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The official page of the Welsh Guards. "Cymru Am Byth"

http://www.guardsmagazine.com/

http://www.welshguardsassociation.com/

Since 1915, we’ve developed soldiers, leaders and lifelong friendships while serving on operations, public duties and overseas deployments. The Welsh Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army who has a proud tradition of combining State Ceremonial and Public Duties with frontline infantry soldiering to the standard expected of any other UK infantry battalion. The Regiment today comprises a single Battalion equipped and trained for Light Infantry operations, and has distinguished itself with exemplary service in recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has also served on other operations in Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands and many other conflicts of the 20th Century. The Regiment has recruited largely Welshmen into its ranks from the moment of its formation and still boasts over 90% Welsh heritage. Its ranks continue to be swelled by soldiers from all over the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries but still manages to maintain its regional identity.

15/10/2026

A glimpse of the Welsh Guards on the silver screen in They Were Not Divided.

Released in 1950, the film follows members of the Guards Armoured Division from their earliest days of training to the battlefields of North West Europe during the Second World War.

Made only five years after the conflict ended, it remains a remarkable portrayal of service life, comradeship and the unmistakable character of the Welsh Guardsman.

Cymru am Byth.

14/10/2026

Morale Is Built When Nobody Is Watching.

Good morale is not created by pretending that every day is easy. It is built when conditions are difficult, people are tired and the task still has to be completed.

It is found in the teammate who notices somebody falling behind and quietly helps them. It is strengthened by leaders who communicate honestly, recognise effort and never ask others to meet a standard they would avoid themselves.

In the Welsh Guards, morale comes from shared purpose. Everyone understands that their individual effort affects the people around them. That knowledge creates pride, responsibility and a determination not to let the team down.

The strongest groups are not those that never experience difficulty. They are the ones that face it together and emerge with greater belief in one another.

What creates lasting morale in a team, and how much responsibility does each individual carry for protecting it?

Cymru Am Byth.

13/10/2026

What Makes a Leader Worth Following?

Authority may come with rank, but trust must be earned.

A credible leader remains calm when the situation becomes uncertain. They listen before making decisions, explain what is required and accept responsibility for the outcome. They know their people, recognise their strengths and understand when someone needs support.

Most importantly, they set the standard themselves.

Leadership in the Welsh Guards is not simply about giving instructions. It is about becoming someone others can rely upon when the pressure is real and the consequences matter. That ability is developed through training, experience and the willingness to learn from mistakes.

Think about the best leader you have known. Was it their confidence, competence, honesty or the way they treated people that made you trust them?

What qualities would somebody need before you would willingly follow them into a difficult situation?

Cymru Am Byth.

12/10/2026

Your questions, answered.

Thinking about joining the Welsh Guards but not sure what to expect?

You are not the only one.

How fit do you need to be? What happens if you struggle during training? Do you need qualifications? Where will you train? Do you have to be Welsh? And is life in the Welsh Guards all about ceremonial duties?

These are exactly the sort of questions people should be asking before they join.

The Welsh Guards is a frontline infantry Regiment with a unique dual role. You will train as a soldier first, developing your fitness, fieldcraft, teamwork and military skills, while also learning the standards required to represent the nation on some of its biggest Royal and State occasions.

You do not need to arrive as the finished article. Training is designed to develop you, instructors are there to help you improve, and there is support available when things become difficult.

And no, you do not have to be Welsh.

Take a look through the slides for answers to some of the questions we hear most often.

Still got something you want to know? Send us a message. There are no stupid questions when you are considering a career that could change your life.

Cymru Am Byth

09/10/2026

Faces.

Every face tells a story.

Some arrive at the Welsh Guards full of confidence. Others are quieter, still finding their feet and wondering where they fit. Some are natural leaders, some are the ones who keep everyone laughing, and some say very little but can always be relied upon when things become difficult.

We do not try to make everyone the same.

From the moment someone joins the Regiment, their character begins to develop alongside their soldiering. Confidence is built. Responsibility is given. Standards are learned. Mistakes are made, lessons are taken from them, and gradually the person who first walked through the gates begins to understand what they are capable of.
The uniform might be the same, but the personalities underneath it never are.

