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Welch Regiment

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The British Militia was the principal military reserve force of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Militia units were repeatedly raised in Great Britain during the Victorian and Edwardian eras for internal security duties and to defend against external invasions . The British Militia was transformed into the Special Reserve under the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 , which integrated all militia formations into the British Army .

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85-558: 1 Militia and Special Reserve battalion Up to 4 Territorial and Volunteer battalions The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot and 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form

170-662: A brass plate with 298 names of men who died on service. An addendum carries six further names of men who died in other 20th century wars. There is a bronze statue of Lt-Col Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart, MP, at Gorsedd Gardens, Cathays Park , in Cardiff. Crichton-Stuart's coat of arms appears on a shield in the Chamber of the House of Commons along with those of 18 other MPs who died in the First World War. The Welch Regiment War Memorial to

255-430: A county basis, and filled by voluntary enlistment (although conscription by means of the militia ballot might be used if the counties failed to meet their quotas). It was intended to be seen as an alternative to the army. Training was for 56 days on enlistment, then the recruits would return to civilian life but report for 21–28 days training per year. The full army pay during training and a financial retainer thereafter made

340-609: A uniform), and after six months full-time training would be discharged into the reserve. The first intake was called up, but the Second World War was declared soon afterwards, and the militiamen lost their identity in the rapidly expanding army. Two units still maintain their militia designation in the British Army , in the Army Reserve . These are the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (formed in 1539) and

425-483: A useful addition to the men's civilian wage. Of course, many saw the annual camp as the equivalent of a paid holiday. The militia thus appealed to agricultural labourers, colliers and the like, men in casual occupations , who could leave their civilian job and pick it up again. The militia was also a significant source of recruits for the Regular Army, where men had received a taste of army life. An officer's commission in

510-663: The 119th Brigade in the 40th Division in June 1916 for service on the Western Front. The 19th (Service) Battalion (Glamorgan Pioneers) landed at Le Havre as pioneer battalion to the 38th (Welsh) Division in December 1915 for service on the Western Front. The 23rd (Service) Battalion (Welsh Pioneers) landed in Salonika as pioneer battalion to the 28th Division in July 1916. After the First World War,

595-573: The 159th Brigade in the 53rd (Welsh) Division in August 1915; after being evacuated from Gallipoli in December 1915 the battalion moved to Egypt. The 1/6th (Glamorgan) Battalion was part of the independent South Wales Brigade allocated to home defence, but volunteered for overseas service. It landed at Le Havre in October 1914 to work on the Lines of Communication on the Western Front. It later fought alongside

680-569: The 1st Division in August 1914 for service on the Western Front. Lance Corporal William Charles Fuller , of the 2nd Battalion, won the Welsh Regiment's first Victoria Cross of the war when, under withering and sustained rifle and machine gun fire, he advanced one hundred yards to rescue Captain Mark Haggard who was mortally wounded on Chézy sur Aisne on 14 September 1914. The 1/4th Battalion and 1/5th Battalion landed at Suvla Bay as part of

765-600: The Army List . Whilst muster rolls were still prepared during the 1820s, the element of compulsion was abandoned. For example, the City Of York Militia & Muster Rolls run to 1829. They used a pre-printed form with a printer's date of Sept 1828. The Militia was revived by the Militia Act 1852 ( 15 & 16 Vict. c. 50), enacted during a period of international tension. As before, units were raised and administered on

850-640: The Battle of Suakin in December 1888 during the Mahdist War under the leadership of the force commander, Colonel Herbert Kitchener , who wrote in his dispatches: The half-Battalion of The Welsh Regiment are seasoned soldiers and whatever I asked of them to do they did well. Their marksmen at Gemaizah Fort and the remainder of the half-Battalion on the left fired section volleys driving the Dervishes from their right position and inflicting severe punishment upon them when in

935-496: The Birmingham – Coventry area. In mid-1943, AA Command was being forced to release manpower for overseas service, particularly Operation Overlord (the planned Allied invasion of Normandy). After September 1943, 54 AA Bde only had 67 S/L Rgt under its command, and the brigade HQ began disbanding on 28 November. 67th S/L Regiment came under the control of 60 AA Bde in 3 AA Gp, covering South West England . By late 1944,

