Peter’s father and his oldest brother worked in the iron industry at foundries like Torwood Foundry below), a short walk from home for George and his son.

A potential recruit wishing to join the army could do so providing he passed certain physical tests and was willing to enlist for a specified number of years. The recruit had to be taller than 5 feet 3 inches and aged between 18 and 38 (although he could not be sent overseas until he was aged 19). He would join at the Regimental Depot or at one of its normal recruiting offices.

Photographs of soldiers leaving for France were an important rite of passage for soldiers leaving for France

The man had a choice over the regiment he was assigned to, and he would join the army for twelve years, typically for a period of 7 years full time service with the colours, to be followed by another 5 in the Army Reserve.

Peter Davie had been too young to be involved in the Boer War, but when he was of age (18), Peter Davie, signed up as a regular soldier in the Black Watch for 7 years with the Colours (active service) and 5 years with the Reserve.

The use of modern artillery and the marksmanship and field craft of the Boers gave the British Army a salutary lesson in the reality of modern warfare. The Army was forced into a fundamental re-organisation which reflected the realities of contemporary weapons and tactics. importantly, the art of musketry was taught and retaught and the lessons of fieldcraft and the effect of rapid accurate rifle fire were well-learned.

The period following the Boer War i.e., between the Boer War and the Great War, was significant. The conflict with the Dutch Boers, farmers and soldiers both, had provided a painful and bloody masterclass in realities of modern warfare. The Boer farmers’ skills in fieldcraft and marksmanship had forced a revolution on the battlefield: the British Army and the art of musketry was taught and retaught in the bloodiest way. In the Victorian age the British Army had generally been a colonial police force, and the occasional local difficulties with the natives meant facing enemies whose technology was vastly inferior to the weapons and firepower of the Imperial soldiers.

When Haldane reshaped the part-time auxiliary forces as the Territorial Force in 1908, it was optimised for its original role: to secure Britain if and when the BEF went overseas. By July 1914 it had failed to recruit to its establishment of 300,000, and only five complete units had made themselves available for service outside Britain.

Soldiers like Peter Davie joining the regular army were now required to absorb the lessons of fieldcraft and the effect of rapid, accurate shooting. The Army was re-organised to reflect the realities of modern weapons and tactics. Issues of the Army’s structure were addressed, and by 1914 the Army had become a small but effective fighting force. Peter served his 7 years after which time he found employment. He continued to serve in the Reserve as required by his original commitment. That commitment would be honoured.

The British Army recognised the reality that the coming war would require the rapid deployment of a self-contained well-equipped and effective fighting force that tilted the military and naval balance. An expeditionary force of six divisions was created, able to deploy quickly to the continent through the channel ports.

When war came, almost half of the B.E.F. comprised reserves: the strength on mobilisation was made up of time-expired regulars like Peter Davie who were recalled from civilian life. In the event of war a reservist would be recalled to the colours and become a member of the B.E.F. (British Expeditionary Force), committed by alliances to the freedom of Belgium by the deployment of troops onto the continent of Europe.

On 4th August 1914, following the German invasion of Belgium, war was declared on Germany and its allies. War had come to Peter Davie and his family.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

After leaving the Army, Peter returned to civilian life.

The 1911 Census shows Peter as a coal miner, although Russell MacGillivary notes that, prior to his call up as a reserve, Peter Davie was a gasfitter. Seemingly, he had moved on. Peter had escaped the mines and gained employment as a gas fitter. Out of the darkness and into the light. Peter married his wife, Jane Jay Scobbie on 16th September 1909. Their child, Janet Wilson Davie was born 16 September 1910 and the 1911 Census shows Peter and his family living next door to Peter’s older brother, George.

Peter had barely served his 7 years with the colours before the outbreak of war caused him and his reservist comrades of the 2nd Black Watch to gather their kit and kilts to make their way to join the rest of their battalion, 2nd Battalion Black Watch, just as other battalions across the country were doing.

At least Peter would have had time to become a loved memory for his daughter.

war

The medal card below indicates that Peter was eligible for the 1914 Star, known as the Mons Star, awarded to the Old Contemptibles.

The following information is mainly derived from the Long Long Trail Website. The Long Long Trails website is recommended as the “go to” site for World War 1.

I would urge you to support the work of The Long Long Trail by becoming a Patreon.

Like the stories of many of the other men of Bothkennar, patching together the story of Peter Davie is often more holes than patches.

The 2nd Battalion Black Watch had been based in India: the invasion of Belgium and France meant that the military resources of the British (and Indian) Army would require that the full resources of the Empire would need to deployed to stem the tide.

Black Watch reservists like Peter Davie mobilised in Great Britain reported to their Regimental Depots and from where they would move to France. We know from his medal roll that Peter arrived in theatre on 13th August 1914, presumably in a draft with other reservists also former members of 2nd Black Watch.

Following the declaration of war, the main part of 2nd Battalion had left its base in India by sea on 21 September 1914, landing in theatre at Marseilles on 12 October 1914, then moving by train to Northern France.

In August 1914, 2nd Battalion Black Watch in France was effectively a cadre of recruits, 2nd Battalion reservists and other “odds of sods”. 1st Battalion Black Watch was part of 1st Division composed of regular army soldiers.

In the Summer of 1914, Peter’s battalion (2nd Bn, Black Watch) was in India with the Meerut Division of the Indian Army, soon to be a member of the Indian Army Expeditionary Force. The emergency in France prompted the move of the Meerut Division (including the original 2nd Battalion, Black Watch) to move from India via Suez to land in in Marseilles in the South of France. From there, the Division would move by train to the North of France to the join home-based divisions, brigades and battalions moving to reinforce troops deployed to Northern France.

Sepoys of the Meerut Division at bayonet practice in the snow, 1914

Between October and the end of November the whole BEF was moved to Flanders from the Aisne as part of an effort to outflank the Germans in France. On arrival it encountered German formations moving to outflank the Entente forces. The ensuing battles form part of a phase often, but incorrectly, referred to as the Race to the Sea.

The initial fighting involved the six infantry divisions of the B.E.F. who supported with the French and Belgian armies in “the race for the sea”. The allied armies managed to stabilise the line, fighting a number of small actions and the significant battles of Mons and Le Cateau. Peter and his comrades were involved in a series of battles to support the French armies which included the battles of the Marne, of the Aisne, and the Battle of Givenchy.

In October, the whole of the BEF was moved to Flanders from the Aisne as part of an effort to outflank the Germans in France. On arrival it encountered Germans moving to outflank the Entente forces. These battles form part of a phase often, but incorrectly, referred to as the Race to the Sea.

Often known as the First Battle of Ypres, this is a group of named battles that also form part of the outflanking encounter. It becomes a desperate epic fight east of the city of Ypres which finally results in stalemate and entrenched warfare. It takes place at the same time as the Battle of the Yser, fought nearby by the Belgian Army and French forces against the Germans.

The 2nd Black Watch continued to be in action in this series of battles in France and Flanders. In November Peter Davie was invalided home to return to battle 5 months later in May 1915: this time the theatre of war was the Middle East, to what was Mesopotamia and is now called Iraq.