The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh, formerly the South Wales Borderers Museum, is located at

Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The museum's collection is made up of artefacts collected from a variety of sources from around the world and which display the regiment's 300-year history.

History

The collection was opened to the public as the South Wales Borderers Museum in 1935. Memorial gates were unveiled at the museum in memory of Colonel Courtney Trower, who commanded the 5th (Service) Battalion during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, in September 1967 and the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

visited the museum in October 1973. Following the formation of the

Royal Welsh The Royal Welsh (R WELSH) () is an Infantry, armoured infantry regiment of the British Army. It was established in 2006 from the Royal Welch Fusiliers, Royal Welch Fusiliers (23rd Foot) and the Royal Regiment of Wales, Royal Regiment of Wales ...

in 2006, the museum changed its name to the Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh.

The collection

The museum is based at

The Barracks, Brecon The Barracks, Watton is a military installation in Brecon in Wales. History The original barracks, which were constructed of red brick, were built at the Watton in 1805 and then extended in 1813.Tones, p. 126 In 1873, as part of the Cardwell R ...

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

, and claims to have the finest collection of weapons to be found in any regimental museum in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Its collection of guns shows the development of soldiers' weapons from the 18th century to the present. The museum's Medal Room contains about 3,000 medals. The

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

case in the main hall contains sixteen replica VCs which represent the originals which are owned by the regiment but which cannot be displayed because they are too valuable. The museum's greatest attraction is its Zulu War Room, which displays the exploits of the 24th Regiment of Foot during the 1879

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and th ...

made famous by the 1964 film '' Zulu'', for action during the campaign the Regiment was awarded 11 VCs.

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

called the soldiers of the 24th Foot "The Noble 24th". The museum has an extensive archive which in particular relates to the Zulu War of 1879. Access to the archive collection is available to

bona fide In human interactions, good faith () is a sincere intention to be fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome of the interaction. Some Latin phrases have lost their literal meaning over centuries, but that is not the case with , which is ...

researchers by appointment. The museum also has an excellent collection of pictures, paintings,

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional model either full-sized or miniature. Sometimes dioramas are enclosed in a glass showcase at a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies like mili ...

s, drums, assegais, ammunition, buttons, badges and uniforms.

Victoria Crosses held by the museum

The museum holds the

es awarded to the following members of the regiment: *Sergeant William Wilson Allen, 24th Regiment (Rorke's Drift) *Private David Bell, 24th Regiment (

Andaman Islands expedition The Andaman Islands expedition was a British expedition to the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal, India. For actions during the expedition, five soldiers of the 24th Regiment of Foot were awarded Victoria Crosses. Campbell Mellis Douglas, Dav ...

) *Major Gonville Bromhead, 24th Regiment (Rorke's Drift) *Brigadier General Edward Stevenson Browne, 24th Regiment ( Hlobane) *General Sir

Alexander Cobbe General (United Kingdom), General Sir Alexander Stanhope Cobbe (6 June 1870 – 29 June 1931) was a senior British Indian Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be a ...

, Indian Army; attached to the King's African Rifles (

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

) *Lieutenant Neville Josiah Coghill, 24th Regiment (Isandhlwana) *Private William Griffiths, 24th Regiment (Andaman Islands expedition) *Private Frederick Hitch 24th Regiment (Rorke's Drift) *Sergeant Alfred Henry Hook, 24th Regiment (Rorke's Drift) *Major General Dudley Graham Johnson, South Wales Borderers attached to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment (

) *Private William Jones, 24th Regiment (Rorke's Drift) *Lieutenant Teignmouth Melvill, 24th Regiment (Isandhlwana) *Company Sergeant Major Ivor Rees, 11th Battalion, South Wales Borderers (First World War) *Sergeant

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

, 24th Regiment (Rorke's Drift) *Warrant Officer II John Henry Williams, 10th Battalion, South Wales Borderers (First World War)

References

External links

Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh on About BritainRegimental Museum of The Royal Welsh at Ogilby Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:South Wales Borderers Museum Military and war museums in Wales Museums in Powys Regimental museums in Wales Brecon