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1020-744: The Bristol Channel , though the daylight Battle of Britain was mainly fought over Southern England. The S/L layout in South Wales supported the AA guns and Royal Air Force (RAF) night fighters . On 28 June, 67th S/L Rgt was ordered to hand over its VPs at Port Talbot to a new LAA unit and move the detachments to Clanna, near Bridgend , to increase the S/L concentration in the Cardiff Gun Defence Area (GDA). On 1 August 1940, all S/L units were transferred to

1105-714: The Chindwin River at Sittang , captured Pinlebu and saw some very hard fighting on the Swebo Plain. The 4th Battalion was in Northern Ireland in the 160th Infantry Brigade attached to the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division . In June 1944 the battalion, under Lieutenant Colonel Charles Coleman , was, after many years of training, ordered to France to join the British Second Army in the Normandy Campaign . From

1190-481: The First World War , but their rank and file did not, since the object of the special reserve was to supply drafts of replacements for the overseas units of the regiment. The Special Reserve reverted to its militia designation in 1921, then to Supplementary Reserve in 1924, though the units were effectively placed in "suspended animation" until disbanded in 1953. The term militiaman was briefly revived in 1939. In

1275-599: The Jersey Field Squadron (The Royal Militia Island of Jersey) (formed in 1337). Swansea Rifles The Swansea Rifles , later the 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion of the Welch Regiment , was a Volunteer unit of the British Army from 1859 to 1954. It fought on the Western Front in the First World War . As a searchlight unit in the Second World War it defended South Wales against air raids. It continued in

1360-655: The Lines of Communication . Based at Boulogne and Saint-Omer the men were employed in handling railway traffic, escorting prisoners, and providing carrying and burial parties. In 1915 a number of the TF battalions in France were used to reinforce the weak brigades of the Regular divisions. On 5 July 1915 1/6th Bn joined 84th Bde of 28th Division , in which the 1st Bn Welsh Regiment had been serving since its return from India in late 1914. The division had already suffered heavy casualties in

1445-667: The Luftwaffe was suffering from such shortages of pilots, aircraft and fuel that serious aerial attacks on the UK could be discounted and the War Office began reorganising surplus AA regiments into infantry battalions for duties in the rear areas. 67th Searchlight Rgt was one of those selected for conversion, and on 4 November 1944 was redesignated 67th (Welch) Garrison Regiment, RA . Meanwhile 21st Army Group fighting in North West Europe

1530-635: The North West Europe Campaign distinguishing itself at 's-Hertogenbosch , the Falaise Gap, the Ardennes and the Reichwald Forest. In August 1944 the 1/5th Battalion was transferred from 160th Brigade to the 158th Infantry Brigade , still with 53rd (Welsh) Division. Some of the hardest fighting took place around the Falaise Gap where on 16 August 1944, near Balfour, Lieutenant Tasker Watkins of

1615-478: The Royal Artillery (RA), the 6th Bn Welch becoming 67th (Welch) Searchlight Regiment and the S/L companies were redesignated as batteries. During the summer, the AA defences of South Wales were bolstered by a number of units that had been re-equipped after evacuation from Dunkirk and Norway . This allowed 45 AA Bde to complete the illuminated areas of South Wales. The number of raids over South Wales, and

1700-590: The Royal Navy . Eventually the 1st Battalion was reformed in Egypt and joined the 5th Indian Infantry Brigade , part of the 4th Indian Infantry Division and moved back again to the Western Desert. In Crete alone the battalion had lost nearly 250 dead, with 400 being captured and the battalion was reduced to a mere 7 officers and 161 other ranks . They received a large draft of 700 officers and men. After heavy fighting in

1785-577: The Second Battle of Ypres . At the end of September 28 Division moved up to join the Battle of Loos . 85th Brigade went in first on 27 September to continue the actions against the Hohenzollern Redoubt . By 30 September the brigade was exhausted and was relieved by 84th Brigade. At 20.00 on 1 October the 1st Welsh launched a surprise attack on 'Little Willie' trench, a section of which they captured despite heavy casualties. The following day

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1870-558: The Special Reserve ; the regiment now had one Reserve battalion and four Territorial battalions. The 1st Battalion, after returning from India, landed at Le Havre as part of the 84th Brigade in 28th Division in January 1915 for service on the Western Front but moved to Egypt and then on to Salonika in November 1915. The 2nd Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 3rd Brigade in

