The Penninsular War

In November 1810 the 1st Battalion left Nova Scotia to join Wellingtons army in Portugal, where the Peninsular War hung in the balance.
The Royal Welch, together with the 1st and 2nd battalions The Royal Fusiliers, were in the Fusilier Brigade which formed part of Coles 4th Division.
On 16th May 1811 an allied army under Beresford was drawn up near Albuhera. The French attacked and seized some high ground from which they were able to rake the whole British position. Two counter attacks failed and retreat appeared almost inevitable when the 4th Division was brought up as a last resort.
Emerging through the midst of the smoke they met with a fearful discharge of grape and in the words of Napier: "the fuzileer battalions, struck by the iron tempest, reeled and staggered like sinking ships; but suddenly and sternly recovering they closed on their terrible enemies, and then was seen with what a strength and majesty the British soldier fights...Nothing could stop that astonishing infantry...their dreadful volleys swept away the head of every formation". In the battle the 23rd suffered 340 casualties. The Regiment had earned another eight Battle Honours in the Peninsula by the time Napoleon was ready to abdicate in April 1814.

Waterloo

The peace , however was short lived for he soon escaped from Elba and on the 18th June 1815 Wellington and Napoleon faced each other at Waterloo. Just before the battle Wellington wrote ,"I saw the 23rd the other day, and i never saw a regiment in such order. They are not strong , but it was the most complete and handsome military body i ever looked at".
Starting the battle in reserver , it was not long before they were engaged and took part in the final rout of the Imperial Guard , in which their highly regarded commanding officer, Colonel Henry Walton Ellis, was mortally wounded. As a reward for the victory every private soldier received a medal and prize money of £2.11s. 4d (£2.62).
The defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo brought peace once again, and this time it was almost 40 years before Britain was involved in another European war .The Regiment served with the army of occupation in France untill 1818 and then spent five years in Ireland before being posted to Gibraltar and Portugal .

At the battle of Waterloo the 23rd lost 10 Officers and also had 89 men killed and wounded .

Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum[www.rwfmuseum.org.uk]
R.W.F forum[www.rwf-forum.co.uk]
Royal Welch Fusilier in America 1775 - 1783[www.rwfia.org]