| Welsh Guards | |
|---|---|
 Regimental Badge of the Welsh Guards[a] | |
| Active | 1915–present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | 1st Battalion –Light Mechanised Infantry |
| Size | 1Battalion (579 personnel)[1] |
| Part of | Guards and Parachute Division |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ –London 1st Battalion –Windsor |
| Nicknames | While known as "the Taffs" to their fellow Guardsmen, no nicknames are officially recognized.[2] |
| Motto | Welsh:Cymru am Byth ("Wales Forever/Long live Wales") |
| March | Quick –Rising of the Lark Slow –Men of Harlech |
| Anniversaries | 1 March (St David's Day), 26 February (Formation Date) |
| Commanders | |
| Commanding Officer | Lt Col Andrew Breach |
| Colonel-in-Chief | King Charles III |
| Colonel of the Regiment | William, Prince of Wales |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |  |
| Plume | White/Green/White Left side ofBearskin cap |
| Abbreviation | WLSH GDS |
TheWelsh Guards (WLSH GDS;Welsh:Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of theGuards Division, is one of theFoot Guardsregiments of theBritish Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during theFirst World War, byRoyal Warrant ofGeorge V. Shortly after the regiment's formation, it was deployed to France where it took part in the fighting on theWestern Front until the end of the war in November 1918. During the inter-war years, the regiment undertook garrison duties in the United Kingdom, except between 1929 and 1930 when it deployed to Egypt, and late 1939 when it deployed to Gibraltar.
The regiment was expanded to three battalions during theSecond World War, and served inFrance,North Africa,Tunisia,Italy andWestern Europe. In the post war period, the regiment was reduced to a single battalion and saw service in Palestine, Egypt, West Germany, Aden, Northern Ireland, and Cyprus. In 1982, the regiment took part in theFalklands War. In the 21st century, the regiment has deployed as peacekeepers to Bosnia, and on operations to bothIraq andAfghanistan.
The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of George V in order to includeWales in the national component to theFoot Guards,"..though the order to raise the regiment had been given by the King to Earl Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, on 26 February 1915."[3][4] They were the last of the Guards to be created, with theIrish Guards coming into being in 1900. Just three days later, the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards mounted its firstKing's Guard atBuckingham Palace on 1 March 1915 –St David's Day.[5]
On 17 August 1915, the 1st Battalion sailed for France to join theGuards Division to commence its participation in the First World War. Its first battle was some months after its initial arrival, atLoos on 27 September 1915. The regiment's firstVictoria Cross came two years later in July 1917 awarded to SergeantRobert Bye.[5]
Soon after the end of the war in 1918 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards returned home and where they would be based for much of the inter-war period, performing training and ceremonial duties, such as theChanging of the Guard andTrooping the Colour. In 1929, 1st Welsh Guards deployed toEgypt where they joined theCairo Brigade where they stayed for only a brief period of time, returning home in 1930. Just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, 1st Welsh Guards were dispatched toGibraltar where they remained upon the outbreak of war in September 1939. The 2nd Battalion, Welsh Guards was created in 1939.[5]
The Welsh Guards were increased to three battalions during theSecond World War. The 1st Battalion fought valiantly in all the campaigns of theNorth-West European Theatre. The 2nd Battalion, part of the20th Independent Infantry Brigade (Guards), fought briefly inBoulogne,France, in late May 1940 whilst the 1st fought in the battles ofBelgium andFrance as part of theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF) GHQ Troops. In May 1940 at theBattle of Arras, the Welsh Guards gained their secondVictoria Cross byLieutenantChristopher Furness, who was subsequently killed in action. The 1st Battalion was subsequently part of theretreat to Dunkirk, where they were involved in the legendaryDunkirk evacuation that saw nearly 340,000Allied troops return to the United Kingdom, against all odds.[5]
The 3rd Battalion, Welsh Guards, which was formed atBeavers Lane Camp in 1941, fought throughout the arduousNorth African Campaign, in theTunisia Campaign and theItalian campaigns in 1943.[5]
While they battled on in those theatres the 1st and 2nd joined theGuards Armoured Division, with the 1st Battalion being infantry, assigned to the32nd Guards Brigade, and the 2nd Battalion being armoured, part of the6th Guards Armoured Brigade. The two battalions worked closely, being the first troops to re-enterBrussels on 3 September 1944 after an advance of 100 miles in one day in what was described as 'an armoured lash unequalled for speed in this or any other war' led byMajor-General SirAllan Henry Adair, the divisional commander.[6]
Shortly after the end of the war the 3rd Battalion was disbanded while the 2nd Battalion was placed in suspended animation. In 1947 the 1st Welsh Guards were dispatched toPalestine, then under British control, while it was in a volatile and violent situation. The Welsh Guards were part of the1st Guards Brigade and performed internal security (IS) duties while there, before leaving in 1948 during the British withdrawal and when the state ofIsrael was declared. The regiment had itscolour trooped for the first time in 1949.[7]
