The spiritual home of The Black Watch took centre stage as it played a lead role in Scotland’s first ever Festival of Museums.
Balhousie Castle in Perth joined museums and galleries across the country in a giant celebration of the nation’s living culture.
Bright sunshine helped entice a large number of visitors to the regimental museum for a series of events that were among the highlights of the three-day festival, aiming to be a key cultural event on the European arts calendar.
They were offered a rare opportunity to see The Black Watch in action, as the chaos of the battlefield was brought to life by re-enactors Veritas Vincit.
Armed with swords and antique muskets, they staged a number of swordfights and fired volleys of gunfire throughout the day.
The Battles of The Black Watch event also recreated an 18th century army camp and saw visitors young and old learn about a day in the life of a soldier.
As if that were not enough, the regimental museum collections were also opened to the public, with exclusive guided tours offering glimpses of unseen areas and behind-the-scenes tours giving a rare insight into the goings-on at the museum.
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser was full of praise for the exciting programme put on by The Black Watch Museum as part of the nationwide festival and paid tribute to the regiment and its glittering history.
“The Festival of Museums 2011 Weekend is a fantastic initiative and it was welcome to see The Black Watch Castle and Museum take part and put on some spectacular events,” he said.
“The Black Watch has fought across the globe in some of the most ferocious and famous battles in history. They have fought in North America against Native tribes during the Seven Years’ War, they defeated George Washington in the Battle of Long Island and they fought in the Boer War.
“They fought at Waterloo, the Somme and Ypres. They were among the first forward in some of the most intense fighting of the Second World War, in Normandy after the D-Day landings, and the 1st Battalion of The Black Watch became the first British unit to enter German territory in the Second World War.
“It is a truly spectacular history and, of course, The Black Watch is today one of the best and most exceptional fighting units in the world.”
Also playing a role in the festival was the Atholl Country Life Museum, which offered visitors the chance to learn about Donald McBeath, the larger-than-life son of Blair Atholl and “a true man of the hills.”
Not only was he a dedicated gamekeeper for 50 years but he was also admired for his heroism in battle.
Queen Victoria was also known to be a fan and he was in charge of the party of Atholl Highlanders that escorted Queen Victoria to Deeside in 1861.
An exhibition and a talk offered an insight into his life and explained why he remains well-known in the area to this day.