Pennod 5 Milwyr y Welsh Guards

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-Since World War I...

-..the Welsh Guards have been

-a symbol of British military power.

-From the Battle of Loos in World

-War I to Dunkirk in World War II...

-..from the Falklands

-to Afghanistan...

-..the Guards have been central

-to the army and Crown since 1915.

-The regiment

-is proud of its history.

-Everyone who joins has to buy

-into that history and tradition.

-Famous for their bravery

-on the battlefield...

-..their red uniform

-and bearskins...

-..the Guards are a special regiment,

-but their role is changing.

-We've finished in Afghanistan

-so we're learning new skills.

-On the verge of their centenary

-and amid financial cutbacks...

-..they face new demands

-after the Middle East...

-..and the future looks uncertain.

-Most serving soldiers

-know nothing apart from Afghanistan.

-They need training

-for their new role.

-We're the only regiment

-who are soldiers and guards.

-We're unique and that's what

-makes the Guards so special.

-Why does a tourist go to London?

-To see the Changing of the Guard.

-Filmed over 18 months...

-..with special access

-to the life of the Guards.

-There's no threat on the wall

-at Buckingham Palace.

-From the Welsh soldiers...

-From the Welsh soldiers...

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-Sergeant David Evans, Llangefni.

-You feel overwhelmed because there

-are so many people watching you.

-W01 Regimental Sergeant Major

-Paul Dunn, Gaerwen.

-Any soldier who does not

-feel some kind of fear...

-..is not being honest

-with themselves.

-..to English officers.

-My patrol base was shot at

-seven times in one day.

-From the barracks

-to Buckingham Palace.

-I'm excited

-but worried about making a mistake.

-Time to roll!

-From Afghanistan to North Wales.

-He said "Don't worry.

-I'll look after Mam and me."

-That really moved me.

-A Welsh regiment at the heart

-of the British establishment.

-This is the story of the soldiers

-of the Welsh Guards.

-The Changing of the Guard attracts

-thousands of tourists to London.

-Since 1915, the Welsh Guards

-have protected the Crown...

-..but the difficult task

-of performing this drill...

-..starts 200 miles away

-in Catterick.

-The new recruits

-move to London in two months.

-Their skills in the drill

-need to be beyond perfection.

-November 2014

-Catterick, Yorkshire

-By the right, quick march!

-We're part of the Household Division

-so it's a tradition.

-The Household Division guards the

-Queen in town and Windsor Castle.

-That is our ceremonial role.

-We have to make sure

-that we do it properly.

-Get that arm parallel.

-By the right...

-..turn!

-We're going through

-a ceremonial drill.

-They will be leaving this

-establishment in two months time...

-..to go to the ceremonial companies

-to carry out the ceremonial role.

-At Buckingham Palace, thousands

-watch the Changing of the Guard.

-It is important to get it

-to a high standard prior to leaving.

-You don't really want to do it...

-..but it's something

-you have to do...

-..and there's a good reason

-for doing it.

-Turn!

-One stop. Two stop.

-Three stop. Forward.

-Get a grip, Price.

-You need to have the discipline to

-stand there and react to the orders.

-It doesn't matter if you're

-on a drill or in Afghanistan.

-You maintain the same amount

-of professionalism.

-Right, all yours.

-Stand by.

-Patrol.

-One, two, three.

-One, two, three.

-One, two, three.

-One, two, three.

-One, two, three.

-It's a discipline. It's a smartness.

-That is the double sentry you do

-when the Queen's in residence.

-It's getting that synchronicity.

-It should be the same time as your

-partner so it's a mirror image...

-..and if you do it well,

-then it looks smart.

-It keeps drawing the tourists and

-keeps the London economy booming.

-You can see

-the progress that we make...

-..even in a short space

-of two hours.

-What did I say at the beginning?

-If you're facing this way,

-where's the palace?

-Where's the palace now?

-Where's the palace now?

-

-Behind me, sergeant.

-Which way did you turn?

-The right, sergeant.

-So, you face the palace.

-Is that correct?

-Do we face the palace when on guard?

