The Black Watch Armoury () is a

Scottish baronial Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th-century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

-style armoury in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, completed in 1906 to house the 5th Regiment "Royal Highlanders of Canada" (now the

Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada is a Primary Reserve, reserve infantry regiment in 34 Canadian Brigade Group, 2nd Canadian Division, of the Canadian Army. The regiment is at 2067, rue Bleury (2067, Bleury Street) in Montreal, ...

). Designed by Samuel Arnold Finley and , the armoury was declared a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 2008. It was previously designated a Recognized Federal Heritage Building, in 1994. The armoury is home to the regiment's museum, which was opened on 8 November 1949 by the then-colonel of the Black Watch, Field Marshal Lord Wavell.

History

On May 9, 1963, the armoury's exterior was damaged as part of a campaign of terrorist bombings in Montreal by the

Front de libération du Québec The (FLQ) was a Quebec separatist terrorist group which aimed to establish an independent and socialist Quebec. Founded sometime in the early 1960s, the FLQ conducted a number of attacks between 1963 and 1970,Reich, Walter. ''Origins of Terror ...

(FLQ). In March 1983, two

Molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see '') is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a Fuse (explosives), fuse (typically a glass bottle filled wit ...

s were thrown at the building, with a communique issued to local media claiming to be on behalf of a group carrying on the revolutionary politics of the FLQ. Quebec politics came into play again in 2009, when a protest by 200 demonstrators disrupted a

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...

visit to the armoury by

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

and the

Duchess of Cornwall The Duchess of Cornwall is a title held by the wife of the heir apparent to the British throne. The Duchess of Cornwall is usually also the Princess of Wales, and she uses that title. The current title-holder is Catherine, Princess of Wales, Ca ...

Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada Museum

Opened in 1949, the regiment's museum includes uniforms, weapons, musical instruments, maps, medals, photographs and documents that focus on the history of the regiment, the city and the Canadian armed forces. The museum is open to members of the Regimental family as well as to the public on Tuesdays and by appointment. The museum and archives are at the regiment's headquarters on rue de Bleury in

. The museum portrays the history of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) through a collection of regimental uniforms, accoutrements, trophies of war, and mementos.A-AD-266-000/AG-001 Canadian Forces Museums –Operations and Administration 2002-04-03 It is currently undergoing renovations and is closed for the time being.

References

{{coord, 45, 30, 28, N, 73, 34, 11, W, region:CA_type:landmark_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada Armouries in Canada Government buildings in Montreal Downtown Montreal Gothic Revival architecture in Montreal Government buildings completed in 1906 National Historic Sites in Quebec Scottish baronial architecture in Canada 1906 establishments in Quebec