“Royal Welch Fusiliers”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

The Royal Welch Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, founded in 1689 shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and became The Welch Regiment of Fusiliers; the prefix "Royal" was added in 1713, then confirmed in 1714 when George I named it The Prince of Wales's Own Royal Regiment of Welsh Fusiliers.

After the 1751 reforms that standardised the naming and numbering of regiments, it became the 23rd Foot (Royal Welsh Fuzileers).

It retained the archaic spelling of Welch, instead of Welsh, and Fuzileers for Fusiliers; these were engraved on swords carried by regimental officers during the Napoleonic Wars.^[1] After the 1881 Childers Reforms, its official title was The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, but "Welch" continued to be used informally until restored in 1920 by Army Order No.56.

It should not be confused with the Welch Regiment, a different unit that recruited in South and West, rather than North Wales, and became part of the Royal Regiment of Wales or RRW in 1969.^[2]

One of the few regiments to retain its original title, in March 2006 the Royal Welch Fusiliers was amalgamated with the RRW and became 1st Battalion, Royal Welsh, with RRW as the 2nd Battalion.

History

Formation; 1689 to 1773

The regiment was raised by Henry Herbert at Ludlow on 16 March 1689, following the 1688 Glorious Revolution and exile of James II.^[3] It served throughout the 1689 to 1691 Williamite War in Ireland, including the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690,^[4] and Aughrim in 1691 which brought the campaign to an end.^[5] It joined Allied forces fighting in the Nine Years War and at Namur in August 1695, took part in the attack on the Terra Nova earthwork that inspired the song 'The British Grenadiers.'^[6]

On the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession in 1702, it became The Welch Regiment of Fuzilieers; this denoted units equipped with light-weight muskets or 'fusils' used to protect the artillery, although the distinction later became obsolete.^[7] It served throughout Marlborough's campaigns in the Low Countries, including the battles of Schellenberg, Blenheim and Ramillies.^[8]

In 1714, George I gave it the title of The Prince of Wales's Own Royal Regiment of Welsh Fusiliers. The next 28 years were spent on garrison duty in England and Scotland, until it returned to Flanders in 1742 for the War of the Austrian Succession. At Dettingen in June 1743, it rallied after being driven back by the elite French Maison du Roi cavalry; its steadiness was a major contribution to what is considered a fortunate victory.^[9] It incurred 323 casualties at Fontenoy in May 1745, before a brief period in Scotland during the 1745 Rising. Over 240 members of the regiment were lost at Lauffeld in July 1747, a defeat that led to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.^[10]

Following the 1751 reforms that standardised naming and numbering of regiments, it became the 23rd Foot (Royal Welsh Fuzileers).^[11] In the opening battle of the Seven Years War, it was part of the Minorca garrison that surrendered to the French in June 1756; given free passage to Gibraltar, from 1758 it campaigned in Germany. At Minden in August 1759, it was one of the infantry units that routed the French cavalry, an achievement still celebrated as Minden Day by their successor unit, the Royal Welsh.^[12] Between 1760 to 1762, it fought in the battles of Warburg, ^[13] Kloster Kampen 1760^[14] and Wilhelmsthal in June 1762, before the war ended with the 1763 Treaty of Paris.^[15]

When the American Revolutionary War began in 1773, the regiment was posted to North America^[16] The light infantry and grenadier companies took heavy losses at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775;^[17] it participated in nearly every campaign up to the Siege of Yorktown in September 1781.^[18] At Yorktown, it was the only British regiment not to surrender its colours, which were smuggled out by a junior officer.^[19]

In the early stages of the French Revolutionary Wars, it was posted to the West Indies in 1794 and participated in the 1795 capture of Port-au-Prince before returning home in 1796.^[20] As part of the expeditionary force assigned to the 1799 Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland, it fought at Alkmaar in October 1799.^[21]

