The Welch Regiment (41st and 69th Foot) 1881-1969

Bryn Owen

However, in 1969, the 1st Battalion, The Welch Regiment, amalgamated with the 1st Battalion, The South Wales Borderers, to form the 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Wales, thus bringing to a close two and half centuries of loyal independent service.

This intriguing collection of around 200 photographs illustrates the distinguished service of a South Wales regiment which can be traced back to the early eighteenth century and which had close links to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. It illustrates the history of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Welsh Regiment, formed from the 41st (The Welch) Regiment of Infantry and the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment, which saw worldwide service in the days of the Empire and beyond. Supported at home, until 1908, by one Militia Battalion and four Volunteer Battalions, and after 1908 by four Territorial Battalions, the Regiment could truly be described as the indigenous infantry of south and south-west Wales. The book also traces the expanded Regiment which participated valiantly in the First World War. Officially renamed the The Welch Regiment in 1920, restoring the old English spelling, the Regiment continued to add to its outstanding record of service. During the Second World War Battalions fought in North Africa, Crete, Sicily, Italy, the North West Frontier as well as with the 14th Army in Burma. In 1948, the 2nd Battalion was disbanded, but the 1st went on to service in Korea, on the Rhine, North Africa and Hong Kong, interspersed with peaceful interludes in the United Kingdom. However, in 1969, the 1st Battalion, The Welch Regiment, amalgamated with the 1st Battalion, The South Wales Borderers, to form the 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Wales, thus bringing to a close two and half centuries of loyal independent service. This collection, taken from the regimental archives and for the most part unpublished, presents a stunning pictorial history of the Regiment's achievements, showing their gallant service all over the world.

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