Welsh Guards

07/09/2026

Spot the Difference is back!

Apparently last week’s effort was far too easy.

We’ve taken the complaints onboard, consulted absolutely nobody qualified, and decided the only sensible response was to make it considerably harder.

This time you’ve got three images, each containing 12 differences.

That’s 36 differences in total.

Find all 36 and, subject to an extremely rigorous selection process that we’ve just invented, you may be considered for an interview with the Welsh Guards Recce Platoon.
No zooming in. No Photoshop. No asking your kids for help.

Honour system applies.
Let us know how many you can find.

Important official disclaimer: Successful completion of this social media challenge does not constitute a recognised military qualification, guarantee employment, confer Recce Platoon status, or permit you to start wearing ally webbing around Tesco. Actual entry into Recce Platoon requires you to be of an appropriate age, join the Army, successfully complete all relevant training and selection courses, meet the required standards and crucially, convince the Recce Platoon that you’re good enough.

Cymru Am Byth

05/09/2026

20 days to go.

Last year’s Herrick Fest was a tremendous success, but what made it truly special was seeing the Regimental family back together.

Old friends reunited. Stories picked up exactly where they had left off. Serving soldiers, veterans, families and friends all sharing one unforgettable weekend. Seeing so many familiar faces enjoying a proper knees-up together at the end of the night was incredible.

This year, it returns as Welsh Guards Fest 2026.

Join us at the Glanusk Estate from 25–27 September for three days of live music, camping, food and drink, remembrance and, most importantly, great company.

If you joined us last year, you already know how special it was. If you missed it, do not make the same mistake twice.

Book your spot now and don’t miss out. Link is in our stories.

Are you coming? Reply in the comments with a GIF that sums up how ready you are.

Cymru Am Byth

04/09/2026

Thank you, Martin and Yvonne

Yesterday, we said a heartfelt goodbye to two remarkable members of the Welsh Guards family as they retired from Regimental Headquarters in London.

Major Martin Brown’s service began as a Welsh Guardsman. He went on to earn his commission before eventually returning to RHQ as the Assistant Regimental Adjutant. His journey reflects a lifetime of loyalty to the Regiment, and his experience, good humour and unwavering commitment will be greatly missed.

We also bid an especially fond farewell to Yvonne after an extraordinary 46 years of service to RHQ. Through generations of Welsh Guardsmen, changing times and countless chapters in the Regiment’s history, Yvonne has been a constant. Her professionalism, kindness and quiet dedication have touched more lives than she will ever know.

Martin and Yvonne leave behind far more than completed careers. They leave a lasting impression on RHQ and on the people who have had the privilege of working alongside them.

Thank you both for everything you have given to the Welsh Guards. Your retirement is richly deserved, and you leave with the gratitude, affection and very best wishes of the entire Regimental family.

Enjoy every moment of what comes next.

Cymru am Byth.

03/09/2026

Throwback Thursday | The race to Brussels

3 September 1944

Eighty-two years ago today, the Welsh Guards helped liberate Brussels in one of the most remarkable advances of the Second World War.

Setting off from northern France at 6am, the Guards Armoured Division was ordered to reach the Belgian capital before nightfall.

Leading the right-hand column was the Welsh Guards Group. The 1st Battalion fought as infantry, while the Cromwell tanks of the 2nd Battalion provided the armour. Together, they advanced through Tournai, Enghien and Hal, overcoming pockets of German resistance and covering approximately 100 miles in a single day.

Shortly before 8pm, a Cromwell commanded by Lieutenant John Dent, 2nd Battalion Welsh Guards, became the first Allied tank to enter central Brussels.

His crew consisted of Guardsman Bill James, Lance Corporal E. K. Rees, Guardsman Robert Beresford and Guardsman Ralph Beresford. They drove along the Boulevard Anspach and into the heart of a city that had endured more than four years of German occupation.

At first, the streets were almost deserted. Residents had been warned to remain indoors and avoid obstructing the Allied advance. But as news spread that the Welsh Guards had arrived, thousands poured into the streets.

Flags appeared from windows, flowers were thrown onto the tanks and jubilant crowds surrounded the Guardsmen. People climbed onto the vehicles, embraced their liberators and celebrated long into the night.

The 2nd Battalion’s war diary recorded the scene with typical understatement, noting that:

“The chief difficulty was to cope with the populace, who were very effusive in their welcome.”

The advance would later be described as “an armoured dash unequalled for speed in this or any other war.”

Today, the bond between the Welsh Guards and Brussels remains strong. It is a relationship forged through courage, determination and the liberation of a city.

Different generations, different battlefields, but the same qualities expected of every Welsh Guardsman.

Cymru am Byth

02/09/2026

The Major General’s Cup Final

There are few better settings for an afternoon of polo than Smith’s Lawn in Windsor Great Park and on Sunday 6 September the Guards Polo Club will host the final of the Major General’s Cup.

We’ll have a particular interest in this year’s competition, with Welsh Guards officer Capt Billy Richardson forming part of an Army team made up of four Household Division officers.

The Major General’s Cup is a great opportunity to enjoy an afternoon of polo in one of the most historic military sporting settings in the country, with family and friends very welcome.

