As a Foot Guards' Regiment in the Household Division, the Welsh Guards are proud to provide the guard for Her Majesty the Queen at her royal residences. The Regiment is currently based in Combermere Barracks, Windsor.
A Guardsman who has served with the Battalion for the last ten years will have been on tours to the Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, interspersed with firefighting, Covid-19 support, sport, adventurous training and exercises all over the world including Belize, Kenya and the Falkland Islands. In addition, they would have carried out state ceremonial and public duties, demonstrating the busy and incredibly varied nature of life as a Guardsman in the modern day British Army.
In February 2016, the Battalion re-roled to Light Mechanised Infantry and began utilising the Foxhound vehicle. With a period of learning about and training with the new vehicles which culminated in a battlegroup level exercise – Exercise WESSEX STORM - in early 2017. The Welsh Guards deployed to Afghanistan on Op TORAL 6 in March 2018 (until November 2018) as the KPU (Kabul Protection Unit), responsible for providing advisor force protection, movement coordination of all coalition forces across the city, and incident response in Kabul where it affects coalition forces anywhere in the world.
The Battalion moved to Combermere Barracks, Windsor in the Summer of 2019 ending a 200 year occupation of the barracks by the Household Cavalry who had mounted every major campaign from this Barracks; from Waterloo, through the Boer War, two World Wars, and into the wars of the modern era in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Battalion has settled in well and although disappointed that the 2020 exercise in Kenya was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has been fully occupied assisting in the national Covid-19 efforts. 2021 and 2022 has seen operational deployments around the world, including; Op SHADER, Op CORDED, Op INTERFLEX, and various Short Term Training Teams (STTTs) in Kenya and Zambia have been provided. Life has been anything but dull and between these deployments the Battalion also took a full and active part in Op LONDON BRIDGE, the Lying in State, State Funeral and Committal of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In 2023 they Trooped their Colour at the first King's Birthday parade on Saturday 17th June and took a full and important part in the King's Coronation on Saturday 6th May. 2023 also saw the Battalion deploy personnel to Belize, take part in Ex RATTLESNAKE in Louisiana USA, deploy a company to the Falkland Islands as the Resident Infantry Company and also deploy to Jamaica on Ex RED STRIPE. Life has been hectic, varied and enjoyable.
To find out more about what the Welsh Guards do visit their own web page here.
A Regimental information leaflet is here.
You can also keep up to date with the 1st Battalion by following them on Facebook and on Instagram.