19th Century

Apart from Egypt and the March 1801 Battle of Alexandria, it saw little action in the Napoleonic Wars until being sent to the Peninsular in 1810.^[22] Between 1811 to 1814, it fought in many of Wellington's actions, including the battles of Albuera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Nivelle and Toulouse.^[23] At the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, it was part of Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Mitchell's 4th Brigade in the 4th Infantry Division.^[24]

In the nineteenth century, the regiment took part in the Crimean War, the Second Opium War, the Indian Mutiny and the Third Anglo-Burmese War. The Cardwell Reforms established the regimental depot at Hightown Barracks in Wrexham in 1873, but it was not fundamentally affected by the 1881 Childers reforms; as it already possessed two battalions, there was no need to amalgamate with another regiment.^[25] Under the reforms, the regiment officially became The Royal Welsh Fusiliers on 1 July 1881,^[26] although "Welch" was used informally until restored in 1920 by Army Order No.56.^[27]

The 1st battalion served in the 1899 to 1902 Second Boer War; ^[28] the 2nd battalion was stationed at Hong Kong until October 1902, when they transferred to India and were stationed at Chakrata.^[29]

20th Century

In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming the Territorial Force and the latter the Special Reserve;^[31] the regiment now had one Reserve and four Territorial battalions.^[32]^[33]

First World War; Regular Army

The 1st Battalion landed at Zeebrugge as part of the 22nd Brigade in the 7th Division in October 1914 for service on the Western Front.^[33] The 1st Battalion became forever associated with the terribly destructive action at Mametz Wood in 1916. The 2nd Battalion landed at Rouen as part of the 19th Infantry Brigade which was an independent command at this time.^[33] The 2nd Battalion endured the horrors of the massacre in the mud of Passchendaele (Third Ypres) in 1917.^[34]

The Royal Welch Fusiliers did not participate in any Christmas 1914 Football Game with the Germans. The myth that they did was created in 2008 when a plaque was unveiled to the Royal Welch Fusiliers Truce at Frelinghien. Although it was then acknowledged that no football was played by 2nd Battalion, a game was played as part of the day's celebrations.^[35]

First World War; Territorial and War Service

The 4th (Denbighshire) Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the 3rd Brigade in the 1st Division in November 1914 for service on the Western Front.^[33] The 5th (Flintshire) Battalion, the 6th (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalion and the 7th (Merioneth & Montgomery) Battalion, all serving as part of the 158th (North Wales) Brigade of the 53rd (Welsh) Division, sailed from Devonport, bound for Gallipoli via Imbros (now Gökçeada) on 19 July 1915 and landed at Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 9 August 1915: the battalions were evacuated from Gallipoli during December 1915 and moved to Egypt.^[33] The evacuation was forced by a combination of combat, disease and harsh weather which saw the division reduced to just 162 officers and 2,428 men, approximately 15% of full strength.^[36]

The First World War also saw the creation of 'war service' battalions, informally referred to Kitchener battalions, distinct from Territorial units.^[37] The 8th (Service) Battalion landed in Moudros as part of the 40th Brigade in the 13th (Western) Division in July 1915 and subsequently served in Gallipoli, Egypt and Mesopotamia.^[33]

The 9th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 58th Brigade in the 19th (Western) Division in July 1915 for service on the Western Front.^[33]

The 10th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 76th Brigade in the 25th Division in September 1915 for service on the Western Front.^[33]

The 11th (Service) Battalion landed in France as part of the 67th Brigade in the 22nd Division in September 1915 but moved to Salonika in November 1915.^[33]

In December 1915, the 13th (1st North Wales), 14th, 15th (1st London Welsh), 16th and 17th (2nd North Wales) service battalions landed in France as part of 113th Brigade, 38th (Welsh) Division.^[33] They were followed in June 1916 by 19th (Service) Battalion, part of 119th Brigade, 40th Division.^[33]

