- South Wales Borderers
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= South Wales Borderers
caption=
dates= 1881 - 1969
country=Wales /United Kingdom
allegiance=
branch=British Army
type=Infantry
role=
size=
command_structure=
garrison=
equipment=
current_commander=
ceremonial_chief=King Edward VIII
colonel_of_the_regiment=
notable_commanders=
image_caption = South Wales Borderers Cap Badge showing Egyptian Sphinx
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_2=
nickname= "Howard's Greens"
patron=
motto=
colors=
march= "Men of Harlech "
mascot=
battles=
anniversaries=Rorke's Drift (22 January )
decorations=
battle_honours=The South Wales Borderers was aninfantry regiment of theBritish Army . It first came into existence, as the 24th Regiment of Foot, in 1689, but was not called the South Wales Borderers until 1881. The regiment served in a great many conflicts, including theAmerican Revolutionary War , various conflicts in India, theZulu War ,Boer War , andWorld War I and II. The regiment was absorbed into theRoyal Regiment of Wales in 1969.History
24th Regiment of Foot
The regiment was formed as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot in 1689, becoming known, like other regiments, by the names of its subsequent
colonel s. It became the24th Regiment of Foot in 1751, having been deemed 24th in the infantryorder of precedence since 1747. In 1782 it became the 24th (The 2ndWarwickshire ) Regiment of Foot. The 1st Warwickshires were the6th (1st Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot .In 1741, during the
War of Jenkin's Ear , the regiment was part of the amphibious expedition to the Caribbean and participated in the disastrous British defeat at thebattle of Cartagena de Indias .In 1756, during the
Seven Years War , the regiment was part of the garrison on Minorca and surrendered to the French on June 28th.In 1758, during the
Seven Years War , the regiment was part of the amphibious expedition against, or descent on, the coast of France and participated in the disastrous British defeat at thebattle of Saint Cast .In 1776 the regiment was sent to
Lower Canada (nowQuebec ) where it subsequently fought American rebels who had invaded Lower Canada during their War of Independence. The regiment was part of the 5,000 British and Hessian force, under the command of Gen.John Burgoyne , that surrendered to the American rebels in theSaratoga Campaign and remained imprisoned until 1783.In 1804 a 2nd Battalion was raised but its life was relatively short when it was disbanded in 1814, having seen service in the
Peninsular War .In 1810 the vast majority of the 1st Battalion was captured at sea by the French; they were released the following year.
In 1814 the 1st Battalion took part in
The Gurkha War which saw the British and the Gurkhas gain mutual respect. The Gurkhas were recruited by the British after the war, becoming part of theBritish Indian Army and then, after Indian independence in 1947, four Gurkha regiments joined theBritish Army .In 1829 the regiment arrived in Canada where it remained until 1841 when it returned home to Britain.
econd Sikh War and Indian Mutiny
The regiment was back on the
Indian subcontinent in 1846 where it took part in theSecond Sikh War . At theBattle of Chillianwala , due to mismanagement by senior officers, the regiment suffered over 50 per cent casualties. The Queen's colours were lost (although the Sikhs never claimed to have captured them, so they were probably destroyed, or buried with those who had carried them.)The regiment remained in India. In 1857, on the outbreak of the
Indian Mutiny , it was part of the garrison of the Punjab. It took part in the disarming of several units of the Bengal Army of theBritish East India Company and the pursuit of escaped mutineers, but was not involved in the major engagements of the subsequent war.In 1858 the 2nd Battalion was re-formed at
Sheffield .In 1860 the 2nd Battalion was sent to the
Mauritius where it spent 5 years, after which it left forBurma and then to theAndaman Islands in 1867. Two years later it was based on the Indian mainland. It returned home in 1872 and would remain there until war broke out inSouthern Africa in 1878.In 1866 the 1st Battalion was sent to Malta and then, remaining in the
Mediterranean , moved to Gibraltar in 1872.Zulu War
Isandlhwana
In 1875 the 1st Battalion arrived in
Southern Africa and subsequently saw service, along with the 2nd Battalion, in the 9th Xhosa War in 1878.In 1879 both battalions took part in the Zulu War, begun after a British invasion of
Zululand , ruled byCetshwayo . The 24th Foot took part in the crossing of theBuffalo River on11 January , entering Zululand. The first engagement (and the most disastrous for the British) came at Isandhlwana. The British had pitched camp at Isandhlwana and not established any fortifications due to the sheer size of the force, the hard ground and a shortage ofentrenching tool s. The 24th Foot provided most of the British force and when the overall commander, Lord Chelmsford, split his forces on22 January to search for the Zulus, the 1st Battalion (5 companies) and a company of the 2nd Battalion were left behind to guard the camp, under the command of Lieutenant-ColonelHenry Pulleine (CO of the 1/24th Foot).The Zulus, 22,000 strong, attacked the camp and their sheer numbers overwhelmed the British. During the battle Lieutenant-Colonel Pulleine ordered Lieutenants Coghill and Melvill to save the Queen's Colour -- the Regimental Colour was located at
Helpmakaar with G Company. The two Lieutenants attempted to escape by crossing theBuffalo River where the Colour fell and was lost downstream, later being recovered. Both officers were killed. At this time theVictoria Cross (VC) was not awarded posthumously. This changed in the early 1900s when both Lieutenants were awarded posthumous Victoria Crosses for their bravery. The 2nd Battalion lost both its Colours at Isandhlwana though parts of the Colours -- the crown, the pike and a colour case -- were retrieved and trooped when the battalion was presented with new Colours in 1880.The 24th had performed with distinction during the battle. The last survivors made their way to the foot of a mountain where they fought until they expended all their ammunition and were killed. The 24th Foot suffered 540 dead, including the 1st Battalion's commanding officer.
