This is a list of battalions of the South Wales Borderers from its formation in 1881 until its final amalgamation in 1969.
First formed in 1689 and originally known by the names of its colonels, the 24th Foot received its number in 1751 and its subtitle '(2nd Warwickshire)' in 1782. The 2nd Battalion existed from 1804 to 1814 and was reformed in 1858. [1] [2] Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced in 1872 by the Cardwell Reforms, each regiment of the line established a permanent depot in a county or region, to which the local militia and volunteer battalions were affiliated. [3] The 24th Foot's links to Warwickshire were tenuous, and it was assigned to Sub-District No 25 (Counties of Cardigan, Radnor and Monmouth) in South Wales. The depot was at Brecon, already the headquarters of the Royal South Wales Borderers Militia (Royal Brecon and Radnor Rifles). [4] Under the Childers Reforms of 1881 the line regiments lost their numbers and received an appropriate local title, forming a single regiment with the militia and volunteers, which became numbered battalions. [5] Unusually, the 24th Foot adopted the title of one of its militia battalions and became the South Wales Borderers in Regimental District No 24. [1] [4]
After its formation in 1881 the battalions were as follows: [1] [4] [6]
Under the Haldane Reforms of 1908 the militia was converted into the Special Reserve (SR), tasked with providing reinforcement drafts to the regular battalions in time of war. At the same time the volunteers became part of the Territorial Force (TF),. [11] [12] [13] In the case of the South Wales Borderers, the 4th Battalion was disbanded, [7] and some of the volunteer battalions were withdrawn. The Monmouthshire battalions formed a new all-TF regiment, the Monmouthshire Regiment, which nevertheless remained part of the 'corps' of the South Wales Borderers. [14] [15] The 5th (Montgomeryshire) Volunteer Battalion ceased to be part of the South Wales Borderers, and was transferred to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers to form the bulk of the 7th (Merionethshire & Montgomeryshire) Battalion of that regiment. [14] Unusually, the remaining TF battalion of the SWB, the Brecknockshire Battalion, was named rather than numbered. [14] [9]
During World War I the British Army's regimental system was vastly increased. The TF formed 2nd Line and 3rd Line (Reserve) battalions, and the 'Kitchener's Army' recruits formed new Service battalions. During the war the South Wales Borderers had a total of 21 battalions, the Monmouths a further 10. [16] All of the new battalions were either disbanded during the war or in its immediate aftermath: [1] [2] [14] [9] [17] [18] [19]
After demobilisation the SR battalions (renamed Militia in 1921) remained on the Army List but were inactive; they were finally disbanded in 1953. The TF was reformed in 1920 and was reorganised as the Territorial Army (TA) in 1921–22: [1] [14]
Just before the outbreak of World War II the TA was doubled in size and battalions formed duplicates. There was also a number of war-formed units: [1] [2] [14]
After postwar disbandments the regiment had the following battalions: [1] [2] [14]
160th (Welsh) Brigade or Brigâd 160 (Cymru), is a regional brigade of the British Army that has been in existence since 1908, and saw service during both the First and the Second World Wars, as part of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division. It is a regional command responsible for all of Wales. The Brigade is also regionally aligned with the Eastern European and Central Asian regions as part of defence engagement.
The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, and the First and Second World Wars. It had many different titles throughout its 280 years of existence.
The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years.
The Home Counties Division was an infantry division of the Territorial Force, part of the British Army, that was raised in 1908. As the name suggests, the division recruited in the Home Counties, particularly Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex.
The Denbighshire Hussars was a Welsh Yeomanry regiment of the British Army formed in 1794. It saw service in the First World War before being converted into a unit of the Royal Artillery. The lineage has been continued by 398 Squadron, Royal Logistic Corps.
{{Infobox military unit |unit_name=Glamorgan Yeomanry |abbreviation= |image= |caption=Glamorgan Yeomanry cap badge |dates= 1797–1831
1861–1873
1901–present |country = Kingdom of Great Britain (1794–1800)
United Kingdom (1801–Present) |allegiance= |branch= Territorial Army |type=Yeomanry |role= |size= Regiment |command_structure= |equipment= |Past Commanders= |ceremonial_chief= |colonel_of_the_regiment= |notable_commanders=Col Windham Wyndham-Quin |identification_symbol= |identification_symbol_2= |nickname= |patron= |motto= |colors= |march= |mascot= |battles=* Merthyr Rising
The Pembroke Yeomanry was an auxiliary regiment of the British Army dating back to 1794. It saw active service in the French Revolutionary War, the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. Its lineage is maintained by 224 Transport Squadron, part of 157 (Welsh) Regiment RLC in the Army Reserve.
