Furness
Bye
No. 939 Sjt. Robert Bye, Welsh Guards ( Penrhiwceiber, Glamorgan). For most conspicuous bravery. Sjt. Bye displayed the utmost courage and devotion to duty during an attack on the enemy's position. Seeing that the leading waves were being troubled by two enemy blockhouses, he, on his own initiative, rushed at one of them and put the garrison out of action. He then rejoined his company and went forward to the assault of the second objective. When the troops had gone forward to the attack on the third objective, a party was detailed to clear up a line of blockhouses which had been passed. Sjt. Bye volunteered to take charge of this party, accomplished his object, and took many prisoners. He subsequently advanced to the third objective, capturing a number of prisoners, thus rendering invaluable assistance to the assaulting companies. He displayed throughout the most remarkable initiative. 31 July 1917 at the Yser Canal, Belgium. LG 6/9/1917
 

Medals of the Regiments:
The Welsh Guards

 

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Welsh Guards Shoulder Title
Westlake 716		 Welsh Guards Cap Badge
Kipling and King  920

 
 

 

 

The  Welsh Guards
1915 - date
 
 
 
Earliest recognised formation: When raised in 1915 by royal warrant, increasing the number Foot Guards battalions for war service and at the same time establishing a Welsh component to the guards division.
 
Motto: "Cymru am Byth" = Wales Forever
 
Regimental Journal:  Welsh Guards Regimental Magazine
 
WWI: Battle Honours; 20 Victoria Crosses; 1 Died; 860
WWII:    Battle Honours;  26 Victoria Crosses; 1 Died;  ???
 
 
 
1st Battalion raised in Feb 1915; 2nd Battalion, Aug 1915. 2nd Battalion remained in the UK during the Great War.
 

The Great War 1914 - 1918  1st Battalion

Generally awarded the British War Medal & Victory Medal, men overseas prior to 1/1/1916 also a  1914-15 Star.

 

Landed Havre 18/8/1915 and joined the 3rd Guards Brigade, Guards Division. Battalion remained in the France and Flanders theatre for the duration.

 

Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19
1 other rank of the Welsh Guards qualified for this medal.

 


VCs: 1,  Bye

 

Battle Honours:  Loos; Ginchy; Flers-Courcelette; Morval; Pilckem; Poelcapelle; Cambrai 1917, 1918; Bapaume 1918; Canal du Nord; Sambre.  Somme 1916, 1918; Ypres 1917; Passchendaele; Arras 1918; Albert 1918; Drocourt-Queant; Hindenburg Line; Havrincourt; Selle; France and Flanders 1915-18.

 
1919 2nd Battalion disbanded
 

WW2 1939 - 1945  3 Battalions served overseas (2nd and 3rd Battalions raised for war service 1939)

Battalion → 1st 2nd 3rd
campaign ↓      
France and  Belgium 1940.
(Dunkirk )		 x x  
North Africa & Middle East     x
Burma      
Sicily / Italy     x
N.W. Europe x x  
 

Notes.
  In Gibraltar at the start, moved to France.
GHQ BEF F&B 1940
32nd Inf Brigade (Guards) 4/6/42-22/3/45
201st Guards Brigade 11/4/45 - 3/8/45		 20th Independent Infantry Brigade (Guards) for France and Belgium 1940
and
32nd Infantry Brigade (Guards) for NW Europe landed 25/6/44		 1st Independent Brigade Group (Guards)
1/3/43 - 31/8/45
 
 
 

WW2 Stars common to the Battalion. (excluding 39-45 star )
 Key: A = Africa, P = Pacific, B =  Burma, I = Italy,  F&G = France and Germany
  F&G F&G A, I
       
 

Most also entitled to the 1939-45 War Medal and many the Defence Medal

 


VCs: 1, Furness

 

Battle Honours:  Defence of Arras; Boulogne 1940; Mont Pinson; Brussels; Hechtel; Fondouk; Hammam Lif; Monte Ornito; Monte Piccolo; Battaglia.  St Omer-La Bassee; Bourguebus Ridge; Cagny; Nederrijn; Rhineland; Lingen; North-West Europe 1940, 1944-5; Djebel el Rhorab; Tunis; North Africa 1943; Liri Valley; Capture of Perugia; Arezzo; Advance to Florence; Gothic Line; Italy 1944-5.

 
1946 3rd Battalion Disbanded, 1947 2nd Battalion Disbanded.
 

Jewish / Arab Unrest,  Palestine 1945 - 48 1st  Battalion (1947)

General Service Medal 1918 -62

clasp:
Palestine 1945-48
number:?
 

1st Guards Brigade.

 
 
 

Canal Zone 1951 - 1954 1st  Battalion

General Service Medal 1918 -62

clasp:

Canal Zone

numbers:?

 

 
 
 

Aden 1964 - 67  1st  Battalion   (Oct 1965 - Oct 1966)

General Service Medal 1962-2007

clasp:
South Arabia
number: ?
 
 
 
 
 

Falklands War 1982  1st  Battalion.

South Atlantic Medal 1982

 
number: ?
 

awards 1 MC, 3 MM, 4 MID, 1OBE, 2 MBE.

Battle Honours:  Falkland Islands 1982
 
 
 

Northern Ireland "Operation Banner"  1969-2007   1st Battalion (1986 and 1992)

General Service Medal 1962-2007

clasp:

Northern Ireland

number:?

 

 
 
 

Iraq War, or Second Gulf War 2003 and Aftermath.  1st Battalion. (4 Armoured Brigade, Operation Telic 5, 2004-5)

Iraq Medal 2003-

   
number: ?
 

 

 

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Selected Links

The Regimental Museum. (Located in )
 
 
 

Selected Bibliography;

 
Author Title Publisher
C. H. Dudley Ward
Introduction by Lieut.-Gen. Sir Francis Lloyd		 History of the Welsh Guards.  505 pp. London: John Murray, 1920.
Major C. Dudley Ward The Welsh Regiment of Foot Guards, 1915-1918.  147 pp London: John Murray, 1936
?? Welsh Guards: an account of the Battle Honours awarded to the Regiment; the Great War, 1915-1918.  52 pp. Colchester: Benham & Co. Ltd., 1934
Major L. F. Ellis Welsh Guards at War.  386 pp.  Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd., 1946
Major H. M. C. Jones-Mortimer Wales and the Welsh Guards. 48 pp. [Cardiff: Western Mail & Echo Ltd.], 1948
?? Welsh Guards: a short account of their achievements. . 80 pp. Colchester: Benham & Co. Ltd. [1946]
?? Welsh Guards. An Informal Account of the Fifty Years, 1915-1965. Devonport: printed by Hiorns & Miller Ltd. 1965
     

 

Additional Bibliography for this Page.

 
Author/Compiler Title Publisher
Officers of the Regiment. Unpublished rolls in the care of the National Archives; WO 100/ etc. -
  Additional bibliography same as Northumberland Fusiliers page  
     
     
 

 

 

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