1st Welsh Regiment 21.4.45

Owen -
All very well BUT - who were they with when they landed on Sicily and Italy - that period of July '43 - Oct' 43 when they took off for Egypt again ?

To my knowledge - only 5th - 78th(parts of ) and 1st Canadian went from Messina to Reggio on Sept 3rd ???

Again on their return at the back end of July '44 when they went on to Croce / Gemmano where 46th and 56th and 7th Armoured bde. were being cut to pieces - as of 3rd Sept when we were all on the Foglia ?

They do show up on the 56th OB as being fourth Batt in 168th Bde !
Cheers

You may be right that ex Gunners were drafted to Infantry as was Ron after the Gothic Line - e.g Rimini fell to the Greeks / 1st Bde of 1st Canadian on Sept 21/22.

 

Thank you for your posts i'll have a proper read through this evening when i have some time

I've come accross this relating to Sept 1942

Order of Battle

 

1945 -
I wouildn't place too much credence on that report - it a bit like swiss cheese -It's full of holes - the 15th Army group did not come into anything until the North African campaign had ceased and the planning for the invasion of Sicily was well under way - the 2nd South African Division was put in the bag in june '42 at Tobruk - Monty was GOC 8th Army - there was a fictional 9th army - BUT that was in Palestine along with the fictional 10th army - they are mixed up with 9th CORPS of which was finally 1st Army GOC -LT.Gen. Kenneth Anderson.....
Cheers

 

Thanks Tom, I'll try and stick to reliable sources from now on, or i'll end up confusing things it seems.

 

Bit of info about the 14th Brigade in Crete May 1941 which SEEMS to tie in

Here:
Commonwealth Forces in Crete May 1941

Heavy British losses occurred on May 27th, when Force Reserve the 1st Welch Regiment and the remnants of the Rangers and Northumberland Hussars went forward to hold the German advance on Suda and Canea
and some info here from the London Irish at war site about the gothic line september 44, this seems to tie in to Owens 168 Brigade listing.

" The 56th (London) Division had six thousand casualties in the heavy fighting of September, and a drastic reorganisation had to be made. 168 Brigade, which had existed as a very successful entity since training days in England, was disbanded. The 1st Battalion Welch Regiment was dissolved, as were two other battalions in the division. The London Irish, reinforced to three companies by men from the Welch Regiment, became part of 167 Brigade, with the London Scottish and the 9th Battalion Royal Fusiliers".


I'm updating the time line on paper with as much info as possible to get as full a picture as possible.

Thanks all.

 

Owen -
so they were attached to 50th Div for the landings - they sure got around a bit - and they must have been attached to someone else for the landings at Reggio ??? - then they went off to Egypt -in October again with whom as 56th Div - 46th and 78th didn't go until Anzio and Rome around july '44
Cheers

 

Owen -
bet they were glad to get back to Egypt for a rest from all those different commands - didn't last long though !

 

Thanks both, i am putting all this info on a spreadsheet so i dont get too confused with it all.

I've come across a lot of references concering the 1st Welch and the New Zealanders such as

Headquarters New Zealand Division was then at Fayid, 4 Brigade at Kabrit, 5 Brigade on Great Bitter Lake and 6 Brigade at Maadi. The Divisional Cavalry Regiment, which had carried on with 2 South African Division in Cyrenaica, had rejoined the Division and was refitting at Maadi. The only units still to rejoin the Division were companies of the Army Service Corps serving British formations of the Eighth Army. One of the companies, 4 Reserve Mechanical Transport, had the ill-luck to be in a convoy which ran into the enemy advancing from Agheila. The New Zealanders had men of the 1st Battalion Welch Regiment in twelve trucks and were taking them forward from Benghazi. The convoy was surrounded. The New Zealanders destroyed their trucks and, with the British troops, set out on foot in small groups in an attempt to slip through the enemy columns. Only four of the New Zealanders escaped,
Other instances include rugby matches and using the 1st Welch defensive positions once unocupied. I'm looking into whether they served in the same brigade at some point along the way. May be barking up totally the wrong tree of course, as i have nothing like the knowlege you guys have.

 

1945- Welch -
just make sure that you have timeline going on your spreadsheet as you will be confused with the toing and froing that went on in the Desert -

for example
the first advance by Rommel was from El AGEILA in 1941 just after O'Conner wiped up Graziani's army at Beda Fomm - then came news of the 4th Indian Div going to Ethiopia as well as the Kiwis going to Greece/ Crete etc - O'Conner was left with very little as the Australians - at that time were at Benghaz - and heading back to Egypt
along with the remnant fo 7th armoured to be replace by 2nd Armoured - who were wiped up when Rommell approached Benghazi ......so you see it was a lot of fun in those days - it also happened again when we lost the Gazala gallop on the way back to El Alamien...toing and froing !

So have a look at the battle of Beda Fomm on google - that will set a timeline for that era
Cheers

 

Thanks Tom, maybe i should post it now and again as i update it so i can get your input?.. once completed to as good as we can get it..it would serve as a good aid to others researching the 1st Welch then.. just a thought.

 

Thanks Owen, that clears that up for me. I'll get a copy of Tiger Kills i think, but the De Courcy book for £85 is a bit expensive for me at the moment..but will keep an eye out for a cheaper copy on ebay etc.

 

The War Graves Photographic Project

Here's his grave stone now in Faenza War Cemetery

Hi 1945Welch my Grand Uncle Corporal Kenneth Walker died during The Battle of Croce on 9th September 1944 and was also in 1st Bn Welch Regiment, Can I ask how you came by you grave picture and would know if there are similar grave pictures for Coriano Ridge Graves as I only have this one

 

Here is a section from the 1st Welch Regiment history of the dates from 20-22 April 1945.