1955-653: The Welsh Regiment , by which it was known until 1920 when it was renamed the Welch Regiment . In 1969 the regiment was amalgamated with the South Wales Borderers to form the Royal Regiment of Wales . The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot and 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welsh Regiment . The 1st Battalion moved to Egypt in 1886. The battalion took part in

2040-427: The invasion of Sicily in July. In May 1944 the 1st Battalion received large numbers of replacements from retrained anti-aircraft gunners of the Royal Artillery and became an effective infantry battalion again. The battalion was now assigned to 168th (London) Infantry Brigade , replacing the now disbanded 10th Royal Berkshire Regiment and serving alongside 1st London Irish Rifles and 1st London Scottish , making

2125-710: The 1/5th Battalion was awarded the Victoria Cross for supreme personal bravery and inspired leadership. Around 1,100 officers and other ranks of the Welch Regiment were killed or died from wounds or sickness during the Second World War , with many more wounded. The 1st Battalion returned home in 1947 and was garrisoned at Malvern , Worcester, with the 2nd Battalion, which had returned from Burma. The 1st Battalion moved to Dering Lines in Brecon in February 1948 and amalgamated with

2210-421: The 1/5th and 2/5th Battalions, mobilized at the same time as the 4th Battalion, were retained at home where the 2/5th also trained and prepared drafts for overseas although it remained at home throughout the whole war as a Home Defence battalion. The 1/5th Battalion, originally with the 160th Infantry Brigade, moved to Normandy in late June 1944 and fought alongside the 4th Battalion in the 53rd (Welsh) Division in

2295-561: The 1/6th (Glamorgan) Bn was the first Welsh TF unit to go overseas. Crichton-Stuart addressed the unit at the drill hall in Swansea prior to their departure, saying 'The greatest honour a man can receive is that he has been provided with a chance to give, if need be, the greatest that he has, which is his life, for his country. I do not doubt every man on this parade will give it and give it as willingly as I mean to give it myself.' The battalion landed at Le Havre on 28 October 1914 to work on

2380-538: The 14th (Service) Battalion (Swansea) and the 15th (Service) Battalion (Carmarthenshire) landed at Le Havre as part of the 114th Brigade in the 38th (Welsh) Division in December 1915 for service on the Western Front. The 16th (Service) Battalion (Cardiff City) landed at Le Havre as part of the 115th Brigade in the 38th (Welsh) Division in December 1915 for service on the Western Front. The 17th (Service) Battalion (1st Glamorgan) and 18th (Service) Battalion (2nd Glamorgan) (both ' Bantam battalions ') landed in France as part of

2465-551: The 1890s. During the First World War, members of the 6th Welch were presented with ribbons in the regimental colours of white/red/dark green by the CO's wife, Lady Crichton-Stuart. This ribbon was worn as a regimental flash, divided vertically into three equal sections, by 602 (M) HAA Rgt from 1947 to 1954. The battalion's First World War memorial is in Christ Church (Garrison Church of Swansea), Oystermouth Road, Swansea, consisting of

2550-487: The 1st Battalion with 28th Division at the Hohenzollern Redoubt and spent the rest of the war as the divisional pioneer battalion for 1st Division The 8th (Service) Battalion landed at ANZAC Cove as part of the 40th Brigade in the 13th (Western) Division in August 1915; after being evacuated from Gallipoli in December 1915 the battalion moved to Egypt and on to Mesopotamia in February 1916. Captain Edgar Myles , of

2635-1001: The 2nd Battalion in June 1948. The Battalion moved to Sobraon Barracks in Colchester in October 1950 and was then deployed to Korea as part of the 29th British Infantry Brigade in the 1st Commonwealth Division in November 1951 for service in the Korean War . The battalion moved to Hong Kong as part of the 27th Infantry Brigade in November 1952 and then returned home to Llanion Barracks in Pembroke Dock in 1954. It moved to Lüneburg in Germany as part of 10th Infantry Brigade in June 1956 before being deployed to Cyprus in October 1957. The battalion moved to North Africa in December 1958 and established its headquarters in Benghazi with company detachments at Derna , Marj and Al Adm and then returned to

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2720-479: The 2nd Line battalions of the independent South Wales Brigade were absorbed by units of the 68th (2nd Welsh) Division concentrating at Bedford for home defence as part of First Army (Home Forces) of Central Force . The 2/6th Welsh were absorbed by the 2/5th (Flintshire) Bn, Royal Welch Fusiliers , which remained in home defence until it was disbanded in March 1918. 3rd Line TF battalions were formed to take over

