Welsh Guards | |
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Active | 1915–present |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Type | Infantry |
Role | 1st Battalion – Light Mechanised Infantry |
Size | 1 Battalion (579 personnel)[1] |
Part of | Guards and Parachute Division |
Garrison/HQ | RHQ – London 1st Battalion – Windsor |
Motto(s) | Welsh: Cymru am Byth ("Wales Forever/Long live Wales") |
March | Quick – Rising of the Lark Slow – Men of Harlech |
Anniversaries | 1 March (St David's Day) |
Commanders | |
Commanding Officer | Lt Col Andrew Breach |
Colonel-in-Chief | The King |
Colonel of the Regiment | The Prince of Wales |
Insignia | |
Tactical Recognition Flash | ![]() |
Plume | White/Green/White Left side of Bearskin cap |
Abbreviation | WG |
The Welsh Guards (WG; Welsh: Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. Shortly after the regiment's formation, it was deployed to France where it took part in the fighting on the Western Front until the end of the war in November 1918. During the inter-war years, the regiment undertook garrison duties in the United Kingdom, except between 1929 and 1930 when it deployed to Egypt, and late 1939 when it deployed to Gibraltar.
The regiment was expanded to three battalions during the Second World War, and served in France, North Africa, Tunisia, Italy and Western Europe. In the post war period, the regiment was reduced to a single battalion and saw service in Palestine, Egypt, West Germany, Aden, Northern Ireland, and Cyprus. In 1982, the regiment took part in the Falklands War. In the 21st century, the regiment has deployed as peacekeepers to Bosnia, and on operations to both Iraq and Afghanistan.
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