Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards ( WG ) , ( ) part of the Guards Division , is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army . Creation . The Welsh Guards came into existence on 26 February 1915 by Royal Warrant of His Majesty King George V in order to include Wales in the national component to the Foot Guards , " " . . though the order to raise the regiment had been given by the King to Earl Kitchener , Secretary of State for War , on 6 February 1915 . " " They were the last of the Guards to be created , with the Irish Guards coming into being in 1900 . Just three days later the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards mounted its first King ' s Guard at Buckingham Palace on 1 March 1915 – St David ' s Day . On 17 August 1915 the 1st Battalion sailed for France to join the Guards Division to commence its participation in the First World War . Its first battle was some months after its initial arrival , at Loos on 27 September 1915 . The regiment ' s first Victoria Cross came two years later in July 1917 awarded to Sergeant Robert Bye . Dress . One way to distinguish between the regiments of Foot Guards is the spacing of buttons on the tunic . The " Welsh Guards " have buttons arranged in groups of five . Inter - War . Soon after the end of the war in 1918 the " 1st Welsh Guards " returned home and where they would be based for much of the inter - war period , performing training and ceremonial duties , such as the Changing of the Guard and Trooping the Colour . In 1929 the " 1st Welsh Guards " deployed to Egypt where they joined the Cairo Brigade where they stayed for only a brief period of time , returning home in 1930 . Just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War the " 1st Welsh Guards " were dispatched to Gibraltar where they remained upon the outbreak of war in September 1939 . The 2nd Battalion , Welsh Guards was created on 18 May 1939 . Second World War . The regiment was increased to three Battalions during the Second World War . The 1st Battalion fought valiantly in all the campaigns of the North - West European Theatre . The 2nd Battalion fought in Boulogne in 1940 whilst the 1st fought in Belgium as part of the British Expeditionary Force . In May 1940 at the Battle of Arras , the " Welsh Guards " gained their second Victoria Cross by Lieutenant The Hon . Christopher Furness who was killed in the action . The " Welsh Guards " were subsequently part of the legendary Evacuation of Dunkirk that saw over 340 , 000 British and French troops return to the UK against all odds . The 3rd Battalion Welsh Guards was formed at Beavers Camp , Hounslow on 24 October 1941 . In 1943 the 3rd Battalion fought throughout the arduous Tunisian North African Campaign and Italian Campaigns . While they battled on in those theatres the 1st and 2nd joined the Guards Armoured Division , with the 1st Battalion being infantry and the 2nd armoured . The two battalions worked closely , being the first troops to re - enter Brussels on 3 September 1944 after an advance of 100 miles in one day in what was described as ' an armoured lash unequalled for speed in this or any other war ' led by Major - General Sir Allan Henry Adair . Postwar . Shortly after the end of the war the " 3rd Battalion " was disbanded while the " 2nd Battalion " was placed in suspended animation . In 1947 the " 1st Welsh Guards " were dispatched to Palestine , then under British control , while it was in a volatile and violent situation . The " Welsh Guards " were part of the 1st Guards Brigade and performed internal security ( IS ) duties while there , before leaving in 1948 during the British withdrawal and when the state of Israel was declared . The Regiment had its colour trooped for the first time in 1949 . In 1950 the regiment arrived in West Germany as part of the 4th Guards Brigade , part of the British Army of the Rhine ( BAOR ) . In 1952 the " regiment " joined the Berlin Brigade in West Berlin , an enclave in Communist East Germany during tense times between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Warsaw Pact . The " Welsh Guards " returned home the following year and soon after deployed to the British - controlled Suez Canal Zone ( SEZ ) in Egypt . As previously in Palestine , the " Welsh Guards " ' time in Egypt was quite turbulent . They performed internal security duties there . They remained in the SEZ until the British withdrawal in 1956 . Shortly afterwards the British Army would be embroiled in the Suez War with Egypt , though the " Welsh Guards " were not to be involved directly . In 1960 the regiment deployed to West Germany again , and in 1965 to Aden , another part of the declining British Empire . They were to return home the following year . In 1970 the " regiment " arrived again in West Germany , this time at Munster , as part of 4th Armoured