-Do we face the palace when on guard?

-

-No, sergeant.

-Because then we're not

-protecting the Queen.

-There's no threat on the wall

-at Buckingham Palace.

-No, it's in the crowd.

-April 2015

-Buckingham Palace, London

-Basically, we're doing our kit.

-Getting everything sorted to have

-an inspection before we go on.

-We make sure everything's

-up to standard and we'll march on.

-It's hard work to prepare

-the tunic and drill boots.

-You can spend an hour to 90 minutes

-on your boots alone.

-We use Brasso for the buff belt...

-..and the curb chain.

-We de-fluff the tunic.

-It takes a lot of hard work

-to prepare the tunic.

-These are the last

-finishing touches.

-Your jacket looks a bit tight.

-It was a good leave

-and I had a few too many cakes.

-I'm sure it'll loosen off

-during these coming weeks.

-The Mounting Guard

-is the ceremonial procedure...

-..of us going to Buckingham Palace

-and St James's Palace...

-..and taking control of the security

-of those palaces.

-We rotate between the

-three companies in the battalion.

-There's a Changing of the Guard

-every day from April onwards.

-The Changing of the Guard ceremony

-is a huge honour.

-It's an enormous sense of pride.

-The hairs stand on the back of

-your neck when you're marching....

-..and all the tourists are clapping

-and taking pictures.

-We wake up at 4.40am

-and are on parade by 5.00am.

-Our rehearsals are at 8.00am...

-..and then we chill

-before going on parade at 10.50am.

-The Welsh Guards are the physical

-protection to the palaces...

-..and to Her Majesty.

-Even on public duties...

-..the weapons we carry on parade are

-zeroed in case of terrorist attacks.

-We have a formal parade in the

-morning to march over the new guard.

-They change over with a ceremony in

-the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

-The old guard

-march back to Wellington Barracks.

-The guys stand by the boxes

-to be seen by the public...

-..and the officers

-take control of security.

-The mechanics of the ceremony.

-The only thing that changes is

-it's 48 hours in the winter...

-..and 24 hours in the summer.

-The protocol is the same.

-Time to roll!

-It's quite nerve-racking

-when you first do it.

-You can't appreciate

-the crowds you're performing to.

-These days, we're more

-of a tourist attraction in London.

-But it's also part

-of the country's history.

-It's been happening

-for hundreds of years.

-It's great to be a part

-of this tradition.

-There's tourists everywhere when

-I march around Buckingham Palace.

-They are like flies!

-In summer, there's thousands and

-like being in a football stadium.

-It's a proud feeling when people

-clap and take your photograph.

-I've never done a Queen's Guard

-when the streets have been empty.

-People don't regularly see it

-so they see it for the first time.

-It's fantastic and they enjoy it

-so it makes you feel good about it.

-We're part of people's experiences

-of the United Kingdom.

-When we swap with the guards on the

-forecourt at Buckingham Palace...

-..there's a little competition...

-..between the old guards

-and those replacing them.

-We see who can strike

-their rifles the hardest...

-..or marches the best.

-You feel as though

-you're showing off.

-It was a great experience. I was

-excited as it was my first time.

-You feel overwhelmed because there

-are so many people watching you.

-You worry about making a mistake.

-You have the fear

-and the nightmare...

-..that you end up on YouTube having

-done something horrifically wrong.

-You're thinking so much about your

-duties that you forget the tourists.

-You're concentrating on your steps

-and keeping a straight line.

-You want to make yourself proud

-so you block everything else out.

-When marching, we listen

-to the drum beat, not the music.

-We only listen to the drum

-so the music doesn't really matter!

-The drum was originally used

-to rally the troops for war.

-The beat was used to calculate

-the distance to the battlefield.

-A slow march is 68 beats per minute

-and 116 beats for a quick march.

-It helps the lads keep in step.

-They march down The Mall

-and it can be quite long.

-Despite all the hubbub

-and thousands of people...

-..they concentrate on that drum beat

-to keep in step.

-# Men of Harlech #

-It's something that is part

-of the heritage of army music.

