As November’s theme of Remembrance has drawn to a close, Learning & Audiences officer Madeline from the Black Watch Castle and Museum has taken a look at records relating to Dunalistair House.
The Black Watch Castle and Museum is a 5-star multi-award-winning visitor attraction located in Perth, Scotland. The building is dedicated to the memory of The Black Watch, the British Army’s oldest Highland Regiment, and to promoting the welfare of Black Watch members and their families.
In the First World War gallery at The Black Watch Castle and Museum stands the Dunalistair Memorial Plaque. It stands next to a photo of the 1st Battalion Black Watch preparing for their first deployment to France in 1914. This wood carving was created by Frank McNicoll Glamis in 1923. Subsequently, it was presented by The Right Honourable the Countess of Strathmore (president of The Black Watch War Memorial) to The Black Watch War Memorial Home at Dunalistair House in Broughty Ferry that same year.
A memorial for Black Watch members
The Black Watch War Memorial Home was proposed at a meeting of The Black Watch Association in Perth in December 1919. It came about in response to the call for a memorial to Black Watch members who fell in The Great War (1914-1918). Following this decision, it was decided that a building would be sought and repurposed to serve as a holiday house for family members of Black Watch soldiers.
From the beginning this building was intended to preserve and promote the history, heritage, and legacy of The Black Watch. Opened on 4th June 1921, the staff consisted of non-commissioned officers and other men who had served in the regiment. Rooms in the home were named after battles in which The Black Watch had fought, and pictures of the regiment were hung throughout the building.
The archive’s work
Images from the archive at The Black Watch Castle and Museum show The Black Watch War Memorial Home in use. Images of the Red Hackle bedroom, the entrance to Dunalistair House with the Black Watch Badge over the door. Additionally, you can find images of members of The Black Watch who were awarded the Victoria Cross indicate the significance placed preserving the memory of The Black Watch.
In the first year of opening, 121 adults and 266 children are reported as having stayed at the Memorial Home in Broughty Ferry. According to a report in July 1922, no applications had been refused. Thousands of Black Watch family members stayed at Dunalistair House throughout its 60 years of operation, and several volunteers at The Black Watch Castle and Museum have fond memories of their time there. Our volunteers continue to locate, preserve, and interpret stories from The Black Watch’s long history through guided tours, educational visits, archival research, and support of The Black Watch association.
Dunalistair House’s legacy
The Black Watch War Memorial Home closed in 1983 and the proceeds from the sale of Dunalistair House were donated to The Black Watch Association to set up a holiday fund to continue assisting Black Watch families. Artefacts from the interior of Dunalistair House and memorials from the grounds were moved to Balhousie Castle which, at that time, served as regimental headquarters and the site of The Black Watch Museum. Today, Balhousie Castle is home to The Black Watch Regimental Trust, composed of many organisations related to the welfare of Black Watch families and the history and heritage of the regiment. We at The Black Watch Castle and Museum hope that those who established the War Memorial Home over a century ago would be proud of how their efforts have continued to honour their fallen comrades and support their families.
Further information
If you or a loved one served with The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment), or for more information about our organisation and charitable aims, please send an email to enquiries@theblackwatch.co.uk.
Find out more here: https://theblackwatch.co.uk/museum/
Written by Madeline Greene, Learning & Audiences Officer at The Black Watch Castle & Museum.
Special thanks to Jennifer Marshall, Archivist at The Black Watch Castle & Museum.
Edited by Isabel Lauterjung, Blog Coordinator for Explore Your Archive.