BLACK Watch soldier Aaron Kelly stands beside a statue being prepared to leave for Belgium to mark the centenary of the First World War.

The statue of a Black Watch soldier will be erected to commemorate the 8960 Black Watch officers and soldiers who died and more than 20,000 who were wounded during the war.

More than 250 veterans and soldiers from the regiment will travel to see it being dedicated at Black Watch Corner near Ypres on May 3. The statue, by Alan Herriot, is of a sergeant in First World War fighting uniform.

Picture: Gordon Terris