5th Battalion The Welch Regiment.

Thanks to The Excellent "Welsh Born Icon" (or welch?) Nick's post about the history of "the Ups", my interest was piqued in the mass enlisting for WWII. I wonder what I would have done...

from Wiki :-


The 53rd Division was a territorial army formation at the beginning of World War II. It was part of the landing force at Normandy on June 25, 1944, where it was under XII Corps and took part in the heavy fighting in the Bocage. It played a critical part in the Battle of Falaise. It was one of the British divisions that took part in the Battle of the Bulge. It was later sent North to take part in Operation Veritable. It stayed in Western Europe until the end of the war. It was disbanded to reform the 2nd Infantry Division in Germany in early 1947.

I'm not sure whether they joined the 5th Battalion, Welsh Regiment or the 5th Battalion, Welch Regiment,but the whole brigade seems to have been involved in some pretty gruelling battles. I wonder how many came home.

this looks like a subject for research, and a trip to the cenotaph on Swansea seafront.