2805-629: The 3rd Grenadier Guards and 3rd Welsh Guards and replacing the disbanded 3rd Coldstream Guards , part of 6th Armoured Division , and remained with it until the end of the war. In April they took part in Operation Grapeshot which ended with the capture of thousands of prisoners of war and the surrender of the German Army in Italy on 2 May. The 2nd Battalion had been retained in India but in October 1944

2890-582: The 7th (Cyclist) Bn of the Welch Regiment (as it now spelled its title) at Cardiff. In the 1930s, the increasing need for anti-aircraft (AA) defence for Britain's cities was addressed by converting a number of TA infantry battalions into searchlight (S/L) units. The 6th Welch was one unit selected for this role, becoming 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Welch Regiment (67th Searchlight Regiment) on 1 November 1938, with HQ, 450, 451 and 452 S/L Companies at 8 St Andrews Crescent, Cardiff. It formed part of 45th Anti-Aircraft Brigade in 5th AA Division , responsible for

2975-674: The 8th (Service) Battalion, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at the Siege of Kut in April 1916 during the Mesopotamian campaign . The 9th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 58th Brigade in the 19th (Western) Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front. The 10th (Service) Battalion (1st Rhondda) landed at Le Havre as part of the 114th Brigade in 38th (Welsh) Division in December 1915 for service on

3060-563: The Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe switched to night bombing of Britain's industrial cities ( The Blitz ). Much of this was directed against London, but Cardiff was heavily bombed on 2 January, Swansea on 19 and 20 February, and Cardiff again on 3 and 4 March (the Cardiff Blitz ). After a busy period for the AA defences of South Wales in early May 1941, the Blitz effectively ended in the middle of

3145-542: The Croce area where the battalion, and the rest of the 56th Division, suffered heavy casualties. As a result of the casualties sustained, and a severe shortage of British infantry replacements in the Mediterranean theatre , 168th Brigade was disbanded and the 1st Battalion was reduced to a small cadre of 5 officers and 60 other ranks . In March 1945 the 1st Battalion was transferred to the 1st Guards Brigade , serving alongside

3230-639: The Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, Volunteers were grouped into county brigades with their local Regular and Militia battalions. The 3rd Glamorgan was placed with the 41st (Welch) and 69th Foot in Brigade No 24 (Pembroke, Carmarthen and Glamorgan) in Western District . The Childers Reforms of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, the linked battalions became single regiments and

3315-475: The Germans subjected the trench to heavy bombardment and counter-attacks. The 1st Welsh were cut off and supplies of food, water and ammunition could not be carried to them across No man's land . Crichton-Stuart ordered his men to dig a sap across to them, which was completed about 14.30. But it was too late: the 1st Welsh had to be withdrawn from Little Willie under covering fire from the 1/6th Welsh. Crichton-Stuart

3400-526: The Lines of Communication for 21st Army Group after VE Day . When the TA was reconstituted on 1 January 1947, 67th S/L Rgt was reformed at Cardiff as 602 (Welch) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Rgt . Now equipped with Heavy AA guns rather than S/Ls, it formed part of 71 AA Bde (the former 45 AA Bde at Cardiff). On 1 January 1954 the regiment was merged into 282 (Welsh) HAA Rgt . After several more rounds of mergers

3485-602: The TF were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service and Lt-Col Crichton-Stuart volunteered his battalion. On 31 August 1914, the War Office authorised the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit for each TF unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Having mobilised at Swansea

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3570-700: The United Kingdom the following year. The battalion was stationed at Brooke Barracks in Spandau from April 1961 where duties included guarding Rudolf Hess . The battalion returned to the United Kingdom and became the Demonstration Battalion of The School of Infantry, stationed first at Knook Camp in Heytesbury and then at the newly built Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster in 1965. For its final overseas posting

3655-443: The Volunteers were formally affiliated to their local Regular regiment. The 41st and 69th combined to form the Welsh Regiment (Welch Regiment from 1920) and the 3rd Glamorgan RVC became a six-company Volunteer Battalion of the regiment. It ranked as the regiment's 4th VB, but did not change its traditional title, despite the potential for confusion with the regiment's 3rd (Glamorgan) VB at Pontypridd . The battalion headquarters (HQ)

