Black Watch ( Royal Highland Regiment ) The Black Watch ( Royal Highland Regiment ) was a Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 ( as the Royal Highland Regiment ( The Black Watch ) ) to 2006 . In 2006 the regiment was restructured to be a battalion " The Black Watch , 3rd Battalion " of the Royal Regiment of Scotland As part of the Scottish Division , it was the senior regiment of the Highland Brigade . The regiment ' s name came from the dark tartan that they wore and from its role to " watch " the Highlands . ' Black Watch ' was originally just a nickname for the 42nd ( Royal Highland ) Regiment of Foot , but was used more and more so that , in 1881 , when the 42nd amalgamated with the 73rd Regiment of Foot , the new regiment was named ' The Black Watch ( Royal Highlanders ) ' . The uniform changed over time , but the nickname has been more enduring . The regimental motto was " Nemo me impune lacessit " ( no one attacks me with impunity ) . The Royal Stewart Tartan was worn by the regimental pipers to reflect the status of ' Royal ' regiment . History . The Black Watch was formed as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 when the Royal Highland Regiment ( The Black Watch ) was amalgamated with the 73rd ( Perthshire ) Foot to form two battalions of the newly named Black Watch ( Royal Highlanders ) . 20th century . During World War I the 25 battalions of Black Watch fought mainly in France and Flanders , except for the 2nd Battalion which fought in Mesopotamia and Palestine , and the 10th Battalion which was in the Balkans . Only the 1st and 2nd battalions were regulars . A number of authors state that the regiment was given the nickname " Ladies from Hell " ( " " Die Damen aus der Hölle " " ) by German troops , allegedly on account of their kilts and fighting qualities , although it is reported that no German sources to support the claim have been found . ( Scottish troops wore kilts up until 1940 ) . Battalions of the Watch fought in almost every major action of the British in World War II , from Palestine to Dunkirk to Normandy and as Chindits ( 42 and 73 columns ) in Burma . The Black Watch was fiercely defeated by German Fallschirmjäger and Gebirgsjäger during the Battle of Crete in May 1941 . The regiment was the first to cross the Rhine and into Germany during the Allied advance in 1945 . After the war , in 1948 , the two regular battalions were merged into one . The regiment won honours after the Battle of the Hook during the Korean War in November 1952 , and were subsequently involved in peacekeeping in various parts of the world ; the same activity for which the regiment was raised 250 years earlier . During the state funeral of John F . Kennedy in November 1963 , nine bagpipers from the regiment were invited to travel to the United States and participate in the funeral procession from the White House to the Cathedral of St . Matthew the Apostle . They performed " The Brown Haired Maiden " , " The Badge of Scotland " , " The 51st Highland Division " , and " The Barren Rocks of Aden . " It was the last British military unit to leave Hong Kong in 1997 and played a prominent role in the handover ceremony . 21st century . During the 2003 Iraq War the Black Watch fought in the attack on Basra and during its deployment the unit suffered a single fatality . The following year the Black Watch was dispatched to Iraq again , as part of 4 ( Armoured ) Brigade . On 12 August a soldier from the regiment was killed as a result of an improvised explosive device ( IED ) . In October , the Black Watch was at the centre of political controversy after the Americans requested British forces to be moved further north outside of the British - controlled Multi - National Division ( South East ) area . Despite objections in Parliament , the deployment went ahead . Based at Camp Dogwood , South of Baghdad , it came under regular attack from rockets . On the 29 October , during the journey to their new base , a Black Watch soldier was killed in a road accident . On 4 November three soldiers and an interpreter were killed and on 8 November another soldier was killed . This high profile deployment caused a magnification of these events back home in Britain . Under a plan supervised by General Sir Mike Jackson , on 16 December 2004 it was announced that the Black Watch was to join with five other Scottish regiments - the Royal Scots , the King ' s Own Scottish Borderers , the Royal Highland Fusiliers , Highlanders and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders - to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland , a single regiment consisting 5 regular and 2 territorial battalions . The measure , which reflected recruiting difficulties and the inefficiencies inherent in maintaining a number of relatively small separate units , took place on 28 March 2006 . These plans encountered considerable opposition from retired soldiers and the Scottish public . It was claimed by proponents of the plan that the establishment of a large regiment will improve conditions of service for serving personnel . As with the other former Scottish regiments , the Black Watch will retain its former name as its primary identifier , with its battalion number as a subtitle . Therefore , the regiment is now known as The Black Watch ( 3rd Battalion , Royal Regiment of Scotland ) ; in addition , the battalion is also permitted to retain its most famous distinction , the red hackle , in certain circumstances . Battle honours . Combined battle honours of 42nd Regiment and 73rd Regiment : 1 . awarded 1909 for services of 42nd Regiment . < br > 2 . awarded 1914 for services of 42nd Regiment . < br > 3 . awarded 1910 for service of 42nd Regiment . < br > 4 . awarded 1951 for service of 42nd Regiment . < br > 5 . awarded 1889 for service of 73rd Regiment . < br > 6 . awarded 1882 for service of 73rd Regiment . < br > Anecdotes . When wearing kilts , it is customary for troops to " go regimental " or " military practice " , wearing no underwear . In the 1950s , kilted soldiers on parade would be checked by the sergeant major using a mirror on the end of a stick . In 1997 , a Black Watch soldier received wide press exposure , because of windy conditions during a military ceremony in Hong Kong . Music . " Gallant Black Watch " , a Scotch style march and two - step , was composed by Bert L . Billings and published in Toronto by Whaley , Royce & Co . , circa 1906 .