Medals of the South Wales Borderers

Lord Gifford

For his gallant conduct during the operations, and especially at the taking of Becquah. The Officer commanding the Expeditionary Force reports that Lord Gifford was in charge of the Scouts after the Army crossed the Prah, and that it is no exaggeration to say that since the Adansi Hills were passed, he daily carried his life in his hand in the performance of his most dangerous duties. He hung upon the rear of the enemy, discovering their position, and ferreting out their intentions. With no other white man with him, he captured numerous prisoners ; but Sir Garnet Wolseley brings Him forward for this mark of Royal favour most especially for his conduct at the taking of Becquah, into which place he penetrated with his scouts before the troops carried it, when his gallantry and courage were most conspicuous (LG 31st March, 1874)

Capt.( A/Lt-Col.) Johnson

Capt. (A./Lt.-Col.) Dudley Graham Johnson, D.S.O., M.C., S.W. Bord. attd. 2nd Bn.,R. Suss. R. For most conspicuous bravery and leadership during the forcing of the Sambre Canal on the 4th November, 1918. The 2nd Infantry Brigade, of which the 2nd Bn., R. Suss. R., formed part, was ordered to cross by the lock South of Catillon. The position was strong, and before the bridge could be thrown a steep bank leading up to the lock and a waterway about100 yards short of the canal had to be crossed. The assaulting platoons and bridging parties, R.E., on their arrival at the waterway were thrown into confusion by a heavy barrage and machine-gun fire, and heavy casualties were caused. At this moment Lt.-Col. Johnson arrived, and, realising the situation, at once collected men to man the 'bridges and assist the R.E., and personally led the assault. In spite of his efforts heavy enemy fire again broke up the assaulting and bridging parties. Without any hesitation, he again reorganised the platoons and bridging parties and led them at the lock, this time succeeding in effecting a crossing, after which all went well. During all this time Lt.-Col. Johnson was under a very heavy fire, which, though it nearly decimated the assaulting columns, left him untouched. His conduct was a fine example of great valour, coolness and intrepidity, which, added to his splendid leadership and the offensive spirit that he had inspired in his battalion, were entirely responsible for the successful crossing. (LG 3rd Jan 1919)

Capt. Johnson

C.S.M. Williams

No. 20408 C.S.M. John Henry Williams, D.C.M., M.M., 10th Bn., S. Wales Bord. (Cwm, Mon.). For most conspicuous bravery, initiative and devotion to duty on the night of 7/8th. October, 1918, during the attack on Villers Outreaux, when observing that his company was suffering heavy casualties from an enemy machine gun, he ordered a Lewis gun to engage it, and went forward under heavy fire to the flank of the enemy post, which he rushed single handed, capturing fifteen of the enemy. These prisoners, realising that C.S.M. Williams was alone, turned on him, and one of them gripped his rifle. He succeeded in breaking away and bayoneting five enemy, whereupon the remainder again surrendered. By his gallant action and total disregard of personal danger, he was the means of enabling not only his own company, but also those on the flanks, to advance. (LG 14th December 1918)

Sgt. White

No. 24866 Sjt. Albert White. 2nd Battalion . For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. Realising during an attack that one of the enemy's machine guns, which had previously been located, would probably hold up the whole advance of his Company, Sjt. White, without the slightest hesitation, and regardless of all personal danger, dashed ahead of his Company to capture the gun. When within a few yards of the gun he fell riddled with bullets, having thus willingly sacrificed his life in order that he might secure the success of the operations and the welfare of his comrades. Monchy-le-Preux, France 19 May 1917 (LG 27th June 1917)

Sgt. Rees.

No. (20002 Sjt. Ivor Rees (Llanelly) 11th Battalion. For most conspicuous bravery in attack. A hostile machine gun opened fire at close range, inflicting many casualties. Leading his platoon forward by short rushes, Sjt. Rees gradually worked his way round the right flank to the rear of the gun position. When he was about twenty yards from the machine gun he rushed forward towards the team, shot one, and bayonetted another. He then bombed the large concrete emplacement, killing five and capturing thirty prisoners, of whom two were officers, in addition to an undamaged machine gun. Pilckem, Belgium, 31st July 1917 (LG 14th Sept 1917)

