Black Watch sgian from Ebay

[Biathlonman]

Just took a look at the web sites for both the Black Watch of Canada and of Scotland - the sgean dhus their museums sell now - and presumably that's been the pattern for awhile - have St Andrew and his saltire cross - not the sphinx.

If you want to know more about your find, why not contact both museums and give them your info? They'd certainly have lists of officers and senior NCOs from 1940 and may solve the mystery.

Get the right person enthused and working for you and I'm certain you'll find out more.

[OC Richard]

You're quite right! I just looked through a couple books, and the officer's sgian of the BW has St Andrew holding his Cross.

The PM and DM wear, on their feather bonnets, different cap badges than the rest of the regiment, a sphinx just like the one on this sgian. I guess that, and the brass colour, is what made me think BW.

(I discovered that this is a Cameron Highlanders sgian.)

[Downunder Kilt]

Just checked the Black Watch UK online shop and they sell the Sphinx emblem, almost the same as the OP'S, for officers to wear on sgian dubhs and dirks

[OC Richard]

I did a bit of Googling and the sgian I have is from the Cameron Highlanders, not the Black Watch.

A sgian just like it was auctioned as part of a group of Cameron Highlanders memorabilia.

[Jock Scot]

I did a bit of Googling and the sgian I have is from the Cameron Highlanders, not the Black Watch.

A sgian just like it was auctioned as part of a group of Cameron Highlanders memorabilia.

Humm, 1940. The Cameron Highlanders were the last unit in the British Army to wear the kilt in action during that year, in France. There is a kilt with battle damage from that action on show at the Cameron Museum at Achnacarry.

[Taygrd]

Wonderful sgian. Somewhere on the bookshelf I have a book regarding the regimental histories of the BW and Cameron regiments. Will have to look through it tonight. I know the sphinx was limited to regiments that served in Egypt so this would be made after the turn of the last century?

[Biathlonman]

The Canadian Camerons are in Ottawa, and have a museum. Unfortunately their website doesn't have a photo of their sgean dhu.
The British version of the Cameron Highlanders has been amalgamated a few times, but there may still be someone who will answer your questions about the sgean dhu. It should still be possible to find out something about the mysterious M.G. and Daphne.

Let us know.

[Jock Scot]

Wonderful sgian. Somewhere on the bookshelf I have a book regarding the regimental histories of the BW and Cameron regiments. Will have to look through it tonight. I know the sphinx was limited to regiments that served in Egypt so this would be made after the turn of the last century?

Regiments that fought in the Battle of Alexandria (1801) are allowed to wear the sphinx as part of their uniform of today, from memory the Black Watch, amongst others, also have that honour. The Gloucestershire Regiment were given the particular and individual honour of wearing the sphinx as a back badge in their caps as well as a larger Sphinx at the front. They earned that right by turning the rear rank to face their rear to successfully repel an all out attack from behind whilst fending off one from the front.

I carry a Black Watch sgian which belonged to my Grand Father's step brother who served all through the Great War, the blade is as sharp as a razor. Officers in the regular Black Watch Regiments carry the sgian with silver mounts that are gilded and officers from territorial Regiments of the Black Watch just have silver mounts, both with St Andrew and his cross. Now in the subtle way that individual battalions of the same regiment can have, there are slightly different markings etc that only those within the Regiment and various Battalions thereof will probably notice. I would not be at all surprised that this would hold true with the various Battalions of the Cameron Highlanders. I suspect as the object in question does not have silver mounts it will not have belonged to an Officer. I am no metal expert, but I wonder if the metal work was originally silver plated and the brass that we see now is the base metal?

[OC Richard]

The dirk and sgian of the old Camerons Highlanders were gilt. Ditto the Black Watch. The Gordons dirk and sgian were silver. I don't remember what dirk and sgian the old Seaforth Highlanders wore.

[Biathlonman]

Sometime after the Battle of Alexandria, one of the British regiments who fought there got into a dangerous scrape with the French. Outnumbered, and at risk of their position being overrun, the Regimental Sergeant Major called out to the men "Remember Egypt!" The line steadied, held, and it was the French who retreated. Could have been the Black Watch (42nd) or the Gloucesters (28th) I suspect it was the latter. In Korea 750 of them, surrounded, held off 10,000 Chinese for four days. Only 40 men broke out. The rest? Killed or captured. The action won them a US Presidential Unit Citation.

If your sgean dhu is possibly that of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, it may be significant that they didn't leave Canada until July 1940, where they first spent time in Iceland. Perhaps Daphne gave this to MG as a going away present.
The other Camerons, the British unit, were putting themselves back together after being evacuated at Dunkirk.