During this war, several writers served with various battalions of the regiment in France, including the poets Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves, David Jones and Hedd Wyn. Their memoirs, including Graves' Good-Bye to All That, have resulted in the activities of this regiment being vividly recorded for posterity. Captain J C Dunn, a medical officer attached to the regiment's 2nd Battalion, compiled a chronicle of that unit's experiences during its more than four years of service in France and Belgium. His epic, The War the Infantry Knew, has become a classic among military historians for its comprehensive treatment of all aspects of daily life and death in the trenches. Another record can be found in Frank Richards' Old Soldiers Never Die, detailing how, as a reservist, he was recalled to the colours at the outbreak of the First World War, serving on the Western Front until the end of the war (including being in the front line during the famous Christmas Truce of 1914).^[38]

Second World War; Regular Army

The regiment was awarded 27 battle honours for World War II, with more than 1,200 fusiliers killed in action or died of wounds.^[39]

During the Second World War, the 1st Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers was a Regular Army unit and part of the 6th Infantry Brigade, assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division. It served in France in 1940 with the British Expeditionary Force.^[40] The battalion fought in the short but fierce battles of France and Belgium and was forced to retreat and be evacuated during the Dunkirk evacuation. After two years spent in the United Kingdom, waiting and preparing for the invasion that never came (Operation Sea Lion), the 1st RWF and the rest of 2nd Division were sent to British India to fight the Imperial Japanese Army after a string of defeats inflicted upon the British and Indian troops. The battalion was involved in the Burma Campaign, particularly the Battle of Kohima, nicknamed Stalingrad of the East due to the ferocity of fighting on both sides, that helped to turn the tide of the campaign in the South East Asian theatre.^[41]

The 2nd Battalion was part of 29th Independent Infantry Brigade throughout the war. In 1942, it fought in the Battle of Madagascar, then part of Vichy French, before being transferred to the South-East Asian Theatre. In 1944, the battalion and brigade became part of 36th British Infantry Division, previously an Indian Army formation.^[42]

Both battalions came under the command of Lieutenant-General Bill Slim, commander of the British Fourteenth Army. This was known as the 'Forgotten Fourteenth,' allegedly because it fought in a theatre that seemed largely unnoticed and had little importance to the war.^[43]

Second World War; Territorial and War Service

The 4th, 6th and 7th Battalions, all Territorial units, served in 158th (Royal Welch) Brigade assigned to the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division.^[44] They took part in the Battle of Normandy at Hill 112, where the 53rd Division suffered heavy casualties. Due to heavy fighting and casualties in Normandy, some of the battalions were posted to different brigades within the division. The 53rd again suffered heavily during Operation Veritable (the Battle of the Reichswald) under command of the First Canadian Army, in which action the British and Canadians, and the 53rd Division in particular, endured some of the fiercest fighting of the entire European Campaign against German paratroops.^[45]

The 8th, 9th and 10th Battalions were 2nd Line Territorial battalions raised in 1939 as duplicates of the 4th, 6th and 7th Battalions respectively. The battalions initially served in the 115th (Royal Welch Fusiliers) Brigade, 38th (Welsh) Division, itself a 2nd Line duplicate of the 53rd (Welsh) Division.^[46]

The 8th and 9th battalions never saw action abroad, remaining in the UK throughout the war in a training role, supplying trained replacements to units overseas. In this capacity, the 9th battalion served with the 80th Infantry (Reserve) Division and the 38th Infantry (Reserve) Division.^[47]

In the summer of 1942, the 10th battalion was converted into the 6th (Royal Welch) Battalion, Parachute Regiment.^[48] The 6th Parachute Battalion was assigned to the 2nd Parachute Brigade, alongside the 4th and 5th Parachute battalions, originally part of the 1st Airborne Division. The battalion played a small part in the Allied invasion of Italy during Operation Slapstick, an amphibious landing aimed at capturing the port of Taranto. After that, the 2nd Para Brigade became an independent brigade group. The brigade took part in Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Southern France, being the only British troops to do so (see 2nd Parachute Brigade in Southern France).^[49] In late 1944, the brigade was sent to Greece to support pro-Western forces in the Greek Civil War, a forgotten but brutal episode now seen as the first act of the post-1945 Cold War.^[50]

