42nd Highland Regiment of Foot The Black Watch Officer's
Feather Bonnet
Seen here is a 42nd Highland Regiment of Foot
Officer’s feather Bonnet. Known as “The
Black Watch” which derives from the color of the uniform tartan and the
original role of watching over the Highlands, the 42nd was originally
the 43rd before being renumbered in 1748. This Scottish infantry
regiment has a long and distinguished history.
The regiment was at the Battle of Ticonderoga in 1758 during the French
and Indian Wars and during the American War for Independence participated in
the successful action against General Washington at Brooklyn in 1776. During the Napoleonic Wars the 42nd
captured the colors of Napoleon’s Invincible Legion in the Battle of
Alexandria, participated in several victories with the Duke of Willington’s Army
in the Peninsular War and suffered heavy casualties in the Waterloo
campaign. Other notable actions occurred
during the Crimean War where the regiment took part in the first engagement at
the Battle of Alma, during the Indian Mutiny at the relief of Lucknow, and
during the Ashanti Campaign in West Africa where the regiment played a leading
role. The 42nd would become
the 1st Battalion to see action in both World Wars, the Korean War
and most recently in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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