Royal Welsh Museum
Royal Welsh Museum, Brecon Barracks
The museum building was originally an armoury for the local militia, built on the Watton in 1805. The solid stone buildings which form most of the barracks date from the 1840s. They include an officers' mess, the Commanding Officer’s house and a military hospital.
In 1873 the barracks were designated as the regimental depot of the 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment, which, in 1881, became The South Wales Borderers. One of the most celebrated moments in the history of the regiment was the defence of Rorke’s Drift in the Anglo-Zulu war. The regiment has its own chapel in Brecon Cathedral.
Today the barracks is the home of 160 (Wales) Brigade headquarters.
The Regimental Museum of the Royal Welsh tells the story of Welsh soldiering since the 24th Regiment of Foot was first raised in 1689. The Royal Welsh itself was formed in 2006, embodying the long heritage of the South Wales Borderers, the Royal Welch Fusiliers, the Welch Regiment and the Monmouthshire Regiment.
Exhibits in the museum show the evolution of soldiers’ weaponry from the 18th century to modern times. The Zulu War room contains artefacts from the defence of Rorke’s Drift, an event given renewed fame by Sir Stanley Baker’s 1964 film Zulu. The museum displays more than 3,000 medals, including 16 Victoria Crosses.
It also has an extensive collection of First World War material including uniforms, medals and personal items. The Regiments represented in the museum saw action in some of the most iconic campaigns of the Western Front (including Mametz Wood) and at Gallipoli. Shown here is part of a photo in the museum’s collection of the Welch Regiment at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli, in 1915 with troop transport ships in the distance.
With thanks to Richard Davies
Postcode: LD3 7EB View Location Map
To continue the Brecon in WW1 tour, turn right outside the museum gate and follow Watton to the roundabout. The next QR codes are at the rugby club, on the opposite side of the road |