-They try to give everyone a laugh as

-it's unexpected at a formal moment.

-It's great

-and really nice when they do it.

-They change the music

-so it always comes as a surprise.

-I think they just play

-for the public!

-The best one that I've heard

-is The Death March from Star Wars...

-..which is a good one.

-It does affect you.

-It brings a smile to the lips.

-It makes it a lighter moment

-and you hear the crowd react to it.

-It's great fun moving as

-a formed body of men with one mind.

-You're bursting with pride and it's

-an incredible thing to be a part of.

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-For the last 18 months,

-we joined the Welsh Guards...

-..in the run-up to their centenary.

-Three years ago, the regiment

-was at war in Afghanistan.

-Today, the Guards tread the

-forecourt of Buckingham Palace...

-..but cannot forget the experiences

-of the front line.

-The ceremonial side

-is special in its own right.

-The operational side

-is why we join the army.

-We are a tourist attraction

-but are also operational soldiers.

-The two get confused.

-People don't realize

-the medals are won in battle.

-This gets tedious after a while.

-You do the same thing over and over.

-Whereas in the field,

-no two days are the same.

-What I think is galling

-for a lot of guardsmen...

-..is people don't understand

-we're fighting soldiers first.

-People think we're toy soldiers

-who go out on parade.

-I prefer to be a soldier

-than to do the job of a toy soldier!

-When we went to Afghanistan

-in 2009...

-..it was very important

-to the lads in the regiment.

-We hadn't fought abroad

-since the Falklands.

-We had to prove ourselves

-as a regiment.

-Everyone understood the battalion

-was under immense pressure...

-..to retain our reputation.

-I think we all did that.

-I was looking forward

-to going there...

-..to ensure the people of Helmand

-had a better life.

-I landed at Bastion.

-The lads had been

-there for two months.

-The flags were at half-mast

-and it was a reality check.

-Men had died that day

-and a Welsh Guard had lost his leg.

-It all became real.

-My son hadn't been born

-when I did my first tour.

-His mother was pregnant.

-This played on my mind.

-If anything was to happen,

-I would never meet my own son.

-He was three at my second tour so

-it played on my feelings even more.

-We went out when there was a lot

-in the media about Panther's Claw...

-..which the Welsh Guards

-were hugely involved in...

-..but also the Afghan campaign.

-It was important beforehand...

-..and after the first tour,

-it became more important.

-Gordon Brown says our soldiers face

-a long, tough summer in Afghanistan.

-The Ministry of Defence trumpets the

-success of Operation Panther's Claw.

-The Secretary of State for Defence

-stated...

-..that further losses

-against the Taliban was inevitable.

-Panther's Claw was

-the biggest operation of that tour.

-There was a huge advance

-and we lost a lot of men.

-Panther's Claw was an operation

-where the Chah-eAnjir Triangle...

-..or a segment between two canals

-in the Green Zone in Helmand...

-..was cleared of enemy forces.

-That involved heli assaults

-onto the northern end...

-..and a Welsh Guards clearance

-up the Shamalan Canal.

-The locals left

-so the fighting could take place.

-The area was destroyed

-by heavy bombing.

-The roads were non-existent.

-Most patrols in the three months

-I was there...

-..would be shot at

-in the base daily.

-My patrol base was shot at

-seven times in one day.

-There was a constant risk of IODs

-when you went out on patrol.

-If you stayed out long enough, you

-encountered three small arms fire.

-People were killed

-early on in the tour.

-The first soldier we lost

-was a friend called Tobie Fasfous.

-You expect something to happen

-on every patrol.

-Slackening up for even a minute

-puts you in grave danger.

-You have to be ready for anything

-all the time.

-A Welsh soldier

-was killed in Afghanistan.

-Tributes to two

-1st Battalion Welsh Guards.

-A Welsh Guard was also killed.

-One of the three servicemen

-who died in Afghanistan.

-Losing anybody on any operation

-is a difficult thing...

-..and especially when

-it's one of your own.

-One of your own company,

-platoon or one of your own regiment.

-In our case, we lost a few

-Welsh Guardsmen in that conflict.

-Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe

-was in the Welsh Guards.

-No higher ranking soldier has been

-killed since the campaign started.

-The deaths of a Commanding Officer,

-Platoon and Company Commanders...

-..proved that no-one was safe.

-The lads react in their own way.

-Some want revenge, others are

-distressed and some are reclusive.

-But as soon as

-we go back out on patrol...

-..we have to put it to one side

-and deal with it when we come home.

-We're there to do a job.

-Any soldier who does not

-feel some kind of fear...

-..is not being honest

-with themselves.

-You have to focus on the job

-and can't think about your fears...

-..or it will override everything

-you're trying to achieve.

-You have to block it out

-and do what you're trained to do.

-I have a daughter and she was three

-when I left for the tour.

-There had been a lot of fighting

-before we left...

-..so we knew

-what was expected of us.

-We knew it would be heavy warfare

-for six months.

-The families

-have their own experiences.

-I know my own family were worried.

-Without them supporting me,

-getting on with the tour...

-..I couldn't do the job.

-That speaks for all

-the Welsh Guards' families.

-What happened when you were shot?

-I was out on an early patrol

-at about 4.30am...

-..and something was wrong.

-The people weren't working

-in the fields.

-We approached an area

-where the Taliban liked IODs...

-..so we were even more cautious.

-We were ambushed

-and there was nothing we could do.

-Three lads were shot

-and I was shot in the shoulder.

-You feel disappointed in yourself.

-You're taught these things but think

-you're at fault for being shot.

-You question yourself about whether

-things could have been different.

-You question yourself

-more than anything else.

-Has it left any psychological scars?

-I think more about the friends

-who were killed but I'd survived.

-I feel very guilty about that.

-I'm lucky.

-I'm very lucky.

-It's just one of those things

-that comes with this particular job.

-On the first tour, we fought for

-every inch in the centre of Helmand.

-When I went for the second tour

-in March 2012...

-..we were patrolling jointly

-with the Afghan police...

-..and the people were getting on

-with a better standard of living.

-By my second tour, I was a higher

-rank and had grown as a person.

-My outlook was totally different.

-On the first tour,

-I wanted to fight.

-I wanted to do my job

-and be in a fire fight.

-By the second tour,

-I didn't want that.

-All the young lads

-wanted to fight...

-..but I wanted to make

-a different kind of impact.

-I had a grown up outlook.

-Helping the locals was more

-important than fighting the Taliban.

-It was a pleasure to see

-where we had been in 2009.

-On the second tour...

-..you could see the difference

-since our operations.

-There were more and more bazaars.

-The local economy

-was starting to grow again.

-The places had changed

-since the first tour.

-The roads had tarmac, there were

-shops and children went to school.

-I gave some job satisfaction.

-You could see the difference

-that the army had made.

-Did Afghanistan change you?

-I'm not sure.

-Mam says that I haven't changed.

-I think it's made me stronger.

-It changed me as a person.

-After the first tour,

-I appreciated things a lot more.

-I'd seen people with nothing.

-I also appreciated every second

-I spent with the family.

-Life is easier in Afghanistan.

-You work, eat, sleep, fight

-and that's it.

-You don't get those days...

-..where you have issues at home,

-bills to pay and things like that.

-You focus on yourself

-and your friends.

-In many ways,

-life is much easier out there.

-You don't have to worry

-about certain things.

-Things have changed

-since Afghanistan.

-Life can seem a little bit mundane.

-You're always looking

-for a bit of excitement...

-..but you're never going to get that

-again.

-That's it really.

-Was the War in Afghanistan worth it?

-Do you think you've made

-a difference to the country?

-I think we've made a difference.

-Children are going to school now.

-They have an opportunity

-to lead their own lives.

-I feel proud that we were able

-to play a part in that.

-It's up to them to continue what

-we've started and I hope they do.

-History will judge the campaign

-as a whole.

-The Welsh Guards did our job.

-Yes, after I returned to the country

-three years later...

-..I think we made a difference.

-I don't know if that will remain

-or if we'll have to return.

-We'll do what is needed.

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