In 1950, the regiment arrived inWest Germany as part of the 4th Guards Brigade, part of theBritish Army of the Rhine (BAOR). In 1952 the regiment joined theArea Troops Berlin in West Berlin, an enclave in CommunistEast Germany during tense times between theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization and theWarsaw Pact. The Welsh Guards returned home the following year and soon after deployed to the British-controlledSuez Canal Zone (SEZ) inEgypt. As previously in Palestine, the Welsh Guards' time in Egypt was quite turbulent. They performed internal security duties there, remaining in the SEZ until the British withdrawal in 1956.[8]
In 1960, the regiment deployed to West Germany again, and in 1965 toAden, another part of the decliningBritish Empire. They returned home the following year. In 1970 the regiment arrived again in West Germany, this time atMünster, as part of4th Armoured Brigade.[9]
In 1972, came deployment toNorthern Ireland, then embroiled in violence later known as "The Troubles". During its tour of duty the regiment lost Sergeant Phillip Price in a terrorist attack by theProvisional Irish Republican Army on the Oxford Street Bus Depot inBelfast, one of a series of terrorist attacks in the city which became known as "Bloody Friday". The following year the Welsh Guards were dispatched to the province again, and during this period lost Guardsman David Roberts in alandmine explosion.[10]
Between October 1975 and March 1976 the Welsh Guards were part of the British contingent of the United Nations force deployed toCyprus in the aftermath ofthe Turkish invasion of the island in 1974.[11] In 1977 the regiment arrived in West Berlin again, and then in 1979 once more in the midst of the volatile situation in Northern Ireland, they lost Guardsman Paul Fryer to a booby-trap bomb. On 9 July 1981, Daniel Barrett, aged 15 years, was sitting on the garden wall of his home in Havana Court, Ardoyne, North Belfast, when he was shot dead by a soldier from the Welsh Guards.[12]
In 1982, the Welsh Guards (CO Lieutenant-Colonel John Rickett) formed part of the5th Infantry Brigade of the British Task Force sent to liberate theFalkland Islands from Argentinian occupation during theFalklands War. On 8 June they were on board the ill-fatedSir Galahad, which was accompanied bySir Tristram, waiting to be landed atBluff Cove though they were delayed from doing so. However, attack was imminent after the landing craft were spotted by Argentinian observers. At 2:00 am, fiveDagger and fiveA-4 Skyhawk aircraft were seen over the Falklands. Shortly afterwards, the Daggers were the first to attack. Only a short time later, the Skyhawks reachedFitzroy, with three of the aircraft hitting theSir Galahad two or more times with horrific consequences.Sir Tristram was also hit which killed two crewmen, both ships were ablaze. The attack onSir Galahad culminated in high casualties, 48 dead, 32 of them Welsh Guards, 11 other Army personnel and five crewmen fromSir Galahad herself. There were many wounded, many suffering from horrendous burns caused by fire from the burning ships, the best known beingSimon Weston. The burnt-outSir Galahad was later scuttled at sea to allow her to become a war grave.[13] On 13-14 June, the remainder of the battalion, reinforced by two companies of Royal Marines from40 Commando, were given the objective of capturingSapper Hill in the final stages of theBattle of Mount Tumbledown. Following a firefight at their helicopter landing zone, the force moved on to Sapper Hill but found it abandoned, thus taking the last defensible position beforeStanley.[14]
In 1984, the Welsh Guards arrived inHohne, West Germany as part of the22nd Armoured Brigade and two years later arrived in Northern Ireland for another tour-of-duty before returning to Germany. The regiment returned home to Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright in 1988. In 1989 The Welsh Guards conducted a six-month operational roulement Battalion tour of Belize from April to October 1989 and in 1992 arrived in Northern Ireland for a two-year deployment as part of8th Infantry Brigade.[15] During their tour ofNorthern Ireland the BBC filmed the documentaryIn the Company of Men byMolly Dineen, which filmed a deployment to the heavily nationalistCounty Fermanagh during the regiment's tour.[16]
On 6 September 1997, 12 Guardsmen of the Welsh Guards led by the adjutant of the 1st Battalion, "The Prince of Wales" Company, Captain Richard Williams MC, hero in 1993 of the Khmer Rouge incident in which he was captured defending civilians in Cambodia,[17] were pulled from security patrols in South Armagh, Northern Ireland and together with members of theKing's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery escorted the casket ofDiana, Princess of Wales, fromKensington Palace toWestminster Abbey.[18]
In 2002, the regiment arrived inBosnia as part ofSFOR, a NATO-led force intended to ensure peace and stability in theBalkan nation. During their deploymentthe Queen Mother died. A number of officers of the Welsh Guards stood in vigil around the Queen Mother's coffin which waslying in state inWestminster Hall, one of a number of regiments to do so. The regiment returned home from its deployment to Bosnia later in the year. It was involved inOperation Fresco, the British armed forces response to thefirefighters strike; the Welsh Guards covered theMidlands area, primarily inBirmingham using the antiquated Army "Green Goddess" fire engines.[19]