Spend enough time around the Welsh Guards and you will meet some extraordinary characters. The joker who can lift a section when everyone is exhausted. The quiet Guardsman who suddenly finds his voice when others need direction. The young soldier who arrives unsure of himself and, a few years later, is responsible for leading others. The experienced hand whose calm presence tells everyone that things are going to be alright.

That individuality matters.

Because soldiering is not simply about physical strength, drill, weapons or tactics. It is about people. It is about knowing those around you, understanding their strengths and weaknesses, trusting them, challenging them and sometimes carrying them through the difficult days.

Over time, experiences leave their mark.

Long exercises. Cold mornings. Endless miles under weight. Ceremonial duties watched by millions. Time away from home. Laughter in places where there should probably be very little to laugh about. Moments of immense pride and moments that test everything you have.

They shape the face looking back at you.

But underneath the mud, camouflage, bearskin or helmet is still the individual who joined us in the first place. Their personality has not been removed. It has been tested, encouraged and given the confidence to grow.

That is perhaps one of the greatest things a Regiment can give someone.
Not a new personality.

The confidence to become more of who they already were.
Different backgrounds. Different characters. Different stories.

One Regiment.

Cymru Am Byth

08/10/2026

Throwback Thursday | Four men before Houthulst Forest

8 October 1917

On this day 109 years ago, the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards moved forward to Wood 15 as brigade reserve for an attack towards Houthulst Forest.

At 5.30am the following morning, British and French artillery opened fire. From a captured German pillbox near Saules Farm, the battalion watched the infantry disappear into the smoke behind the advancing barrage.

The Welsh Guards were not required during the opening attack. Their turn came on the evening of 10 October, when they moved into the front line through German shellfire.

The Regimental History described the journey as fearful. The mud was so deep and the ground so badly torn apart that the men could no longer avoid the shell holes. They simply slid into them and struggled out again.

During the days that followed, a four-man patrol was sent forward towards the forest:

2169 Lance Corporal E. S. Davies
859 Private J. R. Wallace
2849 Private Herbert Edward Smith
2259 Private Obadiah Frederick Waddington

In broad daylight, they advanced approximately 200 yards and discovered what appeared to be an abandoned German trench.

It was filled with enemy soldiers.

The German defenders initially appeared to surrender, but one realised that only four Welsh Guardsmen stood before them and opened fire. Smith was wounded and around a dozen Germans climbed from the trench in an attempt to capture the patrol.

Davies was also hit during the withdrawal. Wallace and Waddington reached the British position, but Waddington then went back alone and brought the wounded Lance Corporal to safety.

As daylight faded, Waddington and Wallace made further attempts to reach Smith. They could not recover him before the Germans returned.

Private Herbert Edward Smith, the 23-year-old foster son of Mrs F. Lawrence of Cardiff Docks, was recorded as killed in action on 12 October. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial.

Waddington was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions during the patrol. By the end of his service, he had earned the DCM and Bar and the Military Medal.

This was not a famous charge or the capture of a great objective. It was four men moving forward together, facing overwhelming numbers and refusing to abandon one another without trying everything they could.

Courage, initiative and loyalty to those beside you. Those qualities remain at the heart of the Welsh Guards today.

Cymru Am Byth.

07/10/2026

Guards Division Commissioned Officer Ranks Explained.

From a young Platoon Commander taking responsibility for soldiers for the first time, through to the most senior appointments in the British Army, every commissioned rank carries its own level of responsibility, leadership and expectation.

But in the Foot Guards, there is another dimension.

Alongside the demands of being modern infantry officers, our officers are also part of a system that delivers some of the most important ceremonial duties in the country. One week can involve field training, exercises or operational preparation; another can see soldiers and officers providing the King’s Guard, supporting a State Visit or preparing for Trooping the Colour.

The rank may be the same as elsewhere in the British Army, but the environment in which our officers serve can be very different.

This series explains the commissioned officer rank structure, from Second Lieutenant through to Field Marshal, while looking at the appointments and responsibilities those ranks can hold within the Foot Guards and wider Household Division.

