THE WELSH GUARDS

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XI, Issue 521, 11 May 1915, Page 7

THE WELSH GUARDS

The arrival of the Welsh Guards into the Army will bring the Brigade of Guards up to 14 battalions. The Grenadiers and the Coldstreamers are each four battalions strong now, the Scots Guards muster three, and the Irish two. The Guards possess all sorts of privileges other regiments lack. Among them is the right to march through the City of London with fixed bayonets, the honor of guarding royal palaces, the duty of providing the Bank of England guard, and the right to be commanded only by their own officers. The Guards, as a great ceremonial brigade, in peace times are very particular about their uniform. They all wear the same — scarlet with blue facings — but they are distinguished by many definite differences. The buttons on the tunic, for instance. The Coldstreamers' buttons are in groups of two, the Scots Guards in groups of three, and the Irish Guards in groups of four. The Grenadiers' buttons are in regular order. People are already wondering how the Welsh Guards' buttons will be grouped. Then the cap bands. The Irish Guards wear a green band round their caps, the Grenadiers red. the Coldstreamers white, and the Scots a plaid. With regard to the badges, the Scots and Irish wear their, national emblems, the thistle and the shamrock respectively.

On St. David's Day the newly-created Welsh. Guard mounted guard for the first time over the King at Buckingham Palace ; Mr Lloyd George attended an imposing parade at Llandudno, while in Wales and London Welsh flags were sold on behalf of the National fund for Welsh troops. Thousands of people turned out at Llandudno, to witness the parade of the first brigade of the Welsh Army Corps. General .Sit Henry Mackinnon, general officer commanding in chief Western Command, and Major-general Ivor Philipps, general officer commanding 43rd Welsh Division, were accompanied at the saluting base by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Earl of Plymouth, chairman of the executive of the Welsh Army Corps. The brigade was under the command of Briga-dier-general Owen «Thomas. The force was over 5,0C0 Strong, and every soldier in the brigade wore a leek in his cap. In the evening there was an Eisteddfod in the Pier Pavilion, about 4,000 attending, when Mrs Lloyd George presided. The chaiirman of the local authority presented an album and address to the Chancellor, in whioh it was stated :

We, the Urban District Council of Llandudno, on behalf of its inhabitants, realise that your presence here on this our national day will still further stimulate the people of Wales to rally to His Majesty's -standard for the defence of their country in this critical period, and so assdst in maintaining the glorious traditions of th© Royal Welsh Fusiliers. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, who was received with great enthusiasm, said : "I remember the beginning of the Welsh Army. We met, just four of us, an the Board Room of the Treasury, the place where we raise taxes from time to time — (laughter)--and I thought it was a good place to raise an army^ ISO we just four of us met, and that four have become today 20,000." Referring to the parade, the Chancellor said ; "It was a magnificent apeotaole > dfc was a thrilling; spectacle. I felt prouder of my countrymen than ever, and I have a great pride in Wales — proud of its history, proud of its literature, proud of ita songs, proud of its language, proutf of its bards, proud of its great preachers, and, after reading the Story of what the Welsh regiments have done at the front, I am proud of its soldiers, too. (Cheers.) What has been done in Wales in the way of raisins armies as something that baffles the thought of even those who know Wales best. We 'had three regiments at the beginning of the war. We had to fill up gaps occasionally m them from abroad, but to-day we M TV a fl in c th i 8 HUI6 <*>™t*y over 80,000 of the finest men who have ever marched under the Flag." The Principality had contributed more in proportion to. its _ population than any other part, of the United Kingdom, and the men were still coming in.

— A Leek Badge.— xu T1 u e _ Kinff r h^ approved of the leek as the badge. of tse new battalion ; also that the dragon shall be emblazoned oh the new colors; that the motto shall be Cymeu am Byth" ("Wales for Ever") • and tliat the leading company of the battalion be denominated "The Prince of Walesa, just m the same way that the leading company of, the Ist or Grenadier Guards is styled the "King's." '*—. A Royal Tribute.—

-The Pryice of Wales has sent £50 to the remmental funds, adding: "The PrinciPi? M & I f.J u ? U ¥ P roud of th e Past deeds of the Welsh regiments, which are among the most glorious in the annals of war. His Royal Highntess feels that it is a special privilege to be able to contribute to the comfort bf Welshmen, who in these tremendous times are so gallantly maintaining the grand traditions of their race."