Pte. Fynn

No. 1/11220 Pte. James Henry Fynn. 4th Battalion. For most conspicuous bravery. After a night attack he was one of a small party which dug in in front of our advanced line and about 300 yards from the enemy's trenches. Seeing several wounded men lying out in front he went out and bandaged them all under heavy fire, making several journeys in order to do so. He then went back to our advanced trench for a stretcher and, being unable to get one, he himself carried on his back a badly wounded man into safety. He then returned and, aided by another man who was wounded during the act, carried in another badly wounded man. He was under continuous fire while performing this gallant work. Sanna-i-Yat, Mesopotamia 9th April 1916 (LG 26th September 1916)

Lt. Buchanan

Lt. (temp. Capt.) Angus Buchanan.4th Battalion. For most conspicuous bravery. During an attack an officer was lying out in the open severely wounded about 150 yards from cover. Two men went to his assistance and one of them was hit at once. Captain Buchanan, on seeing this, immediately went out and, with the help of the other man, carried the wounded officer to cover under heavy machine gun fire. He then returned and brought in the wounded man, again under heavy fire. Falauyah Lines, Mesopotamia 5th April 1916. (LG 26th Sept 1916)


	awaiting more insignia pics
The bi-metal cap badge of the regiment, a wreath of Immortelles with the Sphinx and Egypt tablet over the initials S.W.B.
Kipling and King 625
© Images Copyright ©

	The South Wales Borderers
	1689 - 1969


Titles
pre 1881		post 1881
1st Battalion, 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot		1st Battalion, The South Wales Borderers
2nd Battalion, 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot		2nd Battalion, The South Wales Borderers

Earliest recognised formation:	1689; when raised in Ireland as Dering's Regiment, being titled the 24th Regiment of foot in 1751.

Motto:	???

Regimental Journal:	Journal of the South Wales Borderers (1931-69) replacing an earlier annual newsletter (1926-30)

WWI:	Battle Honours; 64	Victoria Crosses; 6	Died; 5600
WWII:	Battle Honours; 20	Victoria Crosses; 0	Died; ????

Amalgamated:	1969, with The Welch Regiment, to form The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot)

A 2nd Battalion was operational 1804-1814.( disbanded 1814, not reformed again until 1858)

Egypt Campaign 1801 (1st Battalion) and the Peninsula War 1808 - 1814 (2nd Battalion)

Military General Service Medal. 1793 - 1814

clasp:

Egypt

Talavera

Busaco

Fuentes d' Onor

Ciudad Rodrigo

Badajos

number:

115

clasp:

Salamanca

Vittoria

Pyrenees

Nivelle

Orthes

Total Medals

Max clasps

number:

184

Surgeon John Fretwell Wylde received a seven clap medal with "Toulouse", but that clasp was for service with the 4th Dragoons, and Lt. Jos. Anderson received a "Maida" clasp to his 4 clasp medal for earlier service with the 78th Regiment.

Battle Honours: Talavera, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onor, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthes, Peninsula; and a Sphinx superscribed Egypt was permitted to be borne on the colours

Nepal War 1814-16

Army of India Medal 1799 - 1826

clasp:

Nepaul

number:

The Second Sikh War 1848 -1849.

The Punjab Medal 1848-49

clasp:

Mooltan

Chilianwala

Goojerat

number:

1060

694

Battle Honours: Chillianwallah, Goojerat, Punjaub

1858: 2nd Battalion reformed. 1867: 2nd Battalion awarded 5 VCs for Little Andaman Island.

Lt. Edric Gifford, (3rd Baron Gifford) of the 2nd Btn, was awarded a VC for service in the 1873-74 Ashanti Campaign

South Africa: Kaffir and Zulu Wars 1877-79 Both battalions present.

South Africa Medal 1877-79

clasp:

...none....

1877-8

1877-8-9

1878

1878-9

1879

total

1st Battalion

number:

157

526

663

1404

2nd Battalion

number:

290

823

163

1331

The regiment won 10 VCs during this campaign, suffering grievous losses at Isandhlwana, and famously defended Rorke's Drift although vastly outnumbered. See Isandhlwana Casualty List and the VC Page for this Campaign for more details

Battle Honour: South Africa 1877-9

Third Anglo-Burmese War 1885-87, and aftermath. 2nd Battalion

India General Service Medal 1854 - 95

clasp:

Burma 1885-7

Burma 1887-89

number:

Battle Honour: Burma 1885-7

South African War 1899 - 1902 or "Boer War" 2nd Battalion ( Feb 1900-end of the war.) with a small detachment serving as Mounted Infantry. (Also volunteer drafts from the volunteer battalions: 1st , 2nd, 3rd and 4th [late Brecknockshire Btn and Monmouthshire Regiment Btns.], all contributed.)

Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, with or without the King's South Africa Medal 1901 - 1902

Common clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902; also:

2nd + MI

clasp:

Relief of Kimberley

Paardeberg

Driefontein

Johannesburg

Diamond Hill

Wittebergen

number:

scarce

Casualties:

Officers

NCOs and Men

KIA & DOW/ DOD

Wounded

Missing / POW

KIA & DOW

Death from disease

Wounded

Missing / POW

2nd Battalion, February 1900 - end of war

2 / 1

165

Battle Honour: South Africa 1900-1902

The Great War 1914 - 1918 ( 18 battalions; 11 served overseas:- )

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

Battalion →

1/1

Brecknock
-shire

date of first overseas service.
(first theatre red x )

13/8
1914

23/9
1914

3/12
1914

15/7
1915

16/7
1915

25/9
1915

6/9
1915

4/12
1915

2/6
1916

France & Flanders

Gallipoli

x
(25/4/15)

Egypt & Palestine

Mesopotamia

Macedonia

Aden

x
(16/12/14)

North China

India

Star
possible ?

1914 or 1914-15

or 1914-15 only

VCs at a glance:

died
Extracted from : "Soldiers / Officers Died in the Great War" (consider approximate - in addition the regiment as a whole lost an additional 125 officers who are recorded with 'battalion not shown' or with battalions not shown here, or who we have not yet allocated a battalion.)

1227

1443

578

442

398

182

101

473

310

239

Regular

Territorial Force

New Armies

Garrison.

Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19
49 officers and men of the South Wales Borderers also qualified for this medal.

VCs: 6; Buchanan, Fynn, Rees, White, Williams, Johnson. (Johnson attached to 2nd Royal Sussex Regiment)

Battle Honours: Mons; Marne 1914; Ypres 1914, 1917, 1918; Gheluvelt; Somme 1916, 1918; Cambrai 1917, 1918; Doiran 1917, 1918; Landing at Helles; Baghdad; Tsingtao. Retreat from Mons; Aisne 1914, 1918; Langemarck 1914, 1917; Nonne Bosschen; Givenchy 1914; Aubers; Loos; Albert 1916, 1918; Bazentin; Pozières; Flers-Courcelette; Morval; Ancre Heights; Ancre 1916; Arras 1917, 1918; Scarpe 1917; Messines 1917, 1918; Pilckem; Menin Road; Polygon Wood; Broodseinde; Poelcapelle; Passchendaele; St Quentin; Bapaume 1918; Lys; Estaires; Hazebrouck; Bailleul; Kemmel; Béthune; Scherpenberg; Drocourt-Quéant; Hindenburg Line; Havrincourt; Epéhy; St Quentin Canal; Beaurevoir; Courtrai; Selle; Valenciennes; Sambre; France and Flanders 1914-18; Macedonia 1915-18; Helles; Krithia; Suvla; Sari Bair; Scimitar Hill; Gallipoli 1915-16; Egypt 1916; Tigris 1916; Kut al Amara 1917; Mesopotamia 1916-18.

Operations on the North West Frontier 1936-39 1st Battalion

India General Service Medal 1936-39

clasp:

North West Frontier 1937-36

North West Frontier 1937-39

numbers:

Jewish / Arab unrest, Palestine 1936 - 39 2nd Battalion

General Service Medal 1918 -62

clasp:

Palestine

numbers:

WW2 1939 - 1945
Battalion →	1st	2nd	6th
campaign ↓
Norway: 1940		x
North Africa & Middle East	x
Burma			x
Sicily / Italy
N.W. Europe		x