In 1938, the 5th Battalion transferred to the Royal Artillery as 60th Anti-Tank Regiment and in 1939, added a 2nd-Line duplicate, 70th Anti-Tank Regiment.^[51] Unlike 1914-1918, there were relatively few service battalions, one being 11th (Home Defence) Battalion, raised in 1939 as part of the Home Guard.^[33] Formed in 1940, the 12th battalion became 116th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery in January 1942 and served with 53rd (Welsh) Division until disbanded in December 1944.^[52] ^[53]

Post Second World War

After 1945, the regiment was mostly based in Germany and various British colonies, with the 2nd Battalion being disbanded in 1957. The regiment did not take part in the Gulf War, but did perform several tours in Northern Ireland (Operation Banner) before being deployed to the Balkans.^[54]

During the Yugoslav Wars, the regiment came to attention when 33 of their men and 350 other UN servicemen part of UNPROFOR were taken hostage by Bosnian Serbs at Goražde on 28 May 1995.^[55]^[56] The situation caused some political debate as the UN troops had been given orders only to "deter attacks" and did not have a mandate or adequate equipment to fully defend the mainly Muslim town of Goražde, which was initially declared "safe" by the UN, thus rendering them exposed when armed members of the Army of Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serb Army) ignored the NATO ultimatum and attacked the town without warning. The regiment managed to hold off the Bosnian Serbs until they were forced to retreat into bunkers - those who did not make it quickly enough were taken hostage - and remained trapped underground while BiH Army reinforcements arrived and fought back. The commanding officer, Lt Col Jonathon Riley (later promoted to Lieutenant General), broke with protocol and directly reported to then Prime Minister John Major about the situation over the phone while in the bunker.^[57] All the men were eventually safely rescued. An unprecedented five gallantry awards, seven mentions in despatches and two Queen's Commendations for Valuable Service were awarded to the regiment.^[58] Although the incident was largely unreported at that time, the regiment was credited in hindsight by observers for saving the town from a possible genocide - after failing to take Goražde, the Bosnian Serbs continued south to Srebrenica, where they would massacre over 8,000 Bosniaks.^[59]

Amalgamation

It was one of only five line infantry regiments never to have been amalgamated in its entire history, the others being The Royal Scots, The Green Howards, The Cheshire Regiment, and The King's Own Scottish Borderers. However, in 2004, it was announced that, as part of the restructuring of the infantry, the Royal Welch Fusiliers would merge with the Royal Regiment of Wales to form a new large regiment, the Royal Welsh.^[54]

Regimental museum

Battle honours

Victoria Crosses

Colonels-in-Chief

Regimental Colonels

Regimental goat

As with the Royal Regiment of Wales, the regiment traditionally had a goat, never called a mascot. The tradition dated back to at least 1775, and possibly to the regiment's formation. The goat was always named 'Billy'.^[72]

Uniform

Soldiers of this regiment were distinguishable by the unique feature of the "flash", consisting of five overlapping black silk ribbons (seven inches long for soldiers and nine inches long for officers) on the back of the uniform jacket at neck level.^[73] This is a legacy of the days when it was normal for soldiers to wear pigtails. In 1808, this practice was discontinued but when the order was issued the RWF were serving in Nova Scotia and had not received the instruction when the regiment departed to join an expedition to the West Indies.^[74] In 1834 the officers of the 23rd Foot were finally granted permission by William IV to wear this non-regulation item as a distinction on the full dress uniform as "a peculiarity whereby to mark the dress of that distinguished regiment".^[75] This was extended to all ranks in 1900.^[76]

