South Wales Borderers

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South Wales Borderers

Active 1881 - 1969
Country Wales / United Kingdom
Branch British Army
Type Infantry
Nickname Howard's Greens
March Men of Harlech
Anniversaries Rorke's Drift (22nd January)
Commanders
Ceremonial chief King Edward VIII

The South Wales Borderers was an infantry regiment of the British 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 the American Revolutionary War, various conflicts in India, the Zulu War, Boer War, and World War I and II. The regiment was absorbed into the Royal Regiment of Wales in 1969.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 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 colonels. It became the 24th Regiment of Foot in 1751, having been deemed 24th in the infantry order of precedence since 1747. In 1782 it became the 24th (The 2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot. The 1st Warwickshires were the 6th (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 the battle of Cartagena de Indias.

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 the battle of Saint Cast.

In 1776 the regiment was sent to Lower Canada (now Quebec) 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 the Saratoga 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 the British Indian Army and then, after Indian independence in 1947, four Gurkha regiments joined the British Army.

In 1829 the regiment arrived in Canada where it remained until 1841 when it returned home to Britain.

[edit] Second Sikh War and Indian Mutiny

The regiment was back on the Indian subcontinent in 1846 where it took part in the Second Sikh War. At the Battle 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 the British 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 for Burma and then to the Andaman 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 in Southern Africa in 1878.

In 1866 the 1st Battalion was sent to Malta and then, remaining in the Mediterranean, moved to Gibraltar in 1872.

[edit] Zulu War

[edit] Isandlhwana

Artistic depiction of the Battle of Rorke's Drift.
Artistic depiction of the Battle of Rorke's Drift.

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 by Cetshwayo. The 24th Foot took part in the crossing of the Buffalo River on 11 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 of entrenching tools. The 24th Foot provided most of the British force and when the overall commander, Lord Chelmsford, split his forces on 22 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-Colonel Henry 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 the Buffalo River where the Colour fell and was lost downstream, later being recovered. Both officers were killed. At this time the Victoria 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.

[edit] Rorke's Drift

The overwhelming Zulu attack on Rorke's Drift.
The overwhelming Zulu attack on 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 Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead. Two Boer cavalry officers, Lieutenants Adendorff and Vane, arrived to inform the garrison of the defeat at Isandhlwana. The Acting Assistant Commissary James 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 the Victoria 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.

[edit] Garrison Duties and Boer War

After the Cardwell-Childers Reforms of the British Armed Forces, the 24th Foot became the South Wales Borderers on 1 July 1881. The regiment's regimental depot had been moved to Brecon in Wales in 1875 and this, understandably, led to the regiment having close links with South Wales. The South Wales Borderers became the county regiment of Brecknockshire, Cardiganshire, Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, and Radnor.

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 the First 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 the British 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 of Tientsin in China where it remained until the outbreak of WWI.

[edit] First World War

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 in Hong 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 on 25 April 1915. Unlike other beaches, the 2nd South Wales Borderers, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel H.G. Casson, met little opposition and the landing, supported by the battleship HMS Cornwallis, was completed by 7:30am.

[edit] 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's Dublin District. There they were involved in operations against the IRA until they left in 1922 when the Irish 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 under Royal Air Force administration. It returned to India the following year where it took part in operations against hostile tribes in the volatile North-West Frontier. It was still in India when World 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 to Aden (now part of the Yemen) 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.

[edit] Second World War

[edit] North-West Europe

The 2nd Battalion, as part of 24th Guards Brigade (Rupertforce), took part in the Norwegian campaign, fighting the Nazi German invaders.

In 1944 the 2nd Battalion had the distinction of being the only Welsh battalion to take part in the Normandy Landings. It was part of 7th Armoured Division and 49th Infantry Division. It ended its war in Germany, and remained there, as part of the occupation forces, until 1948 when it returned home.

[edit] 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 in Iran.

The 1st Battalion sustained enormous casualties in Libya near Tobruk 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.

[edit] Far East

[edit] 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 the Sudan. The following year the regiment became part of the occupation force in Eritrea -- a former Italian colony that was ruled by a British military administration after WWII. The regiment left after Eritrea joined its larger neighbour Ethiopia in 1952 after the United 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 a Communist regime. This situation was what the South Wales Borderers entered in October 1955, in a conflict known as the Malayan 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 as Communist 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 the British Army of the Rhine.

In 1960 the regiment was posted to Minden, Germany and returned home two years later. In 1963 the regiment arrived in Hong Kong, performing internal security duties until it returned home in 1966. In January 1967 the regiment arrived in Aden -- a British territory in the Middle East, in what is now the Yemen, 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 year

In 1969 the regiment was amalgamated with the Welch Regiment to form the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot)

[edit] The Territorial, Militia, Volunteer, and Hostilities-only battalions

See: List of battalions of the South Wales Borderers

[edit] 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, North-West Europe 1944-45,
  • Gazala, North Africa 1942,
  • North Arakan, Mayu Tunnels, Pinwe, Shweli, Myitson, Burma 1944-45.

[edit] Victoria Cross winners

[edit] 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:
    • Flag of Australia 18th Battalion (The Kurung-Gai Regiment) (1929-1944)
    • Flag of Australia 17th/18th Infantry Battalion (The North Shore Regiment) (1948-1960)
    • Flag of Australia 24th Battalion (The Kooyong Regiment) (1929-1951)
    • Flag of Rhodesia 1st Battalion, The Rhodesian African Rifles (1957-1965)

[edit] References

  • Jack Adams Famous Regiments: The South Wales Borderers (1968) : ISBN (none)

[edit] External links