News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Friday 2 March 1951, page 10


Of the several Black Watch Regiment exmembers, living in SA. probably none has a more spectacular memento of service than Mr. James Leitch, of Levi street, Woodville West. He was with the regiment for 15 years. On his chest he has a remarkable tattoo of the Black Watch insignia, the red hackle (feather plume), with a list of the regiment's battle honors dating back to the early 1700's. The tattooist's work took two days. Mr. Leitch has other tattoos on arms and legs. A driver with the SA Brush Co., Ltd., Mr. Leitch hails from Fife and came to SA 12 months ago. When the Black Watch fought a rearguard action at St. Valery during the Dunkirk evacuation, he was captured on June 12, 1940, and marched 380 miles to Germany, remaining a POW for 41 years. Netting fish close in to the beach between Largs and Outer Harbor, Mr..and Mrs. Ray Parker, of Finsbury, noticed an extra amount of flurry and flapping in the darkness as they dragged in a net. They thought they'd entangled a bevy of teal, but the birds proved to be fairy penguins- ' In the Potts family of Langhorne Creek it has been a tradition that nicknames, bestowed in infancy should stick. Examples in the third generation are "Diddy" (Alan V. Potts), "Fiddle" (Henry L. Potts), and "Darkie" (Arthur B. Potts). There's been a certain weakening of the tradition in the case of Arthur, known more often now as Artie. And now the nickname tradition seems .to be going by the board altogether. Fourth generation members Kevin, Leonard, and two Johns are simply known as Kev, Len, aud John (2). Kev was with the three elder Potts in the Langhorne Creek team for country rifle shooting championships this week. Len took five for 36 for a combined country cricket team a couple of days earlier. SOME Black Watch Band mem*bers were having a preliminary warm-up on their instruments in the fresh air at the back of the Theatre Royal yesterday afternoon. A crowd of passers-by gathered in the lane between the SA Hotel and G. Wood Son and Co. An appreciative listener, with obvious good intentions, if not quite the best of good taste, called for a "bob-in." About 15/ was quickly thrown in, but it was naturally benedth the dignity of the bandsmen to pick up the coins, so they ignored them. A chap who'd had a drop too much Scotch or something from nearer home teetered into the ring and scotched the lot. Later, the Irish scored over the Scots down at Wayville. Mr. George Duggan, whose grandmother came from Ireland, let parking space in his yard at Rose terrace to a lot of Black Watch enthusiasts and to two members of the Caledonian Society Pipe Band. "This is an Irish place-you'd better play 'The Wearin' of the Green'," the pipers were told. They did-and a string of other Irish airs and reels, too, both before the showground performance and afterwards till 12.15 a.m.