3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales

On 1 April 1971, the 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Wales was formed as part of the expansion of the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) after the major reductions of just a few years prior, in 1967. In theory the battalion was in-fact not a new formation, as the headquarters was formed by expansion of the cadre (a formation of just a few soldiers). The cadre which formed the 3rd (V) Battalion was the 3rd (Monmouthshire) Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales, and therefore had an indirect connection to the late Monmouthshire Regiment, which itself had disbanded in 1967. The structure of the battalion on formation was as follows: If mobilised, the battalion would have been sent to the British Army of the Rhine as an anti-tank armoured reserve unit for the 4th Armoured Division.'''''' == Further lineage ==

In 1991, following the end of the Cold War, the Options for Change paper was published which saw a major reorganisation of the armed forces, especially the British Army. As a result of this programme, the Home Service Force was disbanded, with E (HSF) Company disbanding in May 1992. In addition, many of the regular regiments gained their territorial battalions back, and many of the old territorial regiments disbanded. Following the announcement of the decision to reduce the two territorial battalions of the Royal Regiment of Wales, some Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (MPs) presented petitions signed by over 33,000 people of South Wales protesting the disbandment of these battalions. 580 Transport Squadron, Royal Logistic Corps Following the conversion of D (City of Cardiff) Company into 580 Ambulance Squadron, the new squadron came under control of the 157th (Wales and Midlands) Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps based in Cardiff with a troop in Bridgend. In 1999 however, following the 1998 Strategic Defence Review, the squadron was transferred to the 152nd (Ulster) Ambulance Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps. The squadron was then consolidated in Bridgend, and now became the only ambulance squadron not based in Northern Ireland. In 2006, as a result of the 2003 Defence White Paper and subsequent Future Army Structure programme, 580 Ambulance squadron was transferred back to the now redesignated 157th (Wales and Midlands) Transport, Royal Logistic Corps. The squadron then was redesignated as 580 Transport Squadron, Royal Logistic Corps and consolidated back in Cardiff. Shortly thereafter, the squadron was renamed as 580 (Glamorgan) Transport Squadron, Royal Logistic Corps, though retained its same role and stayed in Cardiff. Under the Army 2020 programme, the squadron was consolidated in Cardiff, losing its Bridgend Troop. Today the squadron still retains its location at Maindy Barracks in Cardiff and is still part of 157th (Welsh) Transport Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps. The Royal Welsh Following the reductions of the Options for Change, A and B Companies of the old 3rd RRW formed the new '''B (Rorke's Drift) Company in Cefn Fforest and Pontypool along with C (Pontypridd) Company''' in Pontypridd and Pentre. These companies however wouldn't last long as on 1 July 1999, as a result of the 1998 Strategic Defence Review, the 2nd (V) Battalion, Royal Regiment of Wales was disbanded to form part of the new Royal Welsh Regiment. As a consequence, B (Rorke's Drift) Company was disbanded, while HQ Company and C Companies merged to form the new C (Royal Regiment of Wales) Company at Maindy Barracks in Cardiff with a platoon in Pontypridd. Under the Future Army Structure announced in 2004, the Royal Regiment of Wales was merged with the Royal Regiment of Wales and Royal Welch Fusiliers to form the new Royal Welsh. As a result of this merger, the Royal Welsh Regiment became the 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Royal Welsh on 1 March 2006 with no changes in companies. Under the Army 2020 programme announced in 2012, the company was to be consolidated, and is currently based at the Army Reserve Centre on The Broadway in Pontypridd. Under the Army 2020 Refine announced in 2017, the company was expanded and a new platoon was formed at the Bethesda Street drill hall in Georgetown, Merthyr Tydfil (Mid Glamorgan). == Footnotes ==