As a fusilier regiment, the RWF wore a hackle, which consisted of a plume of white feathers mounted behind the cap-badge of the modern beret.^[73] The full dress of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, as worn by the entire regiment until 1914, included a racoon-skin hat (bearskin for officers) with a white hackle and a scarlet tunic with the dark blue facings of a Royal regiment. This uniform continued to be worn by the RWF's Corps of Drums and the Regimental Pioneers until the merger of 2006.^[80]

See also

Notes

1. ^{{cite web|url=https://www.antique-swords.com/AD77-1803P-Royal-Welsh-Fuzileers-Fusiliers-Officers.html|title=Napoleonic Welch Fuzileers Sword|publisher=Antique Swords|accessdate=8 April 2018}}
2. ^{{cite web|url=http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/firstminister/2014/8705942/?lang=en |title=Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum safeguards valuable First World War memories |date=15 April 2014 |publisher=Welsh Government |accessdate=23 May 2014 |deadurl=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417025614/http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/firstminister/2014/8705942/?lang=en |archivedate=17 April 2014 }}
3. ^Cannon, p. 1
4. ^Cannon, p. 5
5. ^Cannon, p. 13
6. ^{{cite journal|last1=Lenihan|first1=Padraig|title=Namur Citadel, 1695: A Case Study in Allied Siege Tactics|journal=War in History|date=2011|volume=18|issue=3|page=298|doi=10.1177/0968344511401296}}
7. ^{{cite web |title=The Royal Welch Fusiliers |url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/royal-welch-fusiliers |website=National Army Museum |accessdate=30 March 2019}}
8. ^{{cite web |title=23rd Foot |url=http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=23rd_Foot |website=Seven Years War Project |accessdate=31 March 2019}}
9. ^{{cite book |last1=Fortescue |first1=John H |title=History of the British Army; Volume II |date=1899 |pages=99-100}}
10. ^ Fortescue, p. 161
11. ^{{cite web |title=The Royal Welch Fusiliers |url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/royal-welch-fusiliers |website=National Army Museum |accessdate=30 March 2019}}
12. ^ Fortescue, p. 161
13. ^Cannon, p. 83
14. ^Cannon, p. 84
15. ^Westlake, p. 75
16. ^Cannon, p. 89
17. ^Cannon, p. 93
18. ^Cannon, p. 113
19. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.mikelynaugh.com/Yorktown/pages/IMG_3076.htm|title=Sign at the Royal Welch Fusiliers Redoubt in Yorktown, Virginia|accessdate=24 May 2014}}
20. ^Cannon, p. 117
21. ^Cannon, p. 120
22. ^Cannon, p. 134
23. ^Cannon, pp.136-150
24. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.garethglovercollection.com/PrivateThomasJeremiah.htm |title=A Short Account of the Life and adventures of Private Thomas Jeremiah 23rd or Royal Welch Fusiliers 1812-37 |publisher=The Gareth Glover Collection |accessdate=24 May 2014 |deadurl=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402070835/http://www.garethglovercollection.com/PrivateThomasJeremiah.htm |archivedate=2 April 2009 }}
25. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/depot/1873.htm |title=Training Depots 1873–1881 |publisher=Regiments.org |accessdate=16 October 2016 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210172841/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/depot/1873.htm |archivedate=10 February 2006 |df= }} The depot was the 23rd Brigade Depot from 1873 to 1881, and the 23rd Regimental District depot thereafter
26. ^{{London Gazette|issue=24992|pages=3300–3301|date=1 July 1881}}
27. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.fortyfirst.org/the-regiment-1719-to-now.html|title=The Regiment, 1719 to Now|first=Jim |last=Yaworsky|publisher=The Forty First|accessdate=31 March 2019}}
28. ^Westlake, p. 76
29. ^{{Cite newspaper The Times |articlename=Naval & Military intelligence| day_of_week=Friday |date=10 October 1902 |page_number=9 |issue=36895}}
30. ^{{cite web |title=6th (Caernarvonshire and Anglesey) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers |url=https://wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/battalion.php?pid=880 |website=Wartime Memories |accessdate=1 April 2019}}
