheated by Hanoverian governments. The civilian population too spoke out, the men, women and children slaughtered by government dragoons in the Tranent Massacre was merely the most infamous example and also by no means an isolated incident. Given the recent deployment of the Black Watch to bolster Blairs pal Bushes chances in the presidential election, what has changed?
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 13:16:07 +0000
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