3740-471: The War Office from that time onwards. Under the reforms introduced by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, the remaining militia infantry regiments were redesignated as numbered battalions of regiments of the line, ranking after the two regular battalions. Typically, an English, Welsh or Scottish regiment would have two militia battalions (the 3rd and 4th) and Irish regiments three (numbered 3rd – 5th). The militia must not be confused with

3825-451: The Western Front. The 11th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 67th Brigade in the 22nd Division in September 1915 for service on the Western Front and then moved to Salonika in late 1915. Private Hubert William Lewis , of the 11th (Service) Battalion, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Evzonoi in Macedonia in October 1916 during the Macedonian campaign. The 13th (Service) Battalion (2nd Rhondda),

3910-837: The absence of sufficient light AA (LAA) guns, a number of Vital Points (VPs) were defended by Lewis guns (LGs) manned by S/L crews. There was little activity during the so-called Phoney War period, but this ended on 10 May with the German invasion of the Low Countries . 45 AA Brigade's units – particularly the widely spaced S/L sites – were ordered to find rifle and LG detachments to guard against possible attacks by German paratroopers. Five infantry riflemen were temporarily assigned to each S/L site, of which 67th S/L Rgt had two near Swansea and 37 around Newport (67th had to find their own additional riflemen for four of these sites). If paratroops had landed, these detachments would have been sent out to hunt them down or form roadblocks and picquets round them until reinforcements arrived. 67th S/L Regiment

3995-428: The aftermath of the Munich Crisis Leslie Hore-Belisha , Secretary of State for War , wished to introduce a limited form of conscription , an unheard of concept in peacetime. It was thought that calling the conscripts 'militiamen' would make this more acceptable, as it would render them distinct from the rest of the army. Only single men aged 20–22 were to be conscripted (given a free suit of civilian clothes as well as

4080-494: The area of Benghazi the 1st Battalion was again overrun in mid-1942 and again suffered heavy casualties when Erwin Rommel 's Afrika Korps swept through Cyrenaica and Libya in the First Battle of El Alamein . Following a period of rest and training in Egypt and the Sudan the 1st Battalion was re-organized in early 1943 as 34th (Welch) Beach Brick and in July landed with the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division , part of General Bernard Montgomery 's British Eighth Army , during

4165-406: The battalion moved to Burma as part of the 62nd Indian Infantry Brigade attached to the 19th Indian Infantry Division where it joined the British Fourteenth Army , led by Bill Slim . The Battalion saw its bitterest fighting along the Taungoo - Mawchi Road where for a hundred miles, with deep jungle on either side, the Japanese defended vigorously all the way. In November the battalion crossed

4250-924: The battalion moved to Stanley Fort on Hong Kong Island in June 1966. It then amalgamated with the South Wales Borderers to form the 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Wales in June 1969. (Prior to 1881) (Post 1881) The Regiment was awarded the following battle honours : From the above Battle Honours the following were actually borne on the Regimental and Queen's Colour: Belleisle, Martinique 1762, St. Vincent 1797, India, Bourbon, Java, Detroit, Queenstown, Miami, Niagara, Waterloo, Ava, Candahar 1842, Ghuznee 1842, Cabool 1842, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol, Relief of Kimberley, Paardeburg, South Africa 1899–1902, Korea 1951–52. Aisne 1914–18, Ypres 1914-15-17, Gheluvelt, Loos, Somme 1916–18, Pilkem, Cambrai 1917–18, Macedonia 1915–18, Gallipoli 1915, Gaza, Falaise, Lower Mass, Reichswald, Croce, Italy 1943–45, Crete, Canae, Kyaukmyaung Bridgehead, Sittang 1945, Burma 1944–45. ¹ Awarded for

4335-463: The battalion served in the Second Boer War , winning the unit its first Battle honour : South Africa 1900–1902 . The battalion expanded to nine companies in 1900, and then to twelve in 1905 when the Swansea personnel (C, D and E Companies) of the 2nd VB were transferred to it. When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908, the unit became 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Welsh Regiment , with

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4420-400: The brigade a mixture of Irish, Scottish and Welsh. The 168th Brigade was part of the 56th (London) Division , which had just been severely mauled fighting at Anzio . In July the battalion landed in Italy and fought in the Italian Campaign and would remain there for the rest of the war. They took part in heavy fighting on the Gothic Line , one of many German defensive lines in Italy, and in

