The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a more comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war.

[6] After Black Week in December 1899, the Volunteers were invited to send active service units to assist the Regulars in the Second Boer War.

[19][21][22][23][24][25] On 3 August 1914 the Welsh Division's infantry brigades were at their annual camps when all training was cancelled and the battalions were ordered back to their HQs; war was declared next day.

In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas, and were quickly filled by the flood of volunteers coming forward.

[22][23][28][31] The front in the Givenchy area was never at rest: 1st Division (already weak after the intense fighting in the autumn of 1914) was subjected to constant low-level Trench warfare.

As the leading companies left their breastworks they came under immediate machine gun fire and suffered heavy casualties, though they more or less reached their intended jumping-off line in No man's land, and the supporting battalions made some progress.

[28][33] Although casualties in the second line had been less severe, 1/4th RWF lost its commanding officer (CO), Lt-Col Frederick France-Hayhurst, who was killed and was buried in Cabaret-Rouge Cemetery.

The divisional historian believed that the battalion had been chosen for this specialist role because of the high proportion of Welsh miners among the remaining original personnel.

[22][23][29][28][34][39][40] The role of the pioneer battalion was to provide working parties to assist the divisional Royal Engineers (RE) in tasks ranging from trench digging and wiring, to road making, while remaining fighting soldiers.

The pioneers and infantry spent much of the next few days in minor operations and digging to consolidate their position protecting the BEF's flank before they were relieved by French troops on 1 October.

The RWF set to work digging Russian saps towards it for a counter-attack, but the experienced Welsh miners detected sounds of Germans mining deeper under the Hairpin, and the garrison was reduced.

In the weeks leading up to the attack on 7 June the division had carried out preparations, including digging new trenches and establishing ration and ammunition dumps.

Bury of 1/4th RWF, who carried out the preparations including cutting gaps in the British wire, fixing guides and making steps for the assaulting troops to use.

On arrival the division's infantry found the frontline trenches barely 4 feet (1.2 m) deep, and they had less than 24 hours to deepen them, add firesteps and wire, while being heavily shelled with Mustard gas, before the Germans launched a major counter-offensive at 10.00 on 30 November.

1/4th Royal Welch Fusiliers had the task of preparing four strongpoints in front of this line, and the withdrawal through them was successfully carried out during the night of 4/5 December.

When the German spring offensive opened on 21 March, 47th Division had just relieved another formation in the line on Welsh Ridge and were holding the right flank of Third Army.

The main blow fell on the neighbouring Fifth Army, but the division was heavily shelled and later in the day the Germans attacked behind a smoke screen and gained one or two isolated positions before being driven out.

That night (22/23 March) the whole division fell back to the Metz Switch, but the village of Fins on the flank was already occupied by the enemy: a company of 4th RWF with No 11 Motor Machine-Gun Battery were rushed to strengthen this end of the line.

By dawn on 24 March it was in line between Mesnil-en-Arrouaise and Rocquigny but the Germans continued to push through the gap to its right, threatening the transport hub at Morval.

The pioneers and sappers, later joined by 11th MMG Bty, inflicted huge casualties on the oncoming Germans with machine gun and rifle fire.

The battalion was now the only reserve remaining to the divisional commander, and he released it to 142nd Bde for a counter-attack to be made against Aveluy Wood at dawn next day.

The division went forward again on 5 and 6 September against limited opposition, the 4th RWF quickly following up to make tracks across the old Somme battlefield for the guns and wheeled vehicles.

After the orders to move to Italy were finally cancelled, the division accompanied Third Army's commander, Sir William Birdwood, on his ceremonial entry into Lille on 28 October, with 4th RWF in the march-past.

[22][72][73] Two weeks after the Armistice, 47th Division moved by road back to the Béthune area where it was billeted in the small mining and agricultural villages for winter quarters.

[4][7][6][86] In the 1920s a number of Cadet Corps were affiliated to the battalion:[6] With the expansion of the TA after the Munich Crisis, the 4th formed a duplicate 8th (Denbighshire) Bn on 1 July 1939.

53rd (Welsh) Division played a minor part in the next offensive phase, Operation Jupiter, guarding the western flank of the attack.

[11][105][106][107] When the Germans launched a major counter-offensive in the Ardennes (the Battle of the Bulge) in December 1944, 71st Bde was attached to 6th Airborne Division, which had been rushed back from the UK to reinforce the northern flank of the 'Bulge'.

This battle saw some of the most bitter fighting of the campaign, amid mud and mines, and 53rd (W) Division's experience was described by Lt-Gen Brian Horrocks, XXX Corps' commander, as 'one of the most unpleasant weeks of the war'.

53rd (Welsh) Division crossed into the bridgehead on 26 March for the breakout, and then continued its advance across Germany to the River Elbe against stiff opposition.

[117][118][119] From 10 March 1944, 115th Bde was given the task of organising 'B' Marshalling Area in Southern Command for the invasion forces earmarked for Operation Overlord.