Rorke's Drift
After the battle, some 4,000 to 5,000 Zulus headed for
Rorke's Drift , a small missionary post garrisoned by a company of the 2/24th Foot, native levies and others under the command of Lieutenant Chard, Royal Engineers, the most senior officer of the 24th present being LieutenantGonville Bromhead . TwoBoer cavalry officers, Lieutenants Adendorff and Vane, arrived to inform the garrison of the defeat at Isandhlwana. The Acting Assistant CommissaryJames Langley Dalton persuaded Bromhead and Chard to stay and the small garrison frantically prepared rudimentary fortifications.The Zulus first attacked at 4:30 pm. Throughout the day the garrison was attacked from all sides, including rifle fire from the heights above the garrison, and bitter hand-to-hand fighting often ensued. At one point the Zulus entered the hospital, which was stoutly defended by the wounded inside until it was set alight and eventually burnt down. The battle raged on into the early hours of
23 January but by dawn the Zulu Army had withdrawn. Lord Chelmsford and a column of British troops arrived soon afterwards. The garrison had suffered 15 killed during the battle (two died later) and 11 defenders were awarded theVictoria Cross for their distinguished defence of the post, 7 going to soldiers of the 24th Foot.The stand at
Rorke's Drift was immortalised in the 1964 movie "Zulu".Garrison Duties and Boer War
After the
Cardwell-Childers Reforms of theBritish Armed Forces , the 24th Foot became the South Wales Borderers on1 July 1881 . The regiment'sregimental depot had been moved toBrecon inWales in 1875 and this, understandably, led to the regiment having close links withSouth Wales . The South Wales Borderers became thecounty regiment ofBrecknockshire ,Cardiganshire , Monmouthshire,Montgomeryshire , andRadnorshire .1st Battalion
In 1893 the 1st Battalion arrived in
Egypt and after a two-year stay there moved to Gibraltar. The battalion moved back to the east when it joined the British garrison in India in 1897. As with most British battalions posted to India, it was a lengthy stay, not leaving until 1910. It was based in Britain when theFirst World War began.2nd Battalion
In 1880 the 2nd Battalion, after a brief stay in Gibraltar where they were presented with new Colours, arrived in India.
In 1886 the 2nd Battalion took part in the
Third Burmese War that culminated in the annexation of Upper Burma by theBritish Empire , formally ending Burmese independence. It returned home in 1892.The 2nd Battalion arrived in
Cape Colony in 1900 to take part in the Boer War that had begun in 1899. The Regiment, additionally, had a number of companies from its Volunteer battalions sent to South Africa. The Boer War ended in 1902.In 1910 the 2nd Battalion returned to a more peaceful South Africa. It was sent to the
Far East in 1912, based in the British-controlled part ofTientsin in China where it remained until the outbreak of WWI.First World War
Western Front
The 1st Battalion was part of the original
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that was sent to France shortly after war was declared.In March 1916 the 2nd Battalion arrived into the carnage of the Western Front in France.
