The 6th (Caernarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers, was a Welsh unit of the British Army's auxiliary forces. Formed in 1908, from Volunteer units that dated back to 1860, it fought at Gallipoli, in Egypt and Palestine during World War I, and in the campaign in North West Europe during World War II. Postwar it was converted to the anti-aircraft artillery role, then reverted to infantry in 1956 after it amalgamated with a neighbouring unit.

Volunteer Force An invasion scare in 1859 led to the emergence of the Volunteer Movement, and Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) began to be organised throughout Great Britain, composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need.Beckett.Spiers, pp. 163–8. The following units were raised from Caernarfonshire (then spelt Carnarvonshire) in North Wales:Beckett, Appendix VII.Frederick, p. 303.Owen, pp. 152–75.Westlake, Rifle Volunteers, pp. 37–8.Army List, various dates.Caernarvonshire & Anglesey Volunteers at Regiments.org. 1st (Carnarvon) Carnarvonshire RVC, raised on 1 March 1860, recruited mainly from the Pennant Slate Quarry at Penrhyn, with George Pennant as captain-commandant; headquarters (HQ) moved from Carnarvon Barracks to Penrhyn after 1862 2nd (Carnarvon) Carnarvonshire RVC, raised on 1 March 1860 under Lieutenant Hamilton Alder Roberts, also mainly from Pennant employees; HQ at Penrhyn after 1862 3rd (Carnarvon) Carnarvonshire RVC, raised on 1 March 1860 under Capt Henry Runsey Williams; he and his lieutenant reigned in May and Capt Richard Fawcett was commissioned on 2 June; this was the only corps actually recruited in the county town of Caernarvon, mainly from the parish of Llanbeblig 4th (Tremadoc) Carnarvonshire RVC, raised on 1 March 1860 under Capt Henry Windus Mathews of Penmorfa, later moved to Portmadoc 5th (Pwllheli) Carnarvonshire RVC, raised on 1 March 1860 under Capt Robert Carreg 6th (Bangor) Carnarvonshire RVC, raised on 3 March 1860 under Capt Pennant Athel Iremonger (also adjutant of the Royal Carnarvon Rifles Militia), disbanded after October 1865 7th (Conway) Carnarvonshire RVC, raised on 4 April 1860 under Capt James Edwards of Conway, disbanded after January 1867

These units were grouped into the 1st Administrative Battalion, Carnarvonshire Rifle Volunteers, formed at Carnarvon on 2 August 1860, with George Pennant promoted to major in command.Burke's: 'Penrhyn'.

Volunteers were also raised from the island of Anglesey. The first proposal came in April 1860 from Holyhead, where 83 employees of the Steam Packet Depot of the London and North Western Railway and the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company offered to form a company, while Mr Rigby of the New Harbour Works had begun to raise and equip a corps from his employees. Neither unit was accepted, but three other corps were formed:Owen, pp. 150–1.Westlake, Rifle Volunteers, pp. 13–4. 1st Anglesey RVC, raised at Amlwch on 6 November 1860 under Capt Henry B. Mitchell 2nd Anglesey RVC, raised at Aberffraw on 5 November 1860 under Capt Owen A.F. Meyrick 3rd Anglesey RVC, raised at Menai Bridge on 2 November 1860 with the Burma War veteran Major-General Robert G. Hughes as captain-commandant

However, recruitment was poor, discouraged by the influential Non-conformist churches, and the three Anglesey units were disbanded in December 1863, March 1862 and February 1862 respectively.

On 2 October 1868 Capt Mathew succeeded Maj Pennant as officer commanding the 1st Admin Bn. However, Non-conformist influence was strong in Carnarvonshire as well, and the RVCs' numbers steadily fell. In 1874 the 1st Admin Bn of Carnarvonshire RVCs was disbanded and the surviving RVCs in the county were incorporated into the Flintshire battalion. The 1st Carnarvonshire RVC was disbanded after December 1874, and the 2nd and 5th in 1877. After the corps at Pwllheli was disbanded it was replaced by a new 5th Carnarvonshire RVC raised from Llanberis (another slate-mining area) in 1878.Westlake, Rifle Volunteers, pp. 89–90.

When the RVCs were consolidated in February 1880 the admin battalion became the 1st Flintshire and Carnarvonshire Rifle Volunteers including the following units: G & H Companies at Carnavon – from 3rd Carnarvonshire RVC I Company at Portmadoc – from 4th Carnarvonshire RVC K Company at Llanberis – from 5th Carnarvonshire RVC

Under the 'Localisation of the Forces' scheme introduced by the Cardwell Reforms of 1872, Volunteers were grouped into county brigades with their local Regular and Militia battalions – Sub-District No 23 in Western District for the Flintshire & Carnarvon Battalion, grouped with the 23rd Foot (Royal Welch Fusiliers).Spiers, pp. 195–6.