4505-413: The command of the local industrialist and Member of Parliament , Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn , who was commissioned as captain . From February 1861 the unit was attached to the 2nd Administrative Battalion, Glamorganshire RVCs, based in Swansea, but it soon reached a strength of four companies and became an independent corps under the command of Dillwyn, now promoted to major , and the Admin Battalion

4590-430: The defence of Cardiff and Newport . In February 1939, the existing AA defences came under the control of a new Anti-Aircraft Command . In June a partial mobilisation of the TA was begun in a process known as 'couverture', whereby each AA unit did a month's tour of duty in rotation to man selected AA and S/L positions. On 24 August, ahead of the declaration of war, AA Command was fully mobilised at its war stations. In

4675-413: The divisional Royal Engineers in tasks ranging from trench digging and wiring, to road making, while remaining fighting soldiers. Typically in action they were used to consolidate captured positions, form flank guards etc . 1st Division took part in the following major actions during the war: 1916 1917 1918 After the Armistice with Germany came into force on 11 November 1918, 1st Division

4760-425: The duty of training drafts for the 1st and 2nd Lines. 3/6th Battalion Welsh Regiment was formed at Swansea on 23 March 1915. It was redesignated 6th (Glamorgan) Reserve Battalion on 8 April 1916 and on 1 September 1916 was absorbed into the regiment's 4th Reserve Bn. The TF reformed on 17 February 1920, reorganising as the Territorial Army (TA) the following year. On 31 December 1921 the 6th (Glamorgan) Bn absorbed

4845-443: The following organisation: The battalion formed part of the independent South Wales Brigade in the TF. On 9 March 1911 Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart , second son of the 3rd Marquess of Bute of Cardiff Castle , was commissioned Lt-Col in the battalion and took command the following year. Lord Ninian was a former lieutenant in the Scots Guards and MP for Cardiff since 1910. On the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, units of

4930-425: The lineage is continued in 211 (South Wales) Bty in today's 104th Regiment Royal Artillery . A new 6th Bn Welch Regiment was formed on 1 October 1956 by the redesignation of 16th (Welsh) Bn, Parachute Regiment . It was later merged into 5th/6th (Territorial) Bn, Welch Regiment. The original uniform of the 3rd (Swansea Rifles) Glamorganshire RVC was scarlet with green facings , changing to white facings in

5015-401: The militia was often a 'back door' route to a Regular Army commission for young men who could not obtain one through purchase or gain entry to Sandhurst . Under the act, Militia units could be embodied by Royal Proclamation for full-time service in three circumstances: Until 1852 the militia were an entirely infantry force, but the 1852 Act introduced Militia Artillery units whose role

5100-408: The month. Desultory raiding continued through June and July while the gaps in AA defences were filled as more equipment and units became available. Searchlights, now assisted by Searchlight Control (SLC or 'Elsie') radar, were reorganised, with a 'Killer Belt' established between the Cardiff and Bristol GDAs to cooperate closely with RAF night fighters. 67th S/L Regiment remained with 45 AA Bde for

5185-399: The necessary physical requirements.' A further contrast was the replacement of several weeks of preliminary training with six months of full time training upon enlisting in the Special Reserve. Upon mobilisation, the special reserve units would be formed at the depot and continue training while guarding vulnerable points in Britain. The special reserve units remained in Britain throughout

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5270-445: The next two years. However, during September 1942 451 and 452 S/L Btys were attached to 11th AA Division , which covered the West Midlands of England. Shortly afterwards AA Command underwent a major reorganisation and the AA Divisions were replaced by larger AA groups. 11th AA Division was subsumed into 4 AA Group , while 45 AA Bde was in 3 AA Group . By early November the whole of 67th S/L Rgt moved to 54 AA Bde in 4 AA Gp, covering

5355-485: The number of times the S/Ls and guns engaged, increased sharply at the end of August. The expansion of AA Command led to 5th AA Division being split up, South Wales coming under the command of 9th AA Division . 45 AA Brigade was split in two, the Swansea defences being taken over by a new 61 AA Bde , while 45 AA Bde concentrated round the Cardiff GDA (covering Barry and Newport as well as Cardiff). The S/L detachments were widely spread across brigade boundaries and there