Sunday 6 September 2026
Guards Polo Club, Smith’s Lawn, Windsor Great Park
Arrival from 1300
Major General’s Cup Final 1500

Entry is FREE with a valid MOD 90 and picnics are encouraged, so bring the family, bring some food and come along to support Billy and the team.

We hope to see plenty of Welsh Guards faces there.

Cymru Am Byth

01/09/2026

Arras. The city that remembered.

On 2 September 1944, Major John Miller of the Welsh Guards found a suitcase waiting for him in Arras.

He had left it behind when the 1st Battalion withdrew from the city in May 1940. Four years of occupation had passed, but Madame Derambure, whose family had accommodated him at their farm, had kept it safe.

She returned his shirts, pyjamas and other clothing freshly laundered.

That same day, another resident handed back a r***e belonging to No. 4 Company. It too had been hidden and protected since 1940.

The relationship between Arras and the Welsh Guards had begun much earlier. The 1st Battalion arrived on the Arras front in December 1917. On 28 March 1918, during the German Spring Offensive, the Battalion helped hold the line near Boyelles. The name ARRAS, 1918 remains among the Regiment’s battle honours.

The Welsh Guards defended Arras again in May 1940. During the withdrawal, Lieutenant the Honourable Christopher Furness, already wounded, led three carriers against a German position blocking the escape route.
His carrier was disabled, and its driver and gunner were killed. Furness continued the attack on foot and fought until he was killed, buying time for a column of more than forty vehicles, some carrying wounded men, to escape.
He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

On 1 September 1944, the 1st Battalion returned to Arras. The soldiers who had been among the last British troops to leave in 1940 were now among the first to return as liberators.

Eighty years later, on 1 September 2024, the Welsh Guards returned once more and received the Freedom of the City.

The battle honour records the fighting. The hidden r***e, carefully guarded suitcase and freshly laundered clothes tell us something else.

The people of Arras had not forgotten.

Cymru Am Byth

Photo 1: Major John Miller of the Welsh Guards, pictured behind Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Lord Mountbatten. It was Miller who, on returning to Arras in September 1944, was reunited with the suitcase he had been forced to leave behind during the withdrawal four years earlier.

Photo 2: Major John Miller in his later ceremonial appointment as Crown Equerry, pictured with two of the famous Windsor Greys and the Gold State Coach. Miller went on to have a distinguished association with the Royal Household following his wartime service with the Welsh Guards.

Photo 3: Tanks of the Guards Armoured Division advancing towards Arras on 1 September 1944, as British forces swept through northern France following the breakout from Normandy. Four years after the Welsh Guards had fought their way out of the area, Guardsmen were returning as liberators.

31/08/2026

Why do our Lance Corporals wear two stripes?

Ranks and appointments in the Foot Guards can be slightly confusing to anyone looking in from the outside.

Our Lance Corporals wear two stripes. Our Corporals are appointed Lance Sergeants and wear three. We also retain a number of ranks, appointments and badges that are rarely seen elsewhere in the British Army.

The graphics explain the rank structure and some of the appointments found across the Household Division, including the Drill Sergeant, Drum Major, Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, Regimental Sergeant Major, Garrison Sergeant Major London District and the lesser known Superintending Clerk Household Division.

But why does a Guards Lance Corporal wear two stripes?

For that we have to go back to the reign of Queen Victoria.

Guards tradition has it that Queen Victoria did not like seeing members of her Guards wearing a single chevron while guarding the Royal Palaces. The story passed down through generations is that she directed that Guards Lance Corporals should wear two instead.

What we do know is that Foot Guards Lance Corporals changed from one to two chevrons during the 1880s, during Queen Victoria’s reign. Whether the Queen personally ordered the change for that reason is less certain, and it remains one of those great pieces of Guards history and folklore.

More than a century later, the tradition remains.

Our Lance Corporals wear two stripes, our Corporals are Lance Sergeants, and the Household Division continues to maintain ranks, appointments and insignia with a history all of their own.

Have a look through the graphics and see how many you recognise.

We do things differently in the Guards.

Cymru Am Byth

28/08/2026

READY IS BUILT EVERY DAY.

Fitness in the Welsh Guards is not something we switch on for a test. It is part of our working routine and one of the foundations of being ready.

Training changes with the demands of the job. One day might focus on strength and conditioning. Another on running, circuits, obstacles, loaded movement, mobility or recovery. Sometimes we train individually. More often, we train alongside the people we may one day rely on when effort matters more than comfort.

Why is it important?

The job can mean moving across difficult ground, carrying equipment, helping a teammate and continuing to think clearly when the body is tired. Being fast helps. Being strong helps. Being useful at the end matters most.

Daily fitness also builds something harder to measure: confidence and trust. You learn to manage discomfort, keep going and bring others with you. Nobody becomes fit through one heroic session. It comes from consistency, good coaching and turning up again tomorrow.

We do not train simply to pass a test.

We train so we are ready when tested.

Cymru Am Byth

27/08/2026

27/08/2026

EYES FRONT. SIX DIFFERENCES.

Attention to detail matters in the Welsh Guards. Today, it is your turn to face inspection.

There are six changes to the uniform and Colour hidden between these two photographs. Some are obvious. Others might test even the sharpest eye.

Can you find all six?

Tell us your score in the comments, but do not give the game away. Answers tomorrow.

Cymru Am Byth