Lieutenant-Colonel Chick Thomson
5th Battalion, The Black Watch

Thomson was in a dreadful state. He came back the following day and I had to get the doctor and the padre to keep him for a few hours. And there he was a D.S.O., he got two or three D.S.O.s altogether; it was too much. It wasn’t their fault. They had been fighting in the desert. They’d been sitting around north London or wherever it was they sat without being properly trained, and they were thrown into this bocage country with Germans popping out. 

(Lt-Col. Terence Otway, interview, 1989)

Born on 17 January 1907 in Monifieth, Angus, Scotland, Charles Newbigging Thomson was a Territorial Army officer with the 4/5th Battalion, Black Watch. He became captain in 1932 and served during the Battle of France in 1940. When the 5th Black Watch embarked for Egypt in June 1942, Thomson served as second-in-command under Lieutenant-Colonel T.G. Rennie. Wounded during the Battle of El Alamein, Thomson returned to the unit in December 1942, succeeding Rennie who had been promoted to 154th Infantry Brigade.

For his leadership during a nighttime advance on 25/26 March 1943, Thomson earned a D.S.O.:

Throughout the operation, from a very exposed position under almost continuous fire from guns and mortars, Col. Thomson continued to control the battle, always had the situation in band and when ordered by me to withdraw, extricated his battalion with great skill.

In circumstances which were extremely difficult, Col. Thomson displayed fine leadership and complete disregard of personal safety. But for his fine example things might well have gone wrong.

He received a D.S.O. Bar four months later in Sicily after capturing and securing a bridgehead against repeated enemy counterattacks: “The success of the operation was due to the determined leadership of Lt-Col. Thomson. There are few Bns which could have succeeded where 5 Black Watch succeeded and Lt-Col. Thomson was its inspiration.” He remained in command from the return to the United Kingdom in late 1943 through to the landing in Normandy on 7 June 1944 with the rest of 51st Division.

The battalion suffered heavy loses in subsequent fighting, and Lieutenant-Colonel Terence Otway of 9th Parachute Battalion recalled that Thomson nearly broke down from the strain. At one point in battle, Otway needed to take over, telling Thomson, “bloody well do what I tell you.” Shortly before being relieved of command, on 24 July 1944, Thomson wrote a message of thanks to 6th Airborne Division:

Since D Day this Battalion has come into contact with various Battalions of your Division, particularly the 9th Para Battalion, whose Medical Officer and Staff have been extremely helpful to us when we have had considerable numbers of wounded fighting alongside of them.  Their Padre too, has buried a great number of dead … I should like on behalf of all ranks of this Battalion to thank all the above for helping us out at some difficult times, and for the great kindness received at their hands. I hope you will not think it impertinent of me to say what a very high opinion we have formed of the 6 Airborne Division, and how proud we are to have served along side of them.

On 10 July 1944, Thomson and 5th Black Watch had been ordered to raid Colombelles, a factory area near Caen. The attack ended in disaster. In an after-action report on 23 July, Thomson pointed to the unfeasibility of the strategy from the outset: “The plan did not include the holding of the factory area but merely the destruction of the chimneys and consequently, in my opinion, was unsound and should never have been put into operation.” He was removed from command three days later and replaced by his friend Major Bill Bradford.

Despite the circumstances behind this sudden removal, in the regimental history of the Black Watch, Bernard Fergusson wrote: “There can rarely have been a hand-over of a battalion with less interruption to personality, prestige and policy.” Thomson returned to home to command the 10th Black Watch held in reserve in Scotland for training and reinforcements.

After a long army career, he retired in 1965 and became honorary colonel of the 4/5th Black Watch then of the 3rd Battalion in 1969.

Thomson died on 26 January 1987 in Deben, Suffolk.