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List of battalions of the South Wales Borderers

This is a list of battalions of the South Wales Borderers from its formation in 1881 until its final amalgamation in 1969.

Cap badge of the South Wales Borderers

Origin of the regiment

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First formed in 1689 and originally known by the names of its colonels, the 24th Foot received its number in 1751 and its subtitle '(2nd Warwickshire)' in 1782. The 2nd Battalion existed from 1804 to 1814 and was reformed in 1858.[1][2] Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced in 1872 by the Cardwell Reforms, each regiment of the line established a permanent depot in a county or region, to which the local militia and volunteer battalions were affiliated.[3] The 24th Foot's links to Warwickshire were tenuous, and it was assigned to Sub-District No 25 (Counties of Cardigan, Radnor and Monmouth) in South Wales. The depot was at Brecon, already the headquarters of the Royal South Wales Borderers Militia (Royal Brecon and Radnor Rifles).[4] Under the Childers Reforms of 1881 the line regiments lost their numbers and received an appropriate local title, forming a single regiment with the militia and volunteers, which became numbered battalions.[5] Unusually, the 24th Foot adopted the title of one of its militia battalions and became the South Wales Borderers in Regimental District No 24.[1][4]

1881–1908

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After its formation in 1881 the battalions were as follows:[1][4][6]

Regular

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  • 1st Battalion
  • 2nd Battalion

Militia

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Volunteer

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1908

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Under the Haldane Reforms of 1908 the militia was converted into the Special Reserve (SR), tasked with providing reinforcement drafts to the regular battalions in time of war. At the same time the volunteers became part of the Territorial Force (TF),.[11][12][13] In the case of the South Wales Borderers, the 4th Battalion was disbanded,[7] and some of the volunteer battalions were withdrawn. The Monmouthshire battalions formed a new all-TF regiment, the Monmouthshire Regiment, which nevertheless remained part of the 'corps' of the South Wales Borderers.[14][15] The 5th (Montgomeryshire) Volunteer Battalion ceased to be part of the South Wales Borderers, and was transferred to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers to form the bulk of the 7th (Merionethshire & Montgomeryshire) Battalion of that regiment.[14] Unusually, the remaining TF battalion of the SWB, the Brecknockshire Battalion, was named rather than numbered.[14][9]

South Wales Borderers

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Monmouthshire Regiment

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Cap badge of the Monmouthshire Regiment.
Main article: Monmouthshire Regiment
  • 1st (Rifle) Battalion, The Monmouthshire Regiment (TF) – formerly the 2nd Volunteer Battalion[15]
  • 2nd Battalion, The Monmouthshire Regiment (TF) - formerly the 3rd Volunteer Battalion
  • 3rd Battalion, The Monmouthshire Regiment (TF) - formerly the 4th Volunteer Battalion

World War I

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During World War I the British Army's regimental system was vastly increased. The TF formed 2nd Line and 3rd Line (Reserve) battalions, and the 'Kitchener's Army' recruits formed new Service battalions. During the war the South Wales Borderers had a total of 21 battalions, the Monmouths a further 10.[16][17] All of the new battalions were either disbanded during the war or in its immediate aftermath:[1][2][14][9][18][19][20]</ref>

Interwar

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After demobilisation the SR battalions (renamed Militia in 1921) remained on the Army List but were inactive; they were finally disbanded in 1953. The TF was reformed in 1920 and was reorganised as the Territorial Army (TA) in 1921–22:[1][14]

  • 1st (Rifle) Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment (TA) – converted to searchlight role in 1938 and transferred to Royal Artillery as 68th (Monmouthshire Regiment) Searchlight Regiment in 1940[15][39][40]
  • 2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment (TA)
  • 3rd Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire Battalion (TA) – formed in 1922 when the Brecknockshire Battalion was absorbed by the 3rd Battalion, Monmouthshires; subtitle dropped when new Brecknockshire Battalion formed 1939[9]

World War II

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Just before the outbreak of World War II the TA was doubled in size and battalions formed duplicates. There was also a number of war-formed units:[1][2][14]

South Wales Borderers

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Monmouthshire Regiment

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  • 2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment (TA) – served with 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division in North West Europe[47]
  • 3rd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment (TA) – served with 11th Armoured Division in North West Europe[48]
  • 4th Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment (TA) – formed as duplicate of 2nd Battalion 1939; joined by cadre of 19 men from Cyprus and redesignated as 1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers[41][42] served in UK for remainder of war[49]

