The Welsh Brigade was an administrative formation of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

from 1948 to 1964. The Brigade administered the regular Welsh

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

s. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the British Army had fourteen infantry depots, each bearing a letter. The depots were territorially organised, and Infantry Depot L 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 ...

was the headquarters for the county regiments of

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 ...

and

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

. In 1948, the depots adopted names and this depot became the Welsh Brigade, with all regiments being reduced to a single battalion at the same time. The Welsh Brigade was formed on 14 July 1948 combining the depots of three regiments: * The Royal Welch Fusiliers * The South Wales Borderers * The Welch Regiment From 1958 all regiments in the Brigade adopted a common cap badge, depicting the plumes and motto of 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 ...

. From 1960 the Welsh Brigade was based at

Cwrt y Gollen Cwrt-y-Gollen ("Hazel Court") is a British Army training base, 2 miles (3 km) south-east of Crickhowell and just north of the A40 road and the River Usk, in southeastern Powys, Wales. History Cwrt-y-Gollen became the regional centre for infa ...

. On 1 July 1968 the Welsh Brigade was united with the

Wessex Brigade The Wessex Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the regular infantry regiments of the Wessex area of south and south west England. After the Second World War the British Army had f ...

and

Mercian Brigade The Mercian Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1964. The Brigade administered the infantry regiments from the area of England between the Trent, Mersey and Severn rivers that roughly corresponded to the ancie ...

, to form the

Prince of Wales' Division A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

.Whitaker's Almanack 1969, p. 473

References

External links

Regiments.org Page
{{British Infantry Infantry administrative brigades of the British Army Military units and formations in Wales Military units and formations established in 1948 Military units and formations disestablished in 1964