South Wales Borderers reunion

Discussion in 'General' started by Alisonmallen, Apr 19, 2020.

  1. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    In 1946 my grandfather eagerly attended the first reunion of the 2nd Batt South Wales Borderers. He told me he wasn’t sure who had survived the war although close friends he did know about. In the photo are also veterans of ww1. I assume it was 2nd Batt. Unfortunately I didn’t think at the time to get him to name them all. I know ‘Posh’ Price is there, Eddie ‘Killer’ Richards, my grandfather and Dai Edwards and quite a few whose names I have forgotten. I apologise for how many photos I am posting but I tried to enlarge in sections in case someone can identify a relative. I hope this will be of interest to Borderer enthusiasts! It was taken at the Barracks in Brecon - a place I will always treasure because of the characters I met.
     

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  2. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    Where did 2 SWB fight? Far East?
     
  3. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    Initially my grandfather went to Norway. He was a regular as were lots on that photo. He had served in Malta and Palestine before the war. When they returned the unit was split and he went to various places training including Scotland. Eventually a lot of Borderers became part of a newly formed Regt - 90th LAA and served in North Africa, Italy at Anzio. However, there were Borderers in the Normandy landings. I dnt know about out East but I think my gransha’s neighbour was a Japanese POW and he was originally a Borderer.
     
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  4. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Per wikipedia --

    First World War
    Tsingtao
    Gallipolli
    Western Front

    Second World War
    part of 56 Independent Infantry Brigade, so:
    Normandy
    Falaise
    Joined 49 (West Riding) Division:
    Le Havre
    The Island (across from Arnhem)
    2nd battle of Arnhem

    edit: sorry, they only joined 56 Brigade in 1944, so that's a rather incomplete list!!
     
  5. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    Yes after Norway my grandfather said they split and Helped form a new unit training lots of ‘youngsters’ who joined the more experienced soldiers, arriving with gas masks in boxes. They became attached to RA and of course whilst they all ‘held on’ to being Borderers for the Tunisian campaign through to Italy technically they weren’t. However, asking at a reunion they made it very clear they were still Borderers regardless of what the army was calling them! Haha. I went to the museum several years ago and was surprised to find the person there didn’t know some of the Borderers joined other units. Eddie, Killer Richards got a nazi flag off the front of the rail station near Medjez el Bab and my grandfather gave him a leg up to get it. It is displayed and whilst people know him I was surprised the history wasn’t known. They were close friends and Eddie my adopted grandfather. They served together before and through the war. The person insisted no Borderer had been to North Africa. They didn’t go as Borderers obviously but did serve there as the 90th LAA and I would have expected that to be known really. I believe some went to Dunkirk though possibly not the 2nd?
     
  6. Bazzaboy

    Bazzaboy Junior Member

    SWB were in North Africa...1st SWB were in Iraq then moved to Tobruk 1941 for its defence. regiment captured. survivors were place into other units. after. original regiment were POWs.
     
  7. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    Hi yes I had been told that. I meant by ‘they’ that my gransha and other Borderers in 90th LAA did not go to NA as actual Borderers. He had an artillery badge whilst I was growing up but I dnt know where it disappeared to when he passed away. When my gransha and Eddie were in NA they were there in 1943.
     
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