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Childers Reforms of 1881 took Cardwell's reforms further, and the Volunteers were formally affiliated to their local Regular regiment, the 1st Flint & Carnarvon becoming a volunteer battalion (VB) of the RWF on 1 July 1881; it was redesignated 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers in June 1884.Owen, pp. 185–8.'Territorial Battalions of the RWF 1908–2008' at RWF Museum Archive.

While the sub-districts were later referred to as 'brigades', they were purely administrative organisations and the Volunteers were excluded from the 'mobilisation' part of the Cardwell system. 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. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training.Beckett, pp. 135, 185–6.Dunlop, pp. 60–1; Appendix A.Spiers, pp. 228–9. Under this scheme the two Volunteer Battalions of the RWF formed part of the Welsh Brigade, later moving to the Welsh Border Brigade.

By 1896 the 2nd VB had 16 companies, but on 26 May 1897 the eight Carnarvon companies were separated to form a new 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers. A new company was raised in Holyhead, Anglesey, in 1900, giving the battalion the following organisation:

HQ at Carnarvon A & B Companies at Carnarvon C Company at Portmadoc D Company at Penygroes E Company at Llanberis F Company at Conwy G Company at Penmaenmawr H Company at Pwllheli I Company at Holyhead The battalion also had a thriving Cyclist Detachment.

Second Boer 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. The War Office decided that one company 116 strong could be recruited from the volunteer battalions of any infantry regiment that had a regular battalion serving in South Africa. The three RWF VBs accordingly raised the 1st Volunteer Service Company (VSC), which joined the 1st Battalion at Modderspruit on 12 March 1900. After more than a year of active service the 1st VSC began its journey home on 28 October 1901, having been relieved by a 2nd VSC of the regiment. The 2nd VSC in turn was replaced by a 3rd VSC, which began the journey home on 13 June 1902 after a period of garrison duty on the Schoonspruit railway. This service earned the volunteer battalions their first Battle honour: South Africa 1900–02. At least four members of the 3rd Bn died on service in South Africa.Beckett, p. 213.

In 1906 the Welsh Border Brigade was reorganised as the North Wales Border Brigade, based at Shrewsbury, whereupon the 3rd VB transferred to the Wrexham-based Mersey Brigade for training purposes.

Territorial Force

When the Volunteers were subsumed into the new Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908,Dunlop, Chapter 14.Spiers, Chapter 10. the 3rd VB became the 6th (Carnarvonshire and Anglesey) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers. The battalion was jointly administered by the Carnarvonshire and Anglesey TF Associations.London Gazette 20 March 1908.

The battalion was distributed as follows:Conrad, 1914.Carnarvonshire at Great War Drill Halls. Battalion HQ at CarnarvonCarnarvon at Drill Hall Project. A Company at Carnarvon B Company at Snowdon Street, PortmadocPortmadoc at Drill Hall Project. C Company at County Hall, Penygroes,Penygroes at Drill Hall Project. with a detachment at NantlleCarnarvonshire Drill Stations at Drill Hall Project. D Company at The Old Station, Llanberis,Llanberis at Drill Hall Project. with a detachment at Ebenezer E Company at Mount Pleasant, Conway,Conway at Drill Hall Project. with a detachment at Argyll Road, LlandudnoLlandudno at Drill Hall Project. F Company at Penmaenmawr G Company at North Quay, Pwllheli,Pwllheli at Drill Hall Project. with a detachment at Criccieth H Company at Moreton Road, Holyhead,Holyhead at Drill Hall Project. with a detachment at Dale Street, Menai BridgeMenai Bridge at Drill Hall Project.

It formed part of the North Wales Brigade of the TF's Welsh Division.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 117–23.James, p. 67–8.RWF at Long, Long Trail.53rd (W) Division at Long, Long Trail.Ward, p. 10.

World War I Mobilisation 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. On 5 August they mobilised, and had concentrated at their war stations (at Conway in the case of the North Wales Brigade) by 11 August. On that date TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas ServiceWard, p. 11. and on 15 August the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas. Later 3rd Line units were formed to train drafts for the 1st and 2nd Line.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.

1/6th (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalion

The Welsh Division moved to Northampton at the end of August 1914, where on 18 November it was warned for service in India, but this was subsequently cancelled. Training was interrupted by periods spent digging trenches for the East Coast defences. In December the division moved to Cambridge, then to Bedford in May 1915, where it was numbered as the 53rd (Welsh) Division, and the North Wales Brigade became the 158th (North Wales) Brigade. By July the battalion was at Rushden in Northamptonshire. On 2 July the division was ordered to refit for service in the Mediterranean. 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. The first battalions of the division to move were the 1/5th and 1/6th RWF, who entrained at Irchester for Devonport during the night of 13 July. The two battalions embarked on the Caledonia and sailed on 14 July.Ward, pp. 11–3.Westlake, Gallipoli, pp. 74–6.

Gallipoli 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. It re-embarked on the Rowan for Imbros on 8 August. Next day the division took part in the Landing at Suvla Bay, an attempt to break the Trench warfare deadlock in the Gallipoli Campaign. The battalion landed at 'C' Beach at 06.00 and bivouacked at Lala Baba.Ward, pp. 18, 27–9.