Brigade . In 1972 came deployment to Northern Ireland , then embroiled in violence later known as " The Troubles " . During its tour of duty the " regiment " lost Sergeant Phillip Price in a terrorist attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on the Oxford Street Bus Depot in Belfast , one of a series of terrorist attacks in the city which became known as " Bloody Friday " . The following year the " Welsh Guards " were dispatched to the province again and during this period lost Guardsman David Roberts in a landmine explosion . In 1976 the " Welsh Guards " were part of the British contingent of the United Nations force deployed to Cyprus in the aftermath of the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974 . In 1977 the regiment arrived in West Berlin again , and then in 1979 once more in the midst of the volatile situation in Northern Ireland , they lost Guardsman Paul Fryer to a booby trap bomb . On 9 July 1981 , Daniel Barrett , aged 15 years , was sitting on the garden wall of his home in Havana Court , Ardoyne , North Belfast , when he was shot dead by a soldier of the Welsh Guards . Falklands War . In 1982 , the " Welsh Guards " ( CO Lieutenant - Colonel John Rickett ) formed part of the 5th Infantry Brigade of the British Task Force sent to liberate the Falkland Islands from Argentinian occupation during the Falklands War . On 7 June they were on board the ill - fated " Sir Galahad " , which was accompanied by " Sir Tristram " , waiting to be landed at Bluff Cove though they were delayed from doing so . However , attack was imminent after the landing craft were spotted by Argentinian observers . At 2 : 00 am , five Dagger and five A - 4 Skyhawk aircraft were seen over the Falklands . Shortly afterwards , the Daggers were the first to attack . They hit the frigate HMS " Plymouth " with cannon fire as well as bombs . Only a short time later , the Skyhawks reached Fitzroy , with three of the aircraft hitting the " Sir Galahad " two or more times with horrific consequences . " Sir Tristram " was also hit which killed two crewmen , both ships were ablaze . The attack on " Sir Galahad " culminated in high casualties , 48 dead , 32 of them " Welsh Guards " , 11 other Army personnel and five crewmen from " Sir Galahad " herself . There were many wounded , many suffering from horrendous burns caused by fire from the burning ships , the best known being Simon Weston . The burnt - out " Sir Galahad " was later scuttled at sea to allow her to become a war grave . " Sir Tristram " herself was repaired and rebuilt in 1985 . The " Welsh Guards " returned home soon after the war concluded . Although they did not feature in any major engagement as a unit , members of the " regiment " were awarded 1 Military Cross ( MC ) and 3 Military Medal s ( MM ) . The " regiment " ' was awarded the theatre honour " Falkland Islands 1982 " . See Casualties of the Battle of Bluff Cove Present day . In 1984 the " Welsh Guards " arrived in Hohne , West Germany as part of the 22nd Armoured Brigade and two years later arrived in Northern Ireland for another tour - of - duty before returning to Germany . The regiment returned home in 1988 and in 1992 arrived in NI for a 2 - year deployment as part of 8th Infantry Brigade . In October 1995 " In the Company of Men " , Three 1 hour documentary films by Molly Dineen about " The Prince of Wales " company of the " Welsh Guards " on a tour of duty in Northern Ireland was screened on BBC 2 Television . On 6 September 1997 , 12 Guardsmen of the " Welsh Guards " led by the adjutant of the 1st Battalion " The Prince of Wales " Company , Captain Richard Williams , hero in 1993 of the Khmer Rouge incident in which he was captured defending civilians there , were pulled from security patrols in South Armagh , Northern Ireland and together with members of the King ' s Troop , Royal Horse Artillery escorted the casket of Diana , Princess of Wales , from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey . In 2002 the regiment arrived in Bosnia as part of SFOR , a NATO - led force intended to ensure peace and stability in the Balkan nation . During their deployment HM the Queen Mother died . A number of officers of the Welsh Guards stood in vigil around the Queen Mother ' s coffin which was lying in state in Westminster Hall , one of a number of regiments to do so . The regiment returned home from their deployment to Bosnia later in the year . They were involved in Operation Fresco , the British armed forces response to the firefighters strike ; the " Welsh Guards " covered the Midlands area , primarily in Birmingham using the antiquated Army Green Goddess fire engines . In 2003 the Welsh Guards experienced a unique moment in the their history when they moved from Aldershot to RAF St Athan , Wales the first time the regiment has actually been based on home soil in Wales . In 2005 The Welsh Guards were part of Operation Telic and were based in Basra , Southern Iraq . Here they used valuable relationship - building skills , learnt from their time in Bosnia , to build a bond between the regiment and the locals . In 2006 , the regiment returned to London as a public duties battalion . It will alternate this role with the Grenadier Guards . The regiment deployed to Bosnia in October 2006 , replacing the 2nd Battalion , The Yorkshire Regiment . In November 2007 , the regiment deployed to Belize at short notice to take part in Jungle warfare training , they returned just before Christmas . In 2008 , the Welsh Guards moved from London to Lille Barracks in Aldershot , in preparation for deployment on Operation Herrick 10 in Afghanistan in April 2009 . In April 2009 the Welsh Guards deployed on Operation Herrick 10 in Afghanistan . Six members of the battalion were killed , among them a platoon commander , a company commander and the battalion commander . It was the first time since the Korean War that a single battalion had lost officers at these three key levels of leadership . The six - month tour was chronicled in the book Dead Men Risen ; the Welsh Guards and the Defining Story of Britain ' s War in Afghanistan by Toby Harnden , which won the Orwell Prize for Books 2012 . Lance Sergeant Tobie Fasfous was killed whilst taking part in a foot patrol alongside near Forward Operating Base Keenan , north east of Gereshk in Helmand . Lieutenant Mark Evison who died whilst leading a patrol which came under enemy fire . He was hit in the shoulder by a single round , and was evacuated back to the hospital in Camp Bastion but died of his wounds at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham . His family were with him when he died . Major Sean Birchall , OC Number IX Company , was killed by an explosion whilst in a Jackal vehicle in Basharan , near Lashkar Gah , in Helmand on 19 June 2009 . On 1 July 2009 , Lieutenant - Colonel Rupert Thorneloe was killed along with Trooper Joshua Hammond of the Second Royal Tank Regiment , following the detonation of an IED in Afghanistan under their BvS 10 Viking during Operation Panther ' s Claw . Lieutenant - Colonel Thorneloe was the highest ranking British Army officer killed since Lieutenant - Colonel ' H ' . Jones VC OBE , in the Falkland Islands . On 5 July 2009 , Lance Corporal Dane Elson , Aged 22 , was killed , following the detonation of an IED in Afghanistan . His death brings the number of Welsh Guardsmen killed in Afghanistan to five . On 10 July 2009 , it was announced that Lieutenant - Colonel Charles Antelme DSO , would take over command of the Welsh Guards from Lieutenant - Colonel Rupert Thorneloe . On 9 May 2010 , for the first time , British troops marched in Red Square to mark 65 years since the end of World War II . A detachment from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force participated in a joint parade with war time allies – Russia , US , France , Poland . The July 2013 Army plan states that 1st Battalion , The Welsh Guards will be a Foxhound mounted Battalion under 11th Infantry Brigade in Army 2020 . Training . Recruits to the Guards Division go through a thirty week grueling training programme at the Infantry Training Centre ( ITC ) and is one of the hardest basic training courses in the world and produces some of the best soldiers in the world . The training is two weeks more than the training for the Regular line infantry regiments of the British Army ; the extra training , carried out throughout the course , is devoted to drill and ceremonies . Traditions and Affiliations . The Welsh Guards and other Guards Regiments have a long standing connection to The Parachute Regiment . Guardsman who have Completed P company are Transferred into the Guards Parachute Platoon who are currently attached to 3 PARA still keeping the tradition of the No 1 ( Guards ) Independent Parachute Company who were the original Pathfinder Group of 16th Parachute Brigade now renamed 16th Air Assault Brigade . Battle honours . First World War : Loos , Bapaume 1918 , Somme 1916 – 1918 , Arras 1918 , Ginchy , Albert 1918 , Flers - Courcelette , Drocourt - Quéant , Morval , Hindenburg Line , Ypres 1917 , Havrincourt , Pilckem , Canal Du Nord , Poelcappelle , Selle , Passchendaele , Sambre , Cambrai 1917 – 1918 , France and Flanders 1915 – 1918 Second World War : Defence of Arras , Djebel el Rhorab , Boulogne 1940 , Tunis , St Omer - La - Bassee , Hammam Lif , Bourguebus Ridge , North Africa 1943 , Cagny , Monte Ornito , Mont Pincon , Liri Valley , Brussels , Monte Piccolo , Hechtel , Capture of Perugia , Nederrijn , Arezzo , Lingen , Advance to Florence , Rhineland , Gothic Line , North West Europe 1940 and 1944 – 1945 , Battaglia , Fondouk , Italy 1944 – 1945 Post Second World War Falkland Islands 1982 Afghanistan 2009