Welsh poet and language activist
Saunders Lewis served in the South Wales Borderers during Wold War I.Middle East and Other Theatres
The 2nd Battalion provided the only British contribution, a symbolic one, to the Japanese invasion of Tsingtao -- a German naval base in China that was the base of the
East Asiatic Squadron . Shortly after the capture of Tsingtao, the battalion arrived inHong Kong and then back home in January 1915.As part of the 29th Division, the battalion took part in the
Dardanelles Campaign , landing at S Beach,Cape Helles on25 April 1915 . Unlike other beaches, the 2nd South Wales Borderers, commanded by Lieutenant-ColonelH.G. Casson , met little opposition and the landing, supported by the battleship HMS "Cornwallis", was completed by 7:30am.Inter-War
1st Battalion
The end of war gave the 1st South Wales Borderers no respite. The battalion moved to
Dunshaughlin in 1919 where it was part of the British Army'sDublin District . There they were involved in operations against the IRA until they left in 1922 when theIrish Free State was established.In 1928 the 1st Battalion arrived in Egypt where they remained until they were posted to Hong Kong in 1930. In 1934 the 1st Battalion was, once more, posted to India, based in
Rawalpindi .The battalion was sent, for a brief time, to
Iraq in 1937, a rare deployment for a British Army unit, Iraq being underRoyal Air Force administration. It returned to India the following year where it took part in operations against hostile tribes in the volatileNorth-West Frontier . It was still in India whenWorld War II began in 1939.2nd Battalion
In 1919 the 2nd Battalion arrived at
Barrackpore , India. It remained there, based in a variety of places, for many years, until it was posted toAden (now part of theYemen ) in 1927 where it remained until returning to Britain in 1929.The battalion was back in the Middle East in 1936 when it was sent to Palestine to assist in quelling a rebellion by Arabs. The battalion left in December, moving
Northern Ireland . It was still based in the UK when WWII began.econd World War
North-West Europe
The 2nd Battalion, as part of 24th Guards Brigade (
Rupertforce ), took part in theNorwegian campaign , fighting the Nazi Germaninvaders.In 1944 the 2nd Battalion had the distinction of being the only Welsh battalion to take part in the
Normandy Landings landing under command of 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division. It was under command of 7th Armoured Division for a few days in June 1944, reverting to 50th (Northumbrian Division). In August 1944 it was briefly under command of 59th (Staffordshire) Division and on August 20th joined 49th Infantry Division. It ended its war in Germany, and remained there, as part of the occupation forces, until 1948 when it returned home.Africa and the Middle East
The 1st Battalion, as part of the
Indian 10th Infantry Division , was sent to Iraq to quell a German-inspired uprising in Iraq. The battalion saw subsequent service inIran .The 1st Battalion sustained enormous casualties in
Libya nearTobruk when they lost around 500 officers and men captured or killed during a general retreat. The battalion found itself cut off when the German forces outflanked them, the commanding officer, Lt. Col. F.R.G. Matthews, decided to attempt to outflank the enemy and break through to British lines. It turned into a disaster with four officers and around one hundred men reached Sollum. To the surprise of the survivors the battalion was ordered to disband in Cyprus and the remnants of the battalion were transferred, with the exception of a cadre that returned to the UK, to the 1st Battalion,The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) . A few months later the battalion was re-formed from the cadre and the 4th Battalion,The Monmouthshire Regiment though it would remain in the United Kingdom for the duration of the war.Far East
Post-War
In 1945 the 1st Battalion was embroiled in the volatile uprising in
Palestine , as well as undertaking operations to assist in the prevention of illegal Jewish immigration into the territory.The 2nd Battalion was disbanded in 1948 -- every other second battalion of the Line Infantry was also disbanded as a consequence of defence cuts implemented shortly after the Second World War.
In 1946 the 1st Battalion arrived in
Cyprus where it remained until 1949 when it deployed to theSudan . The following year the regiment became part of the occupation force inEritrea -- a former Italian colony that was ruled by a British military administration after WWII. The regiment left after Eritrea joined its larger neighbourEthiopia in 1952 after theUnited Nations ratified a resolution creating a federation between the two countries.In 1948 a
State of Emergency was declared in Malaya shortly after Communist insurgents, mostly from the large ethnic Chinese community, began a campaign against the British presence in Malaya as they did not believe Malaya's eventual independence would lead to the installation of aCommunist regime . This situation was what the South Wales Borderers entered in October 1955, in a conflict known as theMalayan Emergency . It was a vicious, brutal campaign, one of claustrophobia when they sent patrols deep into the Malayan jungle to search for the elusive guerillas -- they were known asCommunist Terrorist (CT) in British parlance. The regiment returned to the UK in 1958.The regiment's conduct during the war compelled Field Marshal Sir
Gerald Templer -- a distinguished British officer during World War II and a man instrumental in the defeat of the CTs during the Emergency -- to state that, "there has been no better regiment in Malaya during the ten years of the emergency and very few as good".In 1953 the regiment arrived in Brunswick,
West Germany as part of theBritish Army of the Rhine .In 1960 the regiment was posted to
Minden , Germany and returned home two years later. In 1963 the regiment arrived inHong Kong , performing internal security duties until it returned home in 1966. In January 1967 the regiment arrived inAden -- a British territory in the Middle East, in what is now theYemen , that was experiencing turbulent times shortly before it achieved independence from the British -- where it performed internal security duties until it returned home later that yearIn 1969 the regiment was amalgamated with the Welch Regiment to form the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot)
The Territorial, Militia, Volunteer, and Hostilities-only battalions
See:
List of battalions of the South Wales Borderers Battle honours
*18th Century (
War of the Spanish Succession )
*Blenheim, Ramilles, Oudenarde, Malplaquet.
