Regimental Lieutenant Colonel, Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Guardsmen of the Welsh Guards.
I am both honoured and delighted to be standing here in front of you today as your new Colonel. At the same time, I’m sorry that my father couldn’t be here with us here today to say farewell, but I know he would talk of his fierce pride and admiration for you all, and of his own sadness to be moving on from an appointment he held so dear since 1975.
The Welsh Guards have always been a formidable group of soldiers; raised for war in 1915, then leading the way on operations ever since. Key players in World War Two, The Falklands, Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan to name but a few - your Battle Honours underpin your fighting spirit of today.
The Jam Boys and Little Iron Men of the First World War laid the foundations of this Battalion, and while they may not have been my easiest or driest days in the Army, my memories with The Welsh Guards Sniper Platoon Salisbury Plain are some of my best.
Another key milestone in my life was also shared with the Welsh Guards, this time in the Jungles of Belize as I received my A-Level results over the Bowman Radio… Many of you will know the feeling of being in the jungle; you’re incredibly hot, continuously soaking wet and with nowhere to hide from potentially horrendous results, it could have been a really bad day! Ultimately though, it was the camaraderie, the togetherness, and of course the banter of the Welsh Guards that got me through that period, and it’s a time I look back on fondly.
I believe it’s only with these bonds and this ‘togetherness’, that you can create a strong body of professional soldiers, but of course, it’s not just each other that we rely upon. The support of our families, our friends and our loved ones, is vital, and I’m so pleased to see many of them here today. None of us could do what we do without their support, and I look forward to meeting you and your families over the coming years and getting to know you all.
Thank you; Cymru Am Byth.
