UK NEWS

BLACK WATCH DRUGS SCANDAL

Black Watch troops in Iraq in 2004

Sunday May 18,2008

By Ben Borland

TEN shamed soldiers from the famous Black Watch will be thrown out of the Army after testing positive for drugs.

The disgraced servicemen were caught out in a random swoop last month at their Fort George Barracks, near Inverness.

The scandal has brought shame on Scotland’s most famous regiment, which gained admirers around the world following a hit stage play made in its honour.

Last night, an Army spokesman said: “This is unacceptable behaviour. They were all told from day one what will happen if they take drugs.

“Every soldier is given a lecture once a year to remind them what will happen. There is no excuse, they know what will happen if they test positive”.

The Perth-based regiment has won millions of admirers across the globe thanks to the play The Black Watch inspired by a group of Fife soldiers in Iraq.

A total of eight men from the regiment died during two bloody tours of duty in the war-torn country during 2003 and 2004, which included an infamous posting to the so-called ‘Triangle of Death’ near Falluja.

An unprecedented third tour was completed last year without further loss.

The tours helped rebuild the regiment’s credibility, which was in tatters when 11 soldiers were kicked out after testing positive for drugs at a base in Germany seven years ago.

A source close to the Black Watch said last night: “After all that the lads have been through in recent years, it is a real blow to see the regiment’s good name dragged through the mud.

“We spent a long time rebuilding our reputation after the last group of lads were found to have taken drugs. But the latest incident will do even more harm this time round, as news of what has happened will go around the world as a result of the play.”

The Army confirmed that a total of 370 Black Watch personnel had been tested last month, which was everyone at the base at the time.

The Army spokesman added: “It was a random test and there were a total of 10 positives, who were all junior ranking soldiers.”

More than 5,500 soldiers have been sacked since random drug testing was introduced in 2001. The problem has been growing in recent years, leading to claims that some are deliberately trying to get kicked out rather than be sent to the front line.

Last year, 26 men from the Royal Scots Borderers and four members of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers were dismissed for taking drugs.

And, in November, 17 soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were tested and dismissed after returning from a post-operational break in the Mexican resort of Cancun.