THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, the old 23rd, raised in Wales in 1689, have an astonishing record of hard and victorious fighting, beginning with Schellenberg, Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, and the sieges of Lille and Douai; passing next to Dettingen and Fontenoy, next to the defence of Minorca, next to Banker’s Hill, next to Albuera – perhaps their most glorious day – and so through Badajoz. Salamanca, and the rest of Wellington’s victories up to Toulouse, and next to the Crimes and the Indian Mutiny.
They are known to some as the “Royal Goats,” a goat having been led before their drums for more than a century.
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THE SOUTH WALES BORDERERS.
The South Wales Borderers, the old 24th Foot, raised in Ireland in 1689, were another of the regiments which shared in all the victories and all the glories of Corporal John.
Then came a career of misfortune. They were annihilated by fever at Carthagena in 1741, reduced to a shadow by the defence of Minorca in 1751, and captured at Saratoga in 1776.
In 1809 they joined Wellington in Portugal, were most highly distinguished at Talavera, and fought on with him, reduced at last to only four companies, until Toulouse.
They served in the second Sikh war and were cut to pieces -550 casualties – at Chillianwallah, and were again annihilated in South Africa in 1879.
