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.

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

[7][14] When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,[21][22] the 3rd VB became the 6th (Carnarvonshire and Anglesey) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers.

[14][24][36][37][38][39][40] 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.

A considerable amount of last-minute dental work was required to render sufficient men of the 1/6th Bn medically fit for overseas service, though the dentures ordered for many of them did not reach them until a year later.

[36][37][38][39][43][44] The transports sailed via Gibraltar, Malta, Alexandria and Lemnos, and the 1/6th Bn arrived at Mudros on 28 July, where it disembarked and went into bivouacs.

Next day the division took part in the Landing at Suvla Bay, an attempt to break the Trench warfare deadlock in the Gallipoli Campaign.

1/5th Royal Welch Fusiliers had penetrated to within a few hundred yards of Scimitar Hill and its Commanding Officer (CO) sent back a message urging the 1/6th RWF to come up and help complete the job, but he was killed soon afterwards.

[48] Over the following days the division was engaged in reorganising and improving the trenches facing Scimitar Hill, taking casualties from Turkish rifle fire.

There was an overnight fog, so 158th Bde was late crossing the wadi, but by 06.30 it reached the edge of the Mansura ridge overlooking the plain of Gaza.

After leaving the protection of Mansura the three battalions marched across open ground parallel to the Ali Muntar defences before wheeling left and moving towards their objectives.

When the attack was made on 18 April, 158th Bde held this new line, the other brigades passing through and assaulting Samson Ridge with tank support.

On 20 October 158th Bde moved up to the concentration area for the new offensive (the Third Battle of Gaza), taking over 'Kent Fort' and reconnoitring the ground over which they were to attack.

After a two-day lull during a sandstorm and a difficult assembly close up to Tel el Khuweilfe, 158th Bde carried out a fullscale assault on the position at 04.20 on 6 November.

It carried the heights with the bayonet and captured nine field guns on the far side, but its companies were then far ahead of the troops on either flank and were counter-attacked from three directions.

53rd (W) Division was ordered to stand fast, though 1/5th RWF used rifle grenades to bombard and then rush a troublesome Turkish machine gun and sniper post.

[36][39][67][68][69] 53rd (W) Division held its line throughout the bad weather of January 1918, with 158th Bde providing working parties to improve the roads for the EEF's next advance, aimed at Jericho.

The division occupied No man's land in the preceding days, then after a heavy bombardment on 9 March the 1/5th RWF captured the hill at about 09.30, despite morning fog.

[75] In the summer 53rd (Welsh) Division was changed to the Indian Army establishment: only one British battalion was retained in each brigade, the remainder being sent as reinforcements to the Western Front.

158th Brigade was in reserve, but a company of 5th/6th RWF was attached to the leading Indian unit of 160th Bde (17th Infantry (The Loyal Regiment) and covered the left flank of the advance, occupying Keen's Knoll and Table Hill.

The roads were very bad, and the Royal Engineers struggled to make a path for the guns, but the advance continued at 08.30, with 5th/6th RWF picquetting the hills as it went.

[89][103] After the Falaise Pocket was eliminated, XII and XXX Corps led 21st Army Group's rapid advance eastwards to the Seine.

After the failure at Arnhem, the division continued to push forwards in Operation Pheasant, capturing 's-Hertogenbosch on 26 October after five days of hard fighting.

[15][107][108][109] When the Germans launched a major counter-offensive in the Ardennes (the Battle of the Bulge) in December 1944, 53rd (W) Division was among the formations sent by 21st Army Group to reinforce the northern flank of the 'Bulge'.

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.

[88][119][120] It remained training in South Wales during the early part of the war, then moved to North West England under III Corps.

[4][8][15][123][124][127][128][129] The following served as Honorary Colonel of the Carnarvonshire and Anglesey Rifle Volunteers and their successors: The uniform of the Carnarvonshire Rifle Volunteers was a 'Volunteer grey' tunic with scarlet collar and pointed cuffs edged with black braid, and with a decorative black braid knot above and below the cuff edging.

The Carnarvonshire companies had a distinctive white metal helmet plate consisting of a Maltese cross surmounted by a crown, with in the centre the Prince of Wales's feathers, coronet and motto surrounded by a circle inscribed 'CARNARVON RIFLE VOLUNTEERS'.

[132] On becoming a VB of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, the battalion adopted that regiment's uniform of scarlet with blue facings and a black racoon-skin 'Fusilier' cap for full dress.

The 2nd and 3rd VBs retained the pouchbelt plate for officers and senior NCOs, the design comprising the Prince of Wales's insignia surrounded by a 'Union' wreath of roses and thistles, the upper arms of which supported a crown; across the lower part a scroll inscribed '2ND (or 3RD) V.B.