He said: “Basically every year we rededicate The Black Watch standard and we rededicate the standard at a different church in Angus.

“This year we went to St Vigeans and there were about 50 branch members and their wives. We asked the Lord Lieutenant of Angus [Mrs Georgiana Osbourne] who is also the Black Watch Association president this year, to lay a wreath because there are quite a lot of Black Watch names on it and we wanted to honour those names.

“We were welcomed really well by the minister and the session clerk and we then followed that up with Sunday lunch in the Arbroath branch of the Royal British Legion.”

Rev. Nelu Balaj of St Vigeans led the service, while lessons were read by Lieutenant Colonel Fred Beattie and George Horsburgh.

Arbroath man John Glen acted as standard bearer and was accompanied by Jock Paton from Forfar and Bob Mutch from Montrose.

This year is a very important one in Black Watch history as two major engagements on their battle honour roll are commemorated.

Major Proctor explained: “The other poignant thing this year is it is the 70th anniversary of the battle of El Alamein in World War Two at the end of the month and next month it will be 60 years since the battle of the Hook in the Korean War against the North Koreans and the Chinese.”