In 2003, the Welsh Guards moved fromAldershot toRAF St Athan, Wales.[20]
In 2005, the Welsh Guards were part ofOperation Telic and were based inBasra, SouthernIraq. Here they used relationship-building skills learnt from their time in Bosnia to build a bond between the regiment and local people.[21]
In 2006, the regiment returned to London as apublic duties battalion. It will alternate this role with theGrenadier Guards. The regiment deployed toBosnia in October 2006, replacing the2nd Battalion,The Yorkshire Regiment. In November 2007, the regiment deployed toBelize at short notice to take part injungle warfare training; they returned just before Christmas.[22]
In 2008, the Welsh Guards moved from London to Lille Barracks inAldershot, in preparation for deployment onOperation Herrick 10 inAfghanistan. The regiment departed in April 2009. Six members of the battalion were killed, among them a platoon commander, a company commander and the battalion commander. It was the first time since the Korean War that a single battalion had lost officers at these three key levels of leadership. The six-month tour was chronicled in the bookDead Men Risen; the Welsh Guards and the Defining Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan byToby Harnden,[23] which won the Orwell Prize for Books 2012.[24]
On 1 July 2009,Lieutenant-ColonelRupert Thorneloe MBE was killed along with Trooper Joshua Hammond of the2nd Royal Tank Regiment, following the detonation of anIED in Afghanistan under theirBvS 10 Viking during Operation Panther's Claw. Lieutenant-Colonel Thorneloe was the highest ranking British Army officer killed since Lieutenant-ColonelHerbert "H" Jones, VC OBE, in theFalkland Islands.[25]
As a result of theArmy 2020 Refine reforms, the battalion moved toCombermere Barracks which was the former home to the armoured regiment of theHousehold Cavalry.[26][27][28]
There are two museums with artefacts and memorabilia about the regiment. The Welsh Guards Museum is inOswestry,Shropshire.[29]The Guards Museum, inWellington Barracks,London, is home of the five regiments ofFoot Guards (theGrenadier Guards,Coldstream Guards,Scots Guards,Irish Guards, and Welsh Guards).[30]
Recruits to theGuards Division go through a grueling training programme at theInfantry Training Centre (ITC). The training is two weeks more than the training for the Regularline infantry regiments of the British Army; the extra training, carried out throughout the course, is devoted to drill and ceremonies.[31]
King George V assumed the colonelcy-in-chief of the regiment on its formation,[32] and subsequent monarchs have also been colonel-in-chief.[33]
Regimental colonels have been:
 |
The Regimental Lieutenant Colonels have included:[41]
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The Welsh Guards and other Guards regiments have a long-standing connection toThe Parachute Regiment. Guardsman who have completedP company are transferred into theGuards Parachute Platoon which is currently attached to3 PARA, maintaining a tradition of the No 1 (Guards) Independent Parachute Company—the originalPathfinder Group of the16th Parachute Brigade, now renamed the16th Air Assault Brigade.[51]
The 3rd Battalion theRoyal Welsh from theArmy Reserve is paired with 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and will deploy on future Operations with them.[52]
One way to distinguish between the regiments ofFoot Guards is the spacing of buttons on the tunic. The Welsh Guards, the fifth regiment in seniority, have buttons arranged in groups of five.[53] The other distinctive feature of their uniform is the presence of a white, green and white plume (hackle), worn on the left side of the bearskin.[54]
In 1810, the British Army introduced metal rank insignia for field officers (majors and colonels) and generals. This was an arrangement of Stars and Crowns. The "Star" (nicknamed a "pip" in line regiments) was actually a raised diamond shape similar to the Knight Grand Cross star of theOrder of the Garter. In 1855 metal insignia was introduced for subaltern officers (lieutenants and captains) and the star was changed to that of theOrder of the Bath. In 1855 the Grenadier Guards and Coldstream Guards were grantedOrder of the Garter stars and the Scots-Fusilier Guards receivedOrder of the Thistle stars for their service in the Crimean War. In 1919 the Irish Guards and Welsh Guards, the two newest regiments of theBrigade of Guards, received distinctive stars of their own for their service in World War One. The Irish Guards were granted theOrder of St Patrick and the Welsh Guards were granted theOrder of the Garter.[55]
The Welsh Guards have been awarded the followingbattle honours:[56]
Loos,Somme 1916'18,Ginchy,Flers Courcelette,Morval,Ypres 1917,Pilckem,Poelcappelle,Passchendaele,Cambrai 1917 '18,Bapaume 1918,Arras 1918,Albert 1918,Drocourt-Quéant,Hindenburg Line,Havrincourt,Canal Du Nord,Selle,Sambre,France and Flanders 1915–18
Defence of Arras,Boulogne 1940,St Omer-La Bassée,Bourguébus Ridge,Cagny,Mont Pincon,Brussels,Hechtel,Nederrijn,Rhineland,Lingen,North-West Europe 1940'44–45,Fondouk,Djebel el Rhorab,Tunis,Hammam Lif,North Africa 1943,Monte Ornito,Liri Valley,Monte Piccolo,Capture of Perugia,Arezzo,Advance to Florence,Gothic Line,Battaglia,Italy 1944–45
| Preceded by | Infantry Order of Precedence | Succeeded by |
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