Royal Welsh
Encyclopedia
The Royal Welsh (Welsh
Y Cymry Brenhinol) was formed on St David's Day, 1 March 2006. It is one of the new large infantry regiment
s of the British Army
, and the regiment's formation was announced on 16 December 2004 by Geoff Hoon
and General Sir Mike Jackson
as part of the restructuring of the infantry
.
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.
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:
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 International
s, and Remembrance Day
. Band members agreed to honour all charity appearances during this period, but will not be paid.
These budget cuts have since been reversed and the Band continue to perform.
– The Ontario Regiment (RCAC)
– The Royal New South Wales Regiment
– 121 South African Infantry Battalion
– The Pretoria Regiment
– 4th Battalion
, The Baloch Regiment
– 3rd Battalion, The Frontier Force Regiment
– 4th Battalion, The Royal Malay Regiment
| align="center" colspan="4"|Lineage
|-
| width="25%" rowspan="20" align="center" | The Royal Welsh
| width="25%" colspan="3" align="center"| The Royal Welch Fusiliers
|-
| width="25%" rowspan="3" align="center"| The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot)
| width="25%" colspan="2" align="center"| The South Wales Borderers
|-
| width="25%" rowspan="2" align="center"| The Welch Regiment
| width="25%" align="center"| The 41st (Welsh) Regiment of Foot
|-
| width="25%" align="center"| 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
Y Cymry Brenhinol) was formed on St David's Day, 1 March 2006. It is one of the new large infantry regiment
Large regiment
A large regiment is a multi-battalion infantry formation of the British Army. First formed in the 1960s, large regiments are the result of the amalgamation of three or more existing single-battalion regiments, and perpetuate the traditions of each of the predecessor units.-Origins:Following the...
s of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, and the regiment's formation was announced on 16 December 2004 by Geoff Hoon
Geoff Hoon
Geoffrey "Geoff" William Hoon is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ashfield from 1992 to 2010...
and General Sir Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson
General Sir Michael David "Mike" Jackson, is a retired British Army officer and one of its most high-profile generals since the Second World War. Originally commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1963, he transferred to the Parachute Regiment, with whom he served two of his three tours of...
as part of the restructuring of the infantry
British Army Infantry
The British Army's Infantry, part of the Structure of the British Army, comprises 51 battalions of Infantry, from 19 Regiments. Of these 37 battalions are part of the 'Regular' army and the remaining 14 a part of the 'Territorial' force...
.
Formation
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 ChesterChesterChester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. This follows a 2 year tour in Cyprus. - 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 TidworthTidworthTidworth is a town in south-east Wiltshire, England with a growing civilian population. Situated at the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain, it is approximately 10 miles west of Andover, 12 miles south of Marlborough, 24 miles south of Swindon, 15 miles north by north-east of Salisbury and 6 miles east...
. - 3rd Battalion, The Royal Welsh (TA) (ex Royal Welsh RegimentRoyal Welsh RegimentThe Royal Welsh Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Territorial Army in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1999 as part of the restructuring of the TA by the amalgamation of the two Welsh TA battalions:*3rd Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers...
) -TA Battalion which incorporates the Regimental Band.
The Regiment's cap badge is a representation of the Prince of Wales's feathers
Prince of Wales's feathers
The Prince of Wales's feathers is the heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent to the British and Commonwealth Realms thrones. It consists of three white feathers emerging from a gold coronet. A ribbon below the coronet bears the motto Ich dien...
(formerly the cap badge of the Royal Regiment of Wales), while the hackle
Hackle
The hackle is a clipped feather plume that is attached to a military headdress.In the British Army and the armies of some Commonwealth countries the hackle is worn by some infantry regiments, especially those designated as fusilier regiments and those with Scottish and Northern Irish origins. The...
of the Royal Welch Fusiliers is worn by all NCOs and Other Ranks. HM The Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
is the new regiment's Colonel-in-Chief
Colonel-in-Chief
In the various Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional visits to its...
.
The regiment includes a goat, presented by the monarch; this is not a mascot but a ranking soldier. Lance Corporal William Windsor
William Windsor (goat)
William Windsor , a goat in the military, was a lance corporal in the 1st Battalion, the Royal Welsh, an infantry battalion of the British Army...
retired on 20 May 2009; a replacement, Fusilier William Windsor, was appointed on 15 June 2009.
