Ref. 28005/2THE commander of Warminster's new battle group says residents have nothing to fear from his men and has pledged to develop a good relationship with the community.

Speaking at the formal handover of Battlesbury Barracks on Tuesday, Black Watch's commanding officer Lt Col James Cowan said he was keen to promote the regiment in the town.

The noon ceremony saw a bagpiper play as the regimental flag replaced that of the departing Royal Green Jackets for who a bugler sounded their farewell. The Black Watch, which has its headquarters in Perth, Scotland, will now be based in Warminster for the next two years.

Lt Col Cowan, who flew in from Kenya just hours before Tuesday's ceremony, is determined his 600-strong regiment strikes an immediate rapport with residents. He said: "The Black Watch is a fighting regiment, but it is also a family regiment.

"We have a good third of our men who are married and we pride ourselves on that community spirit.

"The fighting is for the Plain and I believe the people of Warminster will find us an extremely friendly regiment. Our name has brought fear to our enemies in the past, but it should never be something that is a concern for the local community."

Lt Col Cowan said he would look to make the most of his regiment's Scottish traditions by staging drumming and bagpipe demonstrations to involve residents.

He added: "It's a lovely part of the world and we are very excited about being here."

Black Watch will combine with troops from the Royal Tank Regiment, the Royal Engineers and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to form the Land Warfare Centre battle group. This will see the regiment become an 'enemy force' to train visiting troops on Salisbury Plain and also a 'friendly force' for trainee officers to command.

Black Watch's third main role will be to stage Warminster's popular firepower demonstrations, but all this work will provide some welcome stability for the troops after their service in Iraq.

Lt Col Cowan said: "It will be very nice for the people to settle in and see a lot more of their families. In Iraq the regiment formed part of the 7th Armoured Brigade known as the Desert Rats and were instrumental in the capture of Basra.

"After the war we were involved in the peace keeping until we left in June."

Black Watch, whose Latin motto means 'no- one insults me with impunity', will move on to Tidworth in 2006.