Royal Welch Fusiliers Plaque / Shield
The Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in to oppose James II and to take part in the imminent war with France. The regiment was numbered as the 23rd Regiment of Foot, though it was one of the first regiments to be granted the honour of a fusilier title and so was known as The Welsh Regiment of Fusiliers from . The "Royal" accolade was earned fighting in the War of the Spanish Succession in . It was one of the oldest regiments in the regular army, hence the archaic spelling of the word Welch instead of Welsh. In the Boer War and throughout the First World War, the army officially called the regiment "The Royal Welsh Fusiliers" but the archaic "Welch" was officially restored to the regiment's title in under Army Order No.56. During those decades, the regiment itself unofficially used the "Welch" form. The regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Regiment of Wales (RRW) on 1 March , to become 1st Battalion, The Royal Welsh (RRW becoming the 2nd Bn). The regiment primarily recruited from North Wales. [1] It should not be confused with the Welch Regiment, which recruited from South and West Wales. Please note that the auction is for the shield only (in the picture it is on a piece of wood, it is only on there to be photographed). It is difficult to put a date on the shield it is of some age (I would guess at 's or 60's). It looks like it use to be the centre piece of a slightly larger plaque. These items are getting rarer as time goes on and regiments are amalgamated out of existence. It measures 4.5 inches from top to the point at the bottom and 3.75 inches wide. Has no visible means of hanging it on a wall Thanks for looking