5440-403: The open. Significantly the Battalion did not lose a man. The 1st Battalion moved to Malta in 1889 while the 2nd Battalion went to India in 1892; the 1st Battalion moved to Pembroke Dock in December 1893 where almost all the regiment's artifacts, plate and silver were lost in a large fire in 1895. The 1st Battalion was dispatched to South Africa in November 1899 for the Second Boer War : it

5525-473: The postwar Territorial Army (TA) as a heavy anti-aircraft artillery regiment until amalgamated with other Welsh units in 1954. The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need. One such unit was the 3rd (Swansea Rifles) Glamorganshire RVC formed in Swansea on 12 October 1859, under

5610-434: The regiment commissioned the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens to design a war memorial as a tribute to their fallen. The memorials was originally planned to be built on the Western Front in Belgium but was instead erected outside the regiment's headquarters at Maindy Barracks in Cardiff. The memorial takes the form of squat cenotaph , following Lutyens' design of the famous Cenotaph on Whitehall in London. The 2nd Battalion

5695-535: The regular forces. Volunteer Corps required recruits to fund their own equipment, however, effectively barring those with low incomes. The militia was transformed into the Special Reserve by the military reforms of Haldane in the reforming post 1906 Liberal government. In 1908 the militia infantry battalions were redesignated as "reserve" and a number were amalgamated or disbanded. Altogether, 101 infantry battalions, 33 artillery regiments and two engineer regiments of special reservists were formed. In contrast with

5780-442: The services of the 69th Foot. ² Awarded in 1909 for the services of the 69th Foot, with the badge of a Naval Crown superscribed 12th April 1782 . Colonels of the regiment were: Militia (United Kingdom) A separate voluntary Local Militia was created in 1808 before being disbanded in 1816. By 1813 the British Army was experiencing a shortage of manpower to maintain their battalions at full strength. Some consideration

5865-404: The soldier serving in the militia, those who served under Special Reserve terms of service had an obligation to serve overseas, as stipulated in paragraph 54. The standards of medical fitness were lower than for recruits to the regular infantry. The possibility of enlisting in the army under Regular terms of service were facilitated under paragraph 38, one precondition was that the recruit 'fulfils

5950-410: The start of the campaign the 4th Battalion was involved in fierce fighting during the Battle for Caen , and around the Falaise Pocket , the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of the Reichwald where it sustained very heavy casualties and involved some of the fiercest fighting in the North West Europe Campaign for British soldiers as they were up against determined German paratroopers . Meanwhile,

6035-400: The troops after they had completed a week's training, he fell from his horse and sustained serious injuries. Dillwyn was succeeded in command by John Crow Richardson of Glanbrydan Park, who had enlisted in the unit as a private in December 1859 and was commissioned as ensign in 1864. He became a full colonel in 1897 and commanded the battalion into the 1900s., Under the 'Localisation of

6120-544: The volunteer units created in a wave of enthusiasm in the second half of the nineteenth century. In contrast with the Volunteer Force , and the similar Yeomanry Cavalry, they were considered rather plebeian. Volunteer units appealed to better-off recruits as, unlike the Militia which engaged a recruit for a term of service, a volunteer could quit his corps with fourteen days notice, except while embodied for war or training with

6205-400: Was an experiment to use S/Ls in a 'Cardiff–Newport Dazzle Area'. As part of AA Command's expansion, 67th S/L Rgt supplied a cadre of experienced men to provide the basis for 536 S/L Battery formed on 12 December 1940 at 230 S/L Training Rgt at Blandford Camp with personnel mainly from Newcastle upon Tyne . This new battery then joined 89th S/L Rgt at Exeter . After its defeat in

6290-778: Was at Prince of Wales Hall, Singleton Street, Swansea. When a comprehensive mobilisation scheme for the Volunteers was established after the Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888, the 3rd Glamorgan RVC was assigned to the Welsh Brigade, the South Wales Brigade from 1895, then the Severn Brigade charged with defending the ports of the Severn Estuary , and back to the Welsh Brigade by 1902. A detachment of volunteers from

