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Volunteer Ancestors
Because of the deep-seated distrust of France and
the comparative weakness of the British Regular Army
many Rifle Volunteer Corps were formed between 1859 and
1863 as “home defence” units. Such units were raised in
the counties of North Wales - in Carnarvonshire,
Denbighshire, Flintshire, Merionethshire and
Montgomeryshire. In 1881, as part of the Army Reforms,
the first three of these units were affiliated to the
Royal Welch Fusiliers and the remaining two to the South
Wales Borderers. In 1884 the Denbighshires became the
1st (Volunteer) Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers
and the Carnarvonshires and Flintshires the 2nd. In
1897 a 3rd Battalion was formed.
Territorial Force (TF)
battalions
Under the reorganisation of the Army in 1908 the 1st,
2nd and 3rd (Volunteer) Battalions became the 4th, 5th
and 6th Battalions of the Royal Welch Fusiliers in the
newly created Territorial Force. The 5th (Volunteer)
Battalion of the South Wales Borderers became the 7th
Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers. In the following
year these battalions were given a territorial
designation in their titles and became the 4th
(Denbighshire), 5th (Flintshire), 6th (Carnarvonshire
and Anglesey) and 7th (Merioneth and Montgomery)
Battalions The Royal Welch Fusiliers (TF).
World War One 1914-1918
During the Great War the Regiment experienced an
incredible expansion. Having started the war in 1914
with seven battalions—two Regular, one Special Reserve
and four Territorial Force—another thirty-three bore the
Royal Welch Fusiliers’ title before it ended. Each of
the Territorial battalions raised Second and Third Line
units known as the 2/4th, 3/4th, 2/5th etc.
Although they had no
obligation to do so, such was the enthusiasm of the
“Terriers” for the war in its early days that the
majority signed up for overseas service. The 4th
(Denbighshire) Battalion (TF) was one of the few
Territorial units ready for immediate service overseas
at the outbreak of war. It arrived in France on 5th
November 1914 and, assigned to 1st Division it spent the
winter in trenches at Festubert. In May 1915 the 4th
took part in the unsuccessful assault on Aubers Ridge
and suffered heavily. In September 1915 the Battalion
was transferred to 47th (London) Division and a new role
as Pioneers, due no doubt to the large number of miners
in its ranks. It spent the remainder of the war digging
and repairing trenches, roads and tramway lines, often
in the Front Line and in hazardous situations.
The 5th (Flintshire), 6th
(Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) and 7th (Merioneth &
Montgomery) Battalions (TF) were in the Welsh Division,
which in May 1915 became 53rd (Welsh) Division and they
all took part in the ill-fated Gallipoli Campaign of
summer 1915. All suffered heavily, as much from disease
as from enemy action, and by October the 5th and 6th
were so depleted in strength that they were linked
together as a temporary entity. In November the three
battalions were in the front line when flash floods
caused by a thunderstorm washed the trenches away. This
was followed immediately by blizzards and intense cold
causing many casualties from frostbite and trench foot.
After the withdrawal from
Gallipoli 53rd Division went to Egypt and Palestine and
5th, 6th and 7th Battalions were brought back up to
strength. They continued to serve alongside each other
taking part in the Battle of Rumani (in Egypt) in August
1916, in the three Battles of Gaza in 1917 and Tel ‘Asur
in March 1918 (all in Palestine). The 5th and 6th then
amalgamated once more and spent the rest of the year in
the area of Jerusalem. The 7th Battalion saw more
action in the Jordan Valley.
Towards the end of the war the Territorial Force gained
three more battalions. Yeomanry regiments, already
serving dismounted in Egypt, were converted to infantry
in early 1917 and joined existing infantry regiments.
Two of them became Royal Welch Fusiliers - the 24th
(Denbighshire Yeomanry) and the 25th (Montgomeryshire
and Welsh Horse Yeomanry) Battalions. Finally, a
Provisional battalion was re-designated the 23rd
Battalion and served at home.
5th (Flintshire) Battalion (TF) Machine Gun section 1915
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Territorial Army (TA)
battalions
The four Territorial Force battalions were disbanded in
1919 but were re-formed in 1921 as part of the new
Territorial Army, with the same designations as before,
but with ‘TA’ in brackets after their title. The four
battalions made up 158th (Royal Welch) Infantry Brigade.
[The title was changed from (North Wales) to (Royal
Welch) in 1924]. It was a difficult beginning for all
Territorial battalions as post-war cutbacks in defence
spending led to a dearth of up-to-date equipment. Units
were kept going almost by enthusiasm alone.
In the 1930s the situation
eased and change took place. In 1938 the 5th
(Flintshire) Battalion was converted to artillery and
became the 60th (Royal Welch Fusiliers) Anti-tank
Regiment Royal Artillery (TA). It survived, with
various changes in title but always with ‘RWF’ included,
until 1956. In 1939, with war with Germany inevitable,
the size of the Territorial Army was doubled and the
4th, 6th and 7th RWF formed duplicate battalions, the
8th, 9th and 10th respectively.