*19th Century (French Revolutionary/Napoleonic Wars )
*Egypt , Cape of Good Hope 1806,Talavera, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onoro, Salamanca, Vittoria,Pyrenees , Nivelle, Orthes, Peninsular,
*Chillianwala, Goojerat, Punjaub, South Africa 1877-8-9, Burma 1885-87, South Africa 1900-02
*20th Century (The First World War )
*Mons,retreat from Mons , Marne 1914, Aisne 1914'18, Ypres 1914'17'18, Langemarck 1914'17, Gheluvelt, Nonne Bosschen, Givenchy 1914, Aubers, Loos, Somme 1916'18, Bazentin, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916, Arras 1917'18, Scarpe 1917, Messines 1917'18, Pilckem, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917'18, St. Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Lys, Estaires, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Béthune, Scherpenberg, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, Épéhy, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Courtrai, Selle, Valenciennes, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18,
*Doiran 1917'18, Macedonia 1915-18,
*Helles, Landing at Helles, Krithia, Suvla, Sari Bair, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915-16,
*Egypt 1916, Tigris 1916, Kut el Amara 1917, Baghdad, Mesopotamia 1916-18,
*Tsingtau
*20th Century (The Second World War )
*Norway 1940,
*Normandy Landing, Sully, Caen, Falaise, Risle Crossing, Le Havre, Antwerp-Turnhout Canal, Scheldt, Zetten, Arnhem 1945, ,
*Gazala, North Africa 1942,
*North Arakan, Mayu Tunnels, Pinwe, Shweli, Myitson, Burma 1944-45.Victoria Cross winners
*Corporal
William Wilson Allen (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*Private David Bell (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*LieutenantEdward Stevenson Browne (1st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*Temporary Lieutenant-ColonelDaniel Burges (7th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers)
*LieutenantNevill Josiah Aylmer Coghill (1st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*LieutenantGonville Bromhead (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*Temporary CaptainAngus Buchanan (4th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers)
*Private James Cooper (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*Assistant SurgeonCampbell Mellis Douglas (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*LieutenantEdric Frederick, The Lord Gifford (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*PrivateJames Henry Fynn (4th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers)
*Private William Griffiths (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*PrivateFrederick Hitch (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*PrivateAlfred Henry Hook (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*Acting Lieutenant-ColonelDudley Graham Johnson (2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers)
*Private Robert Jones (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*Private William Jones (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*LieutenantTeignmouth Melvill (1st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*Private Thomas Murphy (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)
*SergeantIvor Rees (11th (Service) Battalion (1st Gwent), South Wales Borderers)
*Sergeant Albert White (2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers)
*Company Sergeant-MajorJohn (Jack) Henry Williams (10th (Service) Battalion (1st Gwent), South Wales Borderers)
*Private John Williams (2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot)Other information
*"Colonel-in-Chief": HM King Edward VIII
*"Motto":
*"Nicknames": Howard's Greens
*"Anniversaries": Rorke's Drift (22 January )
*"Marches":Men of Harlech
*"Alliances":
**flagicon|Australia18th Battalion (The Kurung-Gai Regiment) (1929-1944)
**flagicon|Australia17th/18th Infantry Battalion (The North Shore Regiment) (1948-1960)
**flagicon|Australia24th Battalion (The Kooyong Regiment) (1929-1951)
**flagicon|Rhodesia|1964 1st Battalion, The Rhodesian African Rifles (1957-1965)
*TheSouth Wales Borderers Museum, Brecon is at The Barracks inBrecon ,South Wales References
*Jack Adams "Famous Regiments: The South Wales Borderers" (1968) : ISBN (none)
External links
* [http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/024SWB.htm regimental history]
* [http://www.rrw.org.uk/ regiment's website]
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