Postwar

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After postwar disbandments the regiment had the following battalions:[1][2][14]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Frederick, pp. 292–4.
  2. ^ a b c d South Wales Borderers at Regiments.org.
  3. ^ Spiers, Late Victorian Army, pp. 19–22.
  4. ^ a b c Army List, various dates.
  5. ^ Spiers, Late Victorian Army, pp. 34, 126.
  6. ^ Margesson, pp. 83–6.
  7. ^ a b Owen, pp. 41–2.
  8. ^ Frederick, p. 173.
  9. ^ a b c d e Brecknockshire Battalion at Regiments.org.
  10. ^ Frederick, pp. 303–4.
  11. ^ Dunlop, Chapter 14.
  12. ^ Spiers, Army & Society, Chapter 10.
  13. ^ London Gazette, Supplement, 20 March 1908.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Frederick, pp. 171–2.
  15. ^ a b c 1st Monmouths at Regiments.org'
  16. ^ James, Table B & C.
  17. ^ Atkinson, pp. 69–72, 231.
  18. ^ James, pp. 68–9, 112.
  19. ^ Baker, Chris. "South Wales Borderers" – via The long, long trail.
  20. ^ Baker, Chris. "Monmouths" – via The long, long trail.
  21. ^ Becke, Pt 1, pp. 33–9.
  22. ^ a b Becke, Pt 1, pp. 117–24.
  23. ^ Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 49–54.
  24. ^ a b c d Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 83–90.
  25. ^ Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 35–44.
  26. ^ Margesson, p, 17.
  27. ^ Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 87–93.
  28. ^ Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 135–42.
  29. ^ Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 1–9.
  30. ^ a b Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 111–7.
  31. ^ a b Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 81–9.
  32. ^ Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 101–8.
  33. ^ James, p. 66.
  34. ^ a b c Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 117–23.
  35. ^ a b Becke, Pt 1, pp. 105–11.
  36. ^ Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 61–7.
  37. ^ Becke, Pt 1, pp. 57–63.
  38. ^ Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 85–91.
  39. ^ Frederick, p. 872.
  40. ^ a b c Litchfield, pp. 182–3.
  41. ^ a b Joslen, p. 544.
  42. ^ a b Margesson, pp. 20, 66.
  43. ^ Joslen, pp. 269–70, 286, 296, 333, 346, 581.
  44. ^ Joslen, pp. 303, 497, 544.
  45. ^ Frederick, p. 835.
  46. ^ Joslen, p. 35.
  47. ^ Joslen, p. 348.
  48. ^ Joslen, p. 347.
  49. ^ Joslen, pp. 305, 357, 370.
  50. ^ a b Frederick, p. 1027.
  51. ^ Frederick, p. 342.

References

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  • C.T. Atkinson, The History of the South Wales Borderers 1914–1918, London: Medici Society, 1931.
  • Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 1: The Regular British Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1934/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-38-X.
  • Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2a: The Territorial Force Mounted Divisions and the 1st-Line Territorial Force Divisions (42–56), London: HM Stationery Office, 1935/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8.
  • Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 2b: The 2nd-Line Territorial Force Divisions (57th–69th), with the Home-Service Divisions (71st–73rd) and 74th and 75th Divisions, London: HM Stationery Office, 1937/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-39-8.
  • Col John K. Dunlop, The Development of the British Army 1899–1914, London: Methuen, 1938.
  • J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3.
  • J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol II, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-009-X.
  • James, E.A. (2001) [1978]. British Regiments 1914–18. Uckfield: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-197-9.
  • Lt-Col H.F. Joslen, Orders of Battle, United Kingdom and Colonial Formations and Units in the Second World War, 1939–1945, London: HM Stationery Office, 1960/London: London Stamp Exchange, 1990, ISBN 0-948130-03-2/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2003, ISBN 1-843424-74-6.
  • Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9508205-2-0.
  • Lt-Col John Margesson, A Short History of the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot), Regimental Committee, 1977.
  • Bryn Owen, History of the Welsh Militia and Volunteer Corps 1757–1908: Montgomeryshire Regiments of Militia, Volunteers and Yeomanry Cavalry, Wrexham: Bridge Books, 2000, ISBN 1-872424-85-6.
  • Edward M. Spiers, The Army and Society 1815–1914, London: Longmans, 1980, ISBN 0-582-48565-7.
  • Edward M. Spiers, The Late Victorian Army 1868–1902, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992/Sandpiper Books, 1999, ISBN 0-7190-2659-8.

External sources

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