Notes.
	Stationed at Landi Kotal at the start. moved to Iraq 16/11/41 under 20th Ind Inf Bde 10th Ind Inf Div. Palestine-Lybia-Egypt 30/5/42-17/7/42 -heavy casualties - amalgamated with 1st King's Own 29/8/42 at Cyprus.	24th Inf Bde. (Guards) served "Avonfoce", "Rupertforce" and NWEF* (Norway) 15/4/40 - 6/6/40 . Returned to the UK D-Day Landers with 56th Inf Bde. 6/6/44	Reconverted from 158 RAC 1/4/43. 72nd Ind Inf Bde, moved to the Arakan 13/1/44



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


*British North West Expeditionary Force

Two battalions, the 2nd and 3rd, of the affiliated Monmouthshire Regiment served in the NW Europe theatre, gaining entitlement to a France and Germany Star: Edward Thomas Chapman of the 3rd Battalion gained a VC for his gallantry at the Dortmund-Ems canal, Germany.

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

Battle Honours: Norway 1940; Normandy Landing; Sully; Caen; Le Havre; North-West Europe 1944-5; North Africa 1942; Mayu Tunnels; Pinwe; Burma 1944-5. Falaise; Risle Crossing; AntwerpTurnhoudt Canal; Scheldt; Zetten; Arnhem 1945; Gazala; North Arakan; Schweli; Myitson.

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

General Service Medal 1918 -62

clasp:

Palestine 1945-48

number:

1948: Regulars reduced to a single battalion (the 1st)

The Malaya Emergency: Operations against Communist insurgents. 1948-60 1st Battalion (1955-58)

General Service Medal 1918 - 62

clasp:

Malaya

number:

Indonesian Confrontation, North Borneo 1962-1966 Detachments, 1st Battalion (3 platoons attached to 1st Scots Guards, 1st DLI and 1st Gord High. 1965-66)

General Service Medal 1962-

clasp:

Borneo

numbers:

Aden 1964 - 67 1st Battalion, less 1 Coy. (Jan- Sept 1967)

General Service Medal 1962-2007

clasp:

South Arabia

numbers:

Selected Links
The Regimental Museum. (Located in )



Selected Bibliography;

Author	Title	Publisher
Col. George Paton, Col. Farquhar Glennie, Col. William Penn Symons, Lieut.-Col. H. B. Moffat. (Eds)	Historical Records of the 24th Regiment, from its Formation in 1689. 371 pp.	London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., 1892
C. T. Atkinson.	The History of the South Wales Borderers, 1914-1918. 614 pp.	London: The Medici Society, 1931
C. T. Atkinson	The South Wales Borderers, 24th Foot, 1689-1937. 601 pp	Cambridge: printed for the Regimental History Committee at the University Press, 1937.
Lt.-Col. G. A. Brett (I & III &V) Major J. T. Boon (II) Major J. J. How (IV)	History of the South Wales Borderers and The Monmouthshire Regiment, 1937-1952. 5 parts. Part I. By Lt.-Col. G. A. Brett. 132 pp. 1953. Part II. The 2nd Battalion, the South Wales Borderers. D-Day, 1944 to 1945. By Major J. T. Boon. 146 pp. 1955. Part 111. The 2nd Battalion The Monmouthshire Regiment, 1933-1952. By Lt.-Col. G. A. Brett. 126 pp. 1953. Part IV. The 3rd Battalion The Monmouthshire Regiment. By Major J. J. How. 134 pp. 1954, Part V. The 6th Battalion the South Wales Borderers, 1940-1945. By Lieut.-Col. G. A. Brett. 86 pp. 1956.	Pontypool: Hughes and Son Ltd., 1953-56.
Lieut.-Col. Andrew John Macpherson.	Rambling Reminiscences of the Punjaub Campaign, 1848-49, with a Brief History of the 24th Regiment from 1689-1889. 104 pp.	Chatham: Mackay & Co., 1889
J. Adams.	The South Wales Borderers. 157 pp.	London: Hamish Hamilton, 1968.
N. Holme	Medal Roll (1793-1885) 24th Foot. 302 pp.	London: J. B. Hayward, 1971
Richard Miers	Shoot to Kill (1st Battalion S. Wales Borderers, Malaya 1950-57). 216 pp.	London: Faber, 1959.
Anon.	South Wales Borderers. 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers South African War 1899-1900. 119 pp.	John Murray, 1902, for private circulation
Norman Holme	The Silver Wreath. Being the 24th Regt. at Isandhlwana and Rorke's Drift, 1879. 102 pp.	?? 1979

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