Royal Welsh
| The Royal Welsh | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Royal Welsh |
|
| Active | 1 March 2006– |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | 1st Battalion – Light Infantry 2nd Battalion – Armoured Infantry 3rd Battalion – TA Reserve |
| Size | Three battalions |
| Part of | Prince of Wales' Division |
| Garrison/HQ | RHQ – Cardiff 1st Battalion – Chester 2nd Battalion – Tidworth 3rd Battalion – Cardiff |
| Motto | "Ich Dien" (German) "I Serve" |
| March | Quick – Men of Harlech Slow – Forth to the Battle |
| Mascot | Persian Goat (Shenkin III) |
| Anniversaries | St David's Day – 1 March |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel in Chief | HM The Queen |
| Colonel of the Regiment |
Major General Roderick John Murray Porter MBE |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |  |
| Hackle | White (ORs only) From Royal Welch Fusiliers |
| Abbreviation | R WELSH |
The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) (Welsh Y Cymry Brenhinol) is one of the new large infantry regiments of the British Army. Its formation was announced on 16 December 2004 by Geoff Hoon and General Sir Mike Jackson as part of the restructuring of the infantry and it was actually formed on St David's Day, 1 March 2006. The 2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh (Royal Regiment of Wales), is to be scrapped as part of the Army 2020 defence review.[1] After the restructuring and reorganisation of the army in 2006, the Royal Welsh is one of three regiments to trace its lineage and recruits primarily from Wales.
Contents |
Formation [edit]
The Royal Welsh consists of two regular battalions, plus a TA battalion, and was created through the merger of two single battalion regiments. The former regiments formed part of the battalion title (in brackets):
- 1st Battalion, The Royal Welsh (Royal Welch Fusiliers ) (ex 1st Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot)) – a light infantry battalion based since August 2008 at Dale Barracks Chester. This follows a 2 year tour in Cyprus. Under Army 2020, this will be the only Royal Welsh Battalion in the regular army and it will re-roled as an armoured infantry battalion, under 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade.[2]
- 2nd Battalion, The Royal Welsh (Royal Regiment of Wales) (ex 1st Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot)) – an armoured infantry battalion based at Lucknow barracks Tidworth. The Battalion is set to be scrapped as part of the Army 2020 defence review.[1]
- 3rd Battalion, The Royal Welsh (TA) (ex Royal Welsh Regiment) -TA Battalion which incorporates the Regimental Band.
The Regiment's cap badge is a representation of the Prince of Wales's feathers (formerly the cap badge of the Royal Regiment of Wales), while the hackle of the Royal Welch Fusiliers is worn by all NCOs and Other Ranks. HM The Queen is the new regiment's Colonel-in-Chief.
The regiment includes a goat, presented by the monarch; this is not a mascot but a ranking soldier. Lance Corporal William Windsor retired on 20 May 2009; a replacement, Fusilier William Windsor, was appointed on 15 June 2009.[3][4]
Regimental Band [edit]
The Regimental Band of the Royal Welsh is the last all brass band within the British Army. Formed of 30 soldiers within the Third Battalion, the Territorial Army section, it is renowned for its versatility, able to provide:
- Marching Band
- Concert Band
- Fanfare Team
In October 2009, due to £54M of Ministry of Defence budget cuts to plough into frontline services including the war in Afghanistan, all bookings from end of October 2009 until April 2010 were cancelled. This covered the Autumn Rugby Union Internationals, and Remembrance Day. Band members agreed to honour all charity appearances during this period, but will not be paid.[5] These budget cuts have since been reversed and the Band continue to perform.
Alliances [edit]
 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2012) |
Canada – Royal 22e Régiment- Canada – The Ontario Regiment (RCAC)
Australia – The Royal New South Wales Regiment
South Africa – 121 South African Infantry Battalion- South Africa – The Pretoria Regiment
Pakistan – 4th Battalion, The Baloch Regiment- Pakistan – 3rd Battalion, The Frontier Force Regiment
Malaysia – 4th Battalion, The Royal Malay Regiment- USA – USMC, United States Marine Corps
Order of precedence [edit]
| Preceded by The Mercian Regiment |
Infantry Order of Precedence | Succeeded by The Royal Irish Regiment |
Lineage [edit]
| Lineage | |||
| The Royal Welsh | The Royal Welch Fusiliers | ||
| The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot) | The South Wales Borderers | ||
| The Welch Regiment | The 41st (Welsh) Regiment of Foot | ||
| 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot | |||
References [edit]
- ^ a b http://news.sky.com/story/956309/army-loses-17-major-units-in-defence-cuts
- ^ http://www.aff.org.uk/linkedfiles/aff/latest_news_information/cregulararmybasingannouncementgridunclas.pdf
- ^ "Retiring army goat's new zoo home". BBC News. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Soldiers choose regimental goat". BBC News. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ^ "Army cutbacks hit regimental band". BBC Wales. 16 October 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Royal Welsh |
- The Royal Welsh - on British Army official website
- The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh
- Official website of the Regimental Band of The Royal Welsh
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