Regimental Band
The Regimental Band of the Royal Welsh is the last all brass bandBrass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
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
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
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 International
End of year rugby tests
The End of year rugby tests, known as Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere or Guinness Autumn Series in the Republic of Ireland, are a series of rugby union matches contested approximately each November...
s, and Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...
. Band members agreed to honour all charity appearances during this period, but will not be paid.
These budget cuts have since been reversed and the Band continue to perform.
Alliances
– Royal 22e RégimentRoyal 22e Régiment
The Royal 22nd Regiment is an infantry regiment and the most famous francophone organization of the Canadian Forces. The regiment comprises three Regular Force battalions, two Primary Reserve battalions, and a band, making it the largest regiment in the Canadian Army...
– The Ontario Regiment (RCAC)
The Ontario Regiment (RCAC)
The Ontario Regiment is a Primary Reserve armoured reconnaissance regiment of the Canadian Forces Land Force Command. The unit is based in downtown Oshawa, Ontario...
– The Royal New South Wales Regiment
Royal New South Wales Regiment
The Royal New South Wales Regiment is a reserve infantry regiment of the Australian Army based in the state of New South Wales. The regiment consists of four battalions:-Organisation:*1st/19th Battalion*2nd/17th Battalion*4th/3rd Battalion...
– 121 South African Infantry Battalion
South African Infantry Corps
The South African Infantry Corps is the largest combat corps within the South African Army.The unit originated as the Infantry Branch of the Union Defence Forces in 1913....
– The Pretoria Regiment
Pretoria Regiment
The Pretoria Regiment is an armoured regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit. The Regiment is stationed in the city after which it was named, Pretoria...
– 4th Battalion
92nd Punjabis
The 92nd Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1800 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry. It was designated as the 92nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 4th Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922...
, The Baloch Regiment
Baloch Regiment
The Baloch Regiment is an infantry regiment of Pakistan Army. The modern regiment was formed in May 1956 by the merger of 8th Punjab and Bahawalpur Regiments with the Baluch Regiment. Since then, further raisings have brought the strength of the Regiment to more than fifty battalions...
– 3rd Battalion, The Frontier Force Regiment
Frontier Force Regiment
For Pakistan's Border Guard see: Frontier CorpsThe Frontier Force Regiment is one of six Infantry regiments in the Pakistan Army. At present, the regiment consists of 67 battalions and has its regimental depot at Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. For that reason Abbottabad is also known as Home of...
– 4th Battalion, The Royal Malay Regiment
Royal Malay Regiment
The Royal Malay Regiment is the premier unit of the Malaysian Army's two infantry regiments. At its largest, the Malay Regiment comprised 27 battalions. At present, two battalions are parachute trained and form part of the Malaysian Army Rapid Deployment Force...
- USA – USMC , United States Marine Corps
Order of precedence
Lineage
|-style="text-align: center; background: #F08080;"| align="center" colspan="4"|Lineage
|-
| width="25%" rowspan="20" align="center" | The Royal Welsh
| width="25%" colspan="3" align="center"| The Royal Welch Fusiliers
Royal Welch Fusiliers
The Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France...
|-
| width="25%" rowspan="3" align="center"| The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot)
Royal Regiment of Wales
The Royal Regiment of Wales was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was formed in 1969 by the amalgamation of The South Wales Borderers and The Welch Regiment....
| width="25%" colspan="2" align="center"| The South Wales Borderers
|-
| width="25%" rowspan="2" align="center"| The Welch Regiment
Welch Regiment
The Welch Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1969.-History:It was formed as the Welsh Regiment during the Childers Reforms of 1881, by the amalgamation of the 41st Regiment of Foot and the 69th Regiment of Foot...
| width="25%" align="center"| The 41st (Welsh) Regiment of Foot
41st (Welsh) Regiment of Foot
The 41st Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1719 and amalgamated into The Welch Regiment in 1881....
|-
| width="25%" align="center"| 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot
69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot
The 69th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Welsh Regiment in 1881....