31. ^{{cite web|url= http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1908/mar/31/territorial-and-reserve-forces-act-1907|title=Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907|publisher=Hansard|date=31 March 1908|accessdate=20 June 2017}}
32. ^These were the 3rd Battalion (Special Reserve), with the 4th (Denbighshire) Battalion at Poyser Street in Wrexham, the 5th (Flintshire) Battalion at the Castle Precinct in Flint (since demolished), the 6th (Caernarvonshire and Anglesey) Battalion at Caernarfon Barracks in Caernarfon and the 7th (Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire) Battalion at Back Lane in Newtown (all Territorial Force).
33. ^¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹{{cite web|url=http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/royal-welsh-fusiliers/|title=Royal Welch Fusiliers|publisher=The Long, Long Trail|accessdate=3 July 2016}}
34. ^{{cite web|url=https://wartimememoriesproject.com/greatwar/allied/alliedarmy-view.php?pid=7367|title=2nd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers|publisher=Wartime Memories Project|accessdate=4 February 2019}}
35. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.christmastruce.co.uk/frelinghien.html |title=Frelinghien |publisher=Christmas Truce |accessdate=3 July 2016 |deadurl=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091228090201/http://www.christmastruce.co.uk/frelinghien.html |archivedate=28 December 2009 }}
36. ^{{cite web|title=Royal Welsh Fusiliers|url=https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/317/royal-welsh-fusiliers/|website=Forces War Records|accessdate=23 April 2015}}
37. ^Peter Simkins, Kitchener’s Army: The Raising of the New Armies 1914 – 1916 (2007)
38. ^{{cite book|last=Richards|first=Frank|title=Old Soldiers Never Die|publisher=Naval & Military Press|date=2001|isbn=978-1843420262}}
39. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.royalwelsh.org.uk/regiment/history-regiment-timeline.htm|title=Timeline|publisher=Royal Welsh|accessdate=3 July 2016}}
40. ^Joslen, p. 240
41. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.burmastar.org.uk/stories/2nd-british-division/|title=2nd British Division|publisher=Burma Star Association|accessdate=3 July 2016}}
42. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/webeasycms/hold/uploads/bmh_document_pdf/36_Indian_Infantry_Division.pdf|title=36th Division|publisher=British Military History|accessdate=3 July 2016}}
43. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2008/09/19/lord_slim_feature.shtml|title=The Greatest Commander of the 20th Century?|publisher=BBC|accessdate=3 July 2016}}
44. ^Joslen, p. 346
45. ^Barclay, p. 125
46. ^Joslen, pp. 87–88
47. ^Joslen, p. 374
48. ^Horn, p. 270
49. ^Harclerode, pp. 425–426
50. ^{{cite journal |last1=Nachmani |first1=Amikam |title=Civil War and Foreign Intervention in Greece: 1946-49 |journal=Journal of Contemporary History |date=1990 |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=490-494 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/260759}}
51. ^{{cite web|url=http://nigelef.tripod.com/regtsumm.htm|title=Field Artillery Formations and Regiments of the Royal Artillery in World War 2|accessdate=27 February 2017}}
52. ^{{cite web |last1=Ware |first1=Jonathan |title=116 (Royal Welch) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment |url=http://www.jonathanhware.com/116-rw-light-anti-aircraft-regiment.html |website=Jonathan Ware |accessdate=1 April 2019}}
53. ^{{cite web|last1=Barton|first1=Derek|title=116 Light AA Regiment RA(TA)|url=http://www.ra39-45.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/laa/page110.html|website=The Royal Artillery 1939–1945|accessdate=27 February 2017}}
54. ^¹{{cite web|url=http://www.nam.ac.uk/research/famous-units/royal-welch-fusiliers|title=Royal Welch Fusiliers|publisher=National Army Museum|accessdate=24 May 2014|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225230345/http://www.nam.ac.uk/research/famous-units/royal-welch-fusiliers|archivedate=25 February 2014|df=dmy-all}}
