'Highland Chieftains': The Officers of The Black Watch

Join Dr Ruadhan Scrivener-Anderson as he looks at selection, socialisation and the development of group identity within The Black Watch in the lead-up to the First World War.

Between 1902 and 1918, over 2,000 commissioned officers served in The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), with 25 battalions formed for service during the First World War (1914-18). By the time of the Armistice in November 1918, more than 8,000 members of the regiment had lost their lives.

In this talk, Dr Ruadhan Scrivener-Anderson will examine why certain individuals were chosen to lead Scotland's soldiers in both peacetime and wartime, focusing on their social status, national identity and experiences of soldiering and leadership.

About the speaker

Dr Ruadhán Scrivener-Anderson is a historian of late 19th- and early 20th-century Scotland. His PhD thesis focused on the commissioned officers of The Black Watch from around 1902 to 1918, examining selection, social status and national identity. He is currently undertaking research on the relationship between Victorian and Edwardian Scottish landed elites and the Army.

He is a member of staff in the University Collections Department (Archival Collections) and a tutor in the School of History at the University of St Andrews.