6375-563: Was broken up some time in 1862. In 1864 the 5th Glamorgan RVC at Penllergaer was attached from the 1st Admin Bn to the Swansea Rifles but was disbanded in 1873. The 4th Glamorgan RVC from the 1st Admin Bn was also attached to the Swansea Rifles 1872–73. Dillwyn continued to command the unit (which was often known as 'Dillwyn's') for many years, rising to Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant in 1877 and full colonel in 1888. In 1881, while inspecting

6460-553: Was deployed to Ireland in 1920 while the 1st Battalion returned to British India and served there until 1924 when it moved to Waziristan . The 2nd Battalion moved to Shanghai in 1927 for service with the Shanghai Defence Force and then on to India in 1935. The 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion of the Territorial Army , which had absorbed the 7th (Cyclist) Battalion in 1921, was converted into a searchlight regiment in 1938 and

6545-467: Was engaged in Battle of Paardeberg in February 1900, where they suffered heavy losses, and again at the Battle of Driefontein in March 1900. A 3rd, militia battalion, was embodied in December 1899, and embarked for South Africa in February 1900 to serve in the same war. In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter

6630-630: Was given to recruiting foreign nationals; however, on 4 November 1813 a bill was introduced to Parliament to allow Militia volunteers to serve in Europe. In the event only three battalions were raised, and these were sent to serve under Henry Bayly . On 12 April 1814 they arrived in Bordeaux , where they were attached to the 7th Division . After the Napoleonic Wars, the Militia fell into disuse, although regimental colonels and adjutants continued to appear in

6715-498: Was given warning orders for a move overseas (it eventually went to Salonika ) and the 1/6th Bn's period of attachment ended on 23 October when it transferred to 3rd Bde in 1st Division , in which 2nd Welsh were serving. On 15 May 1916, the 1/6th Welsh became the Pioneer Battalion of 1st Division, a role that it carried out for the rest of the war. The role of divisional pioneers was to provide working parties to assist

6800-733: Was killed while looking over the parapet to supervise his battalion's fire. One report stated that Crichton-Stuart was preparing to lead a counter-attack to recover his close friend Maj Reginald Browning of 1/6th Bn who was still in the abandoned trench. Lt-Col Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart was buried in Béthune Town Cemetery. Major Browning is commemorated on the Loos Memorial to the Missing, together with 19 other men of 1/6th Bn (and many more from 1st Bn) who died on 1–2 October 1915 and have no known grave. On 19 October 1915, 28th Division

6885-549: Was ordered to have three "flying columns" of riflemen in lorries ready at 15 minutes' notice to reinforce these detachments. At this time the company HQs were: After the British Expeditionary Force was evacuated from Dunkirk , the German Luftwaffe began almost nightly minor air raids, often by single aircraft, against the dock facilities, steelworks and ordnance factories of South Wales, or minelaying in

6970-518: Was ordered to the Rhine as part of the occupation forces. On 24 December it reached Bonn and joined the British Army of the Rhine . 6th Battalion Welsh Regiment was disembodied on 25 October 1919. 2/6th Bn Welsh Regiment was formed at Swansea in December 1914. The primary role of 2nd Line battalions at this stage was to train reinforcement drafts for their 1st Line battalions serving overseas. In November 1915

7055-526: Was suffering a severe manpower shortage, particularly among the infantry. In January 1945, the War Office accelerated the conversion of surplus artillery into infantry units, primarily for line of communication and occupation duties, thereby releasing trained infantry for frontline service. 67 Garrison Regiment was redesignated again, becoming 608 (Welch) Infantry Regiment, RA on 13 February. It went to North West Europe in May and did duty with 306 Infantry Brigade on

7140-577: Was to man coastal defences and fortifications, relieving the Royal Artillery for active service. Some of these units were converted from existing infantry militia regiments, others were newly raised. In 1877 the militia of Anglesey and Monmouthshire were converted to Royal Engineers . Up to 1855, the Home Office administered the Militia and Yeomanry, until such time as they were Embodied. The resultant ‘confusion and inconvenience’ it caused, from 1854 to 1855, resulted in being administered exclusively by

7225-673: Was transferred to the Royal Artillery as 67th (Welch) Searchlight Regiment in 1940. The 1st Battalion moved to Palestine in 1939 to play its part in operations connected with the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine . The battalion first saw action in the Western Desert Campaign of 1940. The 1st Battalion landed in Crete in February but was overwhelmed by the enemy in fighting at Souda Bay in Chania and Sphakia Beach and had to be evacuated by

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