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21st (Reserve) Battalion, Welsh Regiment
The Swansea Pals, later the 14th (Service) Battalion, Welsh Regiment (Swansea) ('14th Welsh') was a Welsh infantry unit recruited from Swansea in World War I as part of 'Kitchener's Army'. It served in 38th (Welsh) Division and took part in the division's costly attack on Mametz Wood during the Battle of the Somme. The battalion continued serving on the Western Front for the rest of the war, including the Third Battle of Ypres and the final Hundred Days Offensive. Recruitment On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army, and the newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'. K2, K3 and K4 followed shortly afterwards. However, these ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Welch Regiment
The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment line infantry, of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot and 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welsh Regiment, by which it was known until 1920 when it was renamed the Welch Regiment. In 1969 the regiment was amalgamated with the South Wales Borderers to form the Royal Regiment of Wales. History Formation The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot and 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welsh Regiment. The 1st Battalion moved to Egypt in 1886. The battalion took part in the Battle of Suakin in December 1888 during the Mahdist War under the leadership of the force commander, Colonel Herbert Kitchener, who wrote in his dispatches: The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