For those considering a career as an Army officer, the Guards offer the opportunity to lead soldiers in an infantry regiment with a history, identity and role unlike any other.

We do things differently in the Guards.

Cymru Am Byth

06/10/2026

Why do soldiers practise something they already know how to do?

Because knowing how to do something and being able to do it well under pressure are two very different things.

Soldiers rehearse constantly. Sometimes they will practise a drill they have completed hundreds of times before, not because they have forgotten how to do it, but because pressure changes performance.

Fatigue, noise, poor weather, limited information and unexpected problems can all affect decision-making. The fundamentals therefore have to become familiar enough that people can still perform when conditions are far from ideal.

That principle applies well beyond the military. Important presentations should be rehearsed. New systems should be tested before they are relied upon. Teams should understand what happens if the original plan fails rather than discovering it during the crisis itself.

Preparation does not remove uncertainty, but it gives people the confidence and familiarity to operate inside it.

For the Welsh Guards, training is not simply about proving that we can do something once. It is about building the consistency to do it properly when it matters.

The purpose of rehearsal is not perfection. It is making the important things familiar when conditions are not.

Cymru Am Byth

05/10/2026

Little known facts about the Guards!

The scarlet tunic, bearskin and immaculate drill are recognised around the world, but there is far more to ceremonial duty than what you see on parade.

The Guardsmen you see outside the Royal Palaces and taking part in major State Ceremonial occasions are infantry soldiers first. Ceremonial duties are carried out alongside the same military training expected of soldiers serving in an operational infantry battalion.

Changing the Guard is not simply a performance for tourists. It is the formal handover of responsibility for protecting the Royal Palaces from the Old Guard to the New Guard.

You can identify each of the five Foot Guards regiments by the arrangement of the buttons on their tunics. Grenadier Guards wear them singly, Coldstream Guards in pairs, Scots Guards in threes, Irish Guards in fours and Welsh Guards in groups of five.

For the Welsh Guards, five is particularly important. We are the fifth Regiment of Foot Guards, which is reflected in the grouping of our buttons. We can also be identified by the leek on our collar and our distinctive white, green and white plume worn on the left side of the bearskin.

The number of sentries on duty can change depending on whether The King is in residence. The Royal Standard flying above a Royal residence indicates that the Sovereign is present.

Trooping the Colour has its origins on the battlefield. Before modern communications, a regiment's Colours acted as an important rallying point. Soldiers needed to recognise their Colour and know where to regroup during the confusion of battle, so it was regularly carried, or "trooped", through the ranks.

Only one Colour is Trooped at the King's Birthday Parade each year, with the honour rotating between the five regiments of Foot Guards.

The tradition of Household Troops guarding the Sovereign and the Royal Palaces stretches back centuries. What visitors see today is part of a continuous military tradition dating back to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

A Regimental Colour is far more than a flag. It represents the identity, history and battle honours of a regiment. Historically, the Colours could literally become the point around which a battalion rallied on the battlefield.

Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions is that ceremonial soldiering and operational soldiering are separate careers. They are not. The same Guardsman you see standing perfectly still outside a Royal Palace could soon afterwards be on an infantry exercise, deployed overseas or training for operations.

That dual role is part of what makes service in the Guards so distinctive.

Soldier first. Ceremonial excellence alongside operational capability. A tradition carried forward by every generation of Guardsmen.

Cymru Am Byth

02/10/2026

The Foot Guards.

Five regiments. One division. One standard.

The Foot Guards are known around the world for ceremonial excellence, but that is only part of the story.

First and foremost, we are infantry soldiers.

We train to operate in demanding environments, deploy when required and develop soldiers who are physically robust, adaptable and ready to take on responsibility.
And there is no single path.

You could specialise as a sniper, reconnaissance soldier, assault pioneer, team medic, mortar operator, anti-tank operator, signaller, physical training instructor, drone operator, intelligence specialist or earn the opportunity to serve with Guards Parachute Platoon.

Whatever direction you take, it starts with becoming an infantry soldier and earning your place.

The uniform carries centuries of history, but the people wearing it today are writing the next chapter.

Five regiments. One division. One standard.

Could you be one of us?

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