4th, 5th 6th and 7th Battalions parading at Porthcawl
1930
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Second World War 1939-45
The 4th, 6th and 7th Battalions were in 158th Brigade of
53rd (Welsh) Division, a Territorial Division. They
served in Northern Ireland from 1939 to 1941.
The 8th and 9th Battalions
remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war, but
the 10th was converted to an airborne role in 1942 and
became the 6th Battalion (Royal Welch) The Parachute
Regiment. It served with distinction in North Africa,
Italy, southern France and Greece. After the war it was
sent to Palestine where it remained until 1947 when its
links with the Royal Welch Fusiliers ended.
From November 1941 the
4th, 6th and 7th Battalions remained in England until
the invasion of Europe in 1944. 53rd Division was one
of the follow-up divisions of “Operation Overlord” and
the Battalions landed at La Rivière on Gold Beach on
25th June. The Battalions’ first test was in mid-July
when they suffered extremely heavy casualties fighting
around Evrecy, south-west of Caen.
Because of the heavy
casualties sustained, the three battalions of 158th
(Royal Welch) Brigade were split up. 7th remained with
158th Brigade; 4th moved to 71st Brigade and 6th to
160th Brigade. 53rd Division followed the retreating
enemy across France and into Holland. The port of
Antwerp, needed by the Allies to land supplies, was
heavily defended by the German Fifteenth Army. It was
supplied through ’s-Hertogenbosch , where roads,
railways and canals met. In October 1944 53rd Division
was tasked with its capture and all three RWF battalions
were involved in the five days of hard fighting before
the town was taken.
In December 1944 the enemy
launched its last great offensive in the Ardennes. 53rd
Division moved to reinforce the front and eliminate the
“bulge”. The 7th Battalion received heavy casualties in
the Forest of Hampteau before the offensive was
stemmed. In February 1945 53rd Division began to
advance into the Rhineland through the Reichswald.
Here, in a morass of mud, some of the most bitter
fighting of the war took place. In March the final
German position west of the Rhine was cleared, but not
before the 7th Battalion suffered at Höst and the 4th at
Goch. After a brief rest the Division moved into the
bridgehead on the east bank of the Rhine and continued
its advance into Germany against stiff resistance from a
retreating enemy. The unconditional surrender of all
German forces on 7th May 1945 saw the 4th and 6th
Battalions in Hamburg and the 7th in Holland, having
just been transferred to 49th Division. In May 1946 the
6th Battalion represented the British Army at the
Victory Parade in Paris.
6th Battalion in the Ardennes, January 1945
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The Territorial Army since
1945
In 1946 Territorial Army
battalions were placed in suspended animation until 1st
January 1947 when the TA was reconstituted. The Royal
Welch Fusiliers was permitted only one battalion, the
4th. The 6th and 7th Battalions were converted to 635
and 636 (Royal Welch) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiments.
These were amalgamated in 1955 to become 446 (Royal
Welch) Airborne Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal
Artillery (TA). This new unit was short-lived for in
1956 it reverted to an infantry role, re-designated the
6th/7th Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers (TA).
In 1966 the Territorial
Army was re-organized into two sections. The smaller,
known as Volunteers would reinforce Regular units in
time of war. Only one of its thirteen battalions was
allocated to Wales. The RWF contribution was a single
company of the Welsh Volunteers, based at Wrexham.
The remainder of the TA
had a Home Defence role and a reduced training
commitment. Both the 4th and 6th/7th Battalions
survived until in 1969 they were reduced to cadres and a
second company of the Welsh Volunteers was formed at
Caernarfon. The experiment was short-lived for in 1971
the TA expanded. The Welsh Volunteers was replaced in
North Wales by the newly-formed 3rd (Volunteer)
Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers. The two existing
companies were joined by a third based at Colwyn Bay.
Home Defence was the role. A fourth company, at
Connah’s Quay, was added in 1986.
From 1990 to 2000 the
emphasis in training and commitments changed as the TA
became the first to respond to calls for military
support from civil authorities. In February 1990 when
gales breached sea defences at Towyn leading to
flooding, 3 RWF set up emergency centres and cared for
400 people as well as co-ordinating the work of local
authorities and voluntary organisations. Similarly in
2000-2001 the Battalion again co-ordinated the response
to the Foot and Mouth epidemic.
At the same time TA
companies, platoons, or even individuals undertook
mobilised service in support of the Regular Army.
Members of 3 RWF deployed on operations to Bosnia,
Kosovo and the Falklands. By 2000 it was normal for 10%
of the deployed forces in the Balkans to be Territorials
or reservists.
All this took place along
with financial squeeze, culminating with the Strategic
Defence Review of 1998. With ever more use being made
of Territorials and reservists, the decision was made to
reduce their numbers. Wales would have only one
battalion, or four companies. The result was a return
to the Welsh Volunteers deployment with two RWF
companies in North Wales and two Royal Regiment of Wales
companies in South Wales. The new battalion was given a
regimental title - The Royal Welsh Regiment (RWR). 3
RWF ceased to exist on March 1st 1999. In March 2006
with the formation of The Royal Welsh, the RWR continued
but re-titled 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh.
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