William Windsor (goat)

The tradition of having goats in the military originated in 1775, when a wild goat walked onto the battlefield in Boston Another Welsh military goat, Taffy IV, served in the First World War. Taffy, of the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment, is officially recorded as "The Regimental Goat". He embarked on the war on 13 August 1914 and saw action in the Retreat from Mons, the First Battle of Ypres (including the Battle of Gheluvelt), and the Battles of Festubert and Givenchy, before dying on 20 January 1915. He was posthumously awarded the 1914 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The royal goat herd was originally obtained from Mohammad Shah Qajar, Shah of Persia from 1834 to 1848, when he presented them to Queen Victoria as a gift in 1837 upon her accession to the throne. Following complaints about goats wandering into people's gardens, the council rejected proposals for a cull, deciding to use a combination of rehoming and birth control. RSPCA marksmen tranquillised nannies and inserted contraceptive progesterone implants to control the numbers of the genetically unique breed. By 2007, 85 goats had been relocated to areas including Kent, Yorkshire, the Brecon Beacons, and Somerset, but further efforts were interrupted by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. == William Windsor I ==

Billy, a Kashmir goat, is descended from the same royal bloodline as the original herd, but was not selected from the wild population; he was born in Whipsnade Zoo. He was presented to the regiment by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001. The tradition is not new: since 1844, the British monarchy has presented an unbroken series of Kashmir goats to the Royal Welch Fusiliers from the Crown's own royal herd. Billy—Army number 25232301 , the First Battle of Ypres and other famous battles. He was awarded the 1914 Star.|alt=sepia-tone, a goat with a head-dress between two soldiers Temporary demotion On 16 June 2006, The deployment to Cyprus with the 1st Battalion was Billy's first overseas posting, and despite being ordered to keep in line, he refused to obey. The goat major, Lance Corporal Dai Davies, 22, from Neath, South Wales, was unable to keep him under control. Following a disciplinary hearing, he was demoted to fusilier. the goat major was ultimately court-martialled under the lesser charge of "disrespect to an officer" and reduced in rank. The incident was described as a "disgraceful act of insubordination." == William Windsor II ==

In order to replace Billy, thirty members of 1st Battalion set off to Great Orme in Llandudno on 15 June 2009 at 03:00, hoping to catch the feral goats in a docile state. A team led by Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Lock (Commanding Officer) included the goat major and several veterinarians. Army spokesman Gavin O’Connor said, "We are looking for a goat which is calm under pressure and a team player." With some difficulty, a five-month-old was chosen, and assigned army number 25142301—which represents regiment number 2514, 23rd Regiment of Foot (the original name of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers), and 01 denoting the 1st Battalion. The new goat will also be called William Windsor, beginning as a fusilier while being trained for military life. He will receive a ration of two cigarettes per day, which he eats, but will not be permitted Guinness (for iron) until he is older. == See also ==