The Montgomeryshire Yeomanry was a Welsh auxiliary unit of the British Army first formed in 1803. It served in home defence and for internal security, including deployments to deal with Chartist disturbances in the 1830s. It provided volunteers to the Imperial Yeomanry during the Second Boer War and formed three regiments for service during World War I. It was broken up and converted to infantry and artillery in 1920.
The 113th Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army active in both the First and the Second World Wars.
The 115th Brigade was an infantry brigade formation of the British Army raised during both the First and Second World War.
221st Mixed Brigade was a Scottish Home Service formation of the British Army that served under various titles throughout World War I.
The 224th Brigade was a Home Defence formation of the British Army in World War I and World War II. It existed under several variations of the 224th Brigade title.
The Monmouthshire Regiment was a Territorial infantry regiment of the British Army. Originating in units of rifle volunteers formed in Monmouthshire in 1859, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and both World War I and World War II before losing its separate identity in 1967.
The South Wales Brigade was a Territorial Force infantry brigade of the British Army. Formed in 1908, it was not part of any division, instead serving as Army Troops, though attached to the Welsh Division in peacetime. It was dissolved in early 1915 as its constituent battalions were posted to other formations.
The Glamorgan Fortress Royal Engineers was a Welsh Territorial Army (TA) unit of Britain's Royal Engineers, first raised in 1885 as a Volunteer unit of Submarine Miners to defend the Severn Estuary. During World War I it carried out defence work in England and Gibraltar, and detachments served on the Western Front. In World War II it served in the North African campaign, including the Second Battle of El Alamein, and the Allied invasion of Sicily. Postwar, the unit continued in the TA until 1961.
The Exeter & South Devon Volunteers was the premier unit of Britain's Volunteer Force. Formed in 1852 it went on to become a battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. Both its active service battalions went to garrison India on the outbreak of the First World War, and then saw action in Mesopotamia and Palestine. In the Second World War, the battalion served in the garrison of Gibraltar. It continued in the postwar Territorial Army until it was merged with other West Country units. Its successors today serve in a reserve battalion of The Rifles.
The 7th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers, was a Welsh unit of Britain's Territorial Force. First raised in 1897, it fought at Gallipoli and in Palestine during World War I, and in the campaign in North West Europe during World War II. A duplicate battalion was converted to the paratroop role. Postwar the battalion was converted into anti-aircraft artillery, then reverted to infantry in 1956 after it amalgamated with a neighbouring unit.
The Brecknockshire Militia, later the Royal Brecknockshire Rifles, was an auxiliary regiment reorganised from earlier precursor units in the Welsh county of Brecknockshire during the 17th Century. Primarily intended for home defence, it served in Britain and Ireland through all Britain's major wars. After a series of shortlived mergers it was finally amalgamated into the Royal South Wales Borderers Militia in 1876. This regiment's title and headquarters at Brecon were adopted in 1881 when the South Wales Borderers (SWB) was formed as the local regiment of the Regular Army. The battalion saw active service during the Second Boer War. It became at Special Reserve battalion of the SWB and trained thousands of recruits for the fighting battalions of the regiment during World War I. After 1921 the militia had only a shadowy existence until its final abolition in 1953.
The Brecknockshire Battalion was a Welsh unit of the British Army's auxiliary forces. First raised in 1859, it became a Volunteer Battalion of the South Wales Borderers. During World War I it served in garrison at Aden, where it was engaged in the Battle of Lahej. It was amalgamated with another battalion in the 1920s but regained its independence in time for World War II, when it served in home defence and supplied reinforcements to the forces fighting overseas. Postwar it was reformed as a light anti-aircraft regiment of the Royal Artillery and was one of the founder units of today's 104th Regiment Royal Artillery in the Army Reserve.