55. ^{{cite hansard | house=House of Commons |title=Sittings of the House| url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199495/cmhansrd/1995-05-31/Debate-1.html | date = 31 May 1995 | column_start = 999 | column_end = 1009}}
56. ^{{Cite news|title=Conflict in the Balkans: The Peacekeepers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/30/world/conflict-in-the-balkans-the-peacekeepers-at-risk-british-troops-keep-watch.html|publisher=New York Times|date=30 May 1995}}
57. ^{{Cite news|title=Commander in Bosnia mission impossible|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/2534831.stm|publisher=BBC|date=5 December 2002}}
58. ^{{Cite news|title=Bosnia's troops' tally of medal set a record|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/bosnia-troops-tally-of-medals-sets-a-record-1346463.html|publisher=The Independent|date=10 May 1996}}
59. ^{{Cite news|title=Fusiliers' battle to save Bosnians|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/2535155.stm|publisher=BBC|date=5 December 2002}}
60. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.rwfmuseum.org.uk/|title=The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum|accessdate=24 May 2014}}
61. ^¹²³⁴{{cite web|url=http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/023RWF.htm |title=The Royal Welch Fusiliers |publisher=regiments.org |accessdate=6 September 2016 |deadurl=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210172935/http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/023RWF.htm |archivedate=10 February 2006 |df= }}
62. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.victoriacrossonline.co.uk/edward-w-d-bell-vc/4585969261|title=Edward William Derrington Bell VC, CB|publisher=The Comprehensive Guide to the Victoria Cross and George Cross|accessdate= 20 July 2017}}
63. ^{{London Gazette|issue=22248|page=1482|date=12 April 1859}}
64. ^{{London Gazette|issue=29210|page=6269|date=29 June 1915}}
65. ^{{cite web|title=Sergeant John COLLINS|url=http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/pucollin.htm|publisher=Victoria Cross Society|accessdate=27 April 2014}}
66. ^{{London Gazette|issue=30272|supp=y|page=9260|date=4 September 1917}}
67. ^{{London Gazette |issue=29765|date=26 September 1916 |page=9418|supp=y }}
68. ^{{cite web|last1=Freeman|first1=Colin|title=How Gertrude Bell Caused a Desert Storm|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/museums/10651309/How-Gertrude-Bell-caused-a-desert-storm.html|website=The Telegraph|accessdate=23 April 2015}}
69. ^{{London Gazette |issue=29765|date=26 September 1916|page=9418|supp=y }}
70. ^{{London Gazette|issue= 31155|date=28 January 1919 |page=1504|supp=y}}
71. ^{{London Gazette|issue=31012|supp=y|page=13473|date=12 November 1918}}
72. ^{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/8100259.stm|title=Soldiers choose regimental goat|publisher=BBC|date=15 June 2009|accessdate=24 May 2014}}
73. ^¹{{cite web|url=http://british-cemetery-elvas.org/fusiliers.html|title=23rd Foot - 7th Foot|accessdate=23 May 2014}}
74. ^British Army Uniforms & Insignia of World War Two; Brian L. Davis
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76. ^{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions: What is "The Flash"?|url=http://www.rwfmuseum.org.uk/en_faq.html|publisher=Royal Welch Fusiliers Regimental Museum|accessdate=19 June 2013}}
77. ^{{cite book|title=Goodbye To All That|authorlink=Robert Graves|page=85|last=Graves|first=Robert|year=1929|publisher=Anchor}}
78. ^{{cite book|title=The Great War and Modern Memory|last=Fussell|first=Paul|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199971978|year=2013}}
79. ^{{cite news|title=The Wearing Of The Flash. Royal Welch Fusiliers' Distinction. |date=29 January 1924|newspaper=The Times|page=14}}
80. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.nyc-techwriters.com/militaria/british_helmets1.htm|title=British Headdress (1856-current)|accessdate=23 May 2014}}