Royal Welsh Fusiliers officers SD tunic 1943 dated

[Jerry B]

A brief history of the RWF and where it's battalions served in WWII. Most were attached to the 53rd Welsh Division as part of 12th Corps during Normandy and then as part of 30 Corps during the campaigns in the Netherlands. From Wikipedia.

Remaining active throughout the interwar years, the division served as part of the Home Defence Forces of the United Kingdom between 1939–1940, fittingly based to defend Wales and the borders. In April 1940 the Division transferred to Northern Ireland, where it remained until November 1941. It returned to the mainland again to defend Kent and the South Coast between 1941–1943, when it was earmarked to form part of the British Second Army. In October 1943 the division was reorganised, its 159th Infantry Brigade detaching to form part of 11th Armoured Division, with the 71st Infantry Brigade taking its place. The division spent the remaining period in the build-up to the Invasion of Normandy in intensive training.
53rd Welsh Division landed in Normandy on 28 June 1944 and was placed under command of XII Corps, now defending the Odon Valley position. The division was involved in heavy fighting in this area days leading up to Operation Goodwood. In August it began to push out of the Odon region and crossed the river Orne, helping to close the Falaise Pocket. It was during this fighting that Captain Tasker Watkins of 158th Brigade won his Victoria Cross. Due to the casualties suffered by the division in Normandy and the acute lack of infantry reinforcements, some of its battalions were replaced.
Advancing into the Netherlands, 53rd Division liberated the city of 's-Hertogenbosch in four days of heavy fighting from 24 October. In December 1944, attached now to XXX Corps, it was one of the British divisions that took part in the Battle of the Bulge, helping to cut off the northern tip of the German salient. It was later sent north to take part in Operation Veritable.
Order of battle 1944–45

71st Infantry Brigade
1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment (until 26 August 1944)
1st Battalion, Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
1st Battalion, Highland Light Infantry
4th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (from 26 August 1944)

158th Infantry Brigade
4th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (until 26 August 1944)
6th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (until 26 August 1944)
7th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers
1/5th Battalion, Welch Regiment (from 26 August 1944)
1st Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment (from 26 August 1944)

160th Infantry Brigade
2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment
4th Battalion, Welch Regiment (until 26 August 1944)
1/5th Battalion, Welch Regiment
6th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (from 26 August 1944)

[Jerry B]

The dogs arrived, though not very good light to take pictures.

[Jerry B]

Still not very good light for taking pictures, but anyway the dogs before and after they were replaced and some detail pics of them.

[Totenhead]

It arrived very quickly, thanks to the seller. Just waiting for the dogs to arrive. A nice bonus IMO is that it is the austerity version of the SD tunic, introduced as a wartime economy measure, so it has no pleats on the upper pockets and the lower pockets have no buttons and are of the slash type rather than the expanding bellow type seen or pre or early war tunics and then introduced in the postwar period.

Nice Chester label there Jerry !! If it wasn't for the bloody welch, this place wouldn't be here now !!! haha ( I am welch by the way )

[Totenhead]

Just a note of interest, the 53rd Welsh were predominatly made up of TA, as was a 3rd of the British Army in 1939

[Jerry B]

Just a note of interest, the 53rd Welsh were predominatly made up of TA, as was a 3rd of the British Army in 1939

Something I did not know Martin, but my Father was a Terrier before the war and after as well.

[Totenhead]

Something I did not know Martin, but my Father was a Terrier before the war and after as well.

Yes, my granfather was TA before and after the war, 4th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers , he was RA as well during the war, he used to run a social club near wrexham for them after the war i believe, still a little confusing, still picking up things from family , i am off for a beer !!

I made it home last night...just !! here is an interesting link, my grandfather regiment

71st Anti-Tank Regiment - 53rd Welsh



An overview of the 53rd Welsh

The 53rd Welsh Division - 53rd Welsh

[Jerry B]

Following some web searching I found a company by the same name as that on the label, J.R.O. Williams which was started in 1957 and is based in the same town in S Wales that it came from, so maybe started by the same man, though sadly I cannot find out any more about it other than one of the directors now is J.R. Williams who was born in 1934 so maybe J. R. is the son of the owner of the tunic and his father was the founder of the company.

My next door neighbor is coming round for drinks tonight and he is going to find out some information for me if he can, as he was the last colonel of the RWF and is an author and historian of the regiment.

[Raaf14]

Hi,
hope this thread is still active.

I live in Rosmalen, this is part of 's-Hertogenbosch that was liberated by British troops like the 53rd Welsh in October 1944.
My passion is to research the occupation and our liberation of our area. Where I also collect items to tell the story about this period to younger generations.

German items are 'quite'easy to find, but I am especially looking for items (paperwork, photos, personal items, uniforms, helmets) of our liberators, this is unfortunately very hard to find.

Can anyone help me with recommending some fellow researchers/collectors, or dealers where I can find this. Have been trying Ebay for years now, but unfortunately not much is there to be found.

All information is more than welcome.

Best regards,

Arno

[BobS]

I would strongly recommend reading "The War the Infantry Knew".
Having read most of the copious literature on the RWF in WWI, at least on the regular battalions, I think it may be the best of the lot.

BobS