The Welsh Guards, part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. Shortly after the regiment's formation, it was deployed to France where it took part in the fighting on the Western Front until the end of the war in November 1918. During the inter-war years, the regiment undertook garrison duties in the United Kingdom, except between 1929 and 1930 when it deployed to Egypt, and late 1939 when it deployed to Gibraltar.
Cap badge of the Welsh Guards
Men of 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards in Arras, France, 14 February 1940.
The then Prince of Wales, colonel of the regiment from 1975 to 2022, in Welsh Guards uniform at Trooping the Colour, 2012.
Welsh Guardsman outside the Jewel House at the Tower of London
The Guards Division was an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the training and administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Guards reserve battalion. The Guards Division was responsible for providing two battalions for public duties to London District ; although the guards are most associated with ceremony, they are nevertheless operational infantry battalions, and as such perform all the various roles of infantry. In 2022, the Guards Division was renamed as the Guards and Parachute Division.
Two officers and a Warrant Officer class I of the Irish Guards – in this image the blue plume can be seen on the right hand side of the bearskin, the tunic buttons are grouped in fours, and the shamrock badge is on the collar. The Officer on the far side has a parachute badge indicating he's trained to deploy as a parachutist.
The rank insignia for officers are also differentiated by what specific stars are used. Left to right: Rank slides used by Grenadier, Coldstream, and Welsh Guards. Rank slides used by Scots Guards. Rank slides used by Irish Guards. Standard rank slides used by other army officers.
