English officers in Welsh regiment 'looked down on Welsh colleagues'

Martin Shipton

Jonathan Morgan from Brecon, who was in the Army in the 1970s, feels so strongly about the matter that he has contacted First Minister Eluned Morgan, Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens and Newport West Labour MP Ruth Jones, who chairs the Welsh Affairs Committee at the House of Commons. All three have responded to him.

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PTSD

Mr Morgan told Nation.Cymru: “I came out of the army with PTSD or a related condition after an horrific tour in Northern Ireland in 1972. I became a captain in the Royal Regiment of Wales,  but I was affronted by the culture in the regiment which seemed to favour English officers.  They were down on officers with Welsh accents and who came from comprehensive schools.

“I was told I would never get anywhere as a Welshman in the regiment by two senior captains.  I myself came from a great Welsh sporting family.  My great uncle Dr Teddy Morgan captained Wales and the British Lions at rugby and my Uncle Guy Morgan captained Wales and Cambridge University at rugby and Glamorgan at cricket, so Welsh was very much part of my identity.

“After three years in the Army attached to Aberystwyth University, I went out to Belize where my PTSD or similar mental problems kicked in and the regiment was hopeless in dealing with it.

“The Royal Regiment of Wales was an amalgam of the South Wales Borderers and the Welsh Regiment.  The former looked down on the latter because they considered the Welsh as rather down market in the officers' mess.  It was a disgrace really when you think of the hundreds of Welsh officers who died for their country, especially in world wars, and such marvellous men as Lord Justice Tasker Watkins VC had come out of the Valleys. He was in the Welsh Regiment.”

A former chair of the Welsh Liberal Democrats in Brecon and Radnorshire, and vice chair of the European Movement in Wales, Mr Morgan said: “My father was quite a  well known prisoner of war padre in the Second World War and performed heroics on the Death March in Poland. We are probably one of the greatest sporting families and the majority of us went to Christ College Brecon.”

He added: “This English attitude towards the Welsh in my day in the 1970's was positively colonial and racist.  I hope now that the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, who love their Welsh roots, have amalgamated with the Royal Regiment of Wales that the horrible nature of that culture has been destroyed.”

In a letter to the First Minister, Mr Morgan said: “I know you have no jurisdiction over the military but could you keep a careful eye on the present culture in regiments in Wales from a  Welsh perspective.  Thousands of Welsh officers have died for their country so the anti-Welsh culture I encountered was a disgrace.”

Baroness Morgan responded: “Thank you for contacting me. I am extremely disappointed at the suggestion that there was a poor attitude towards the Welsh in the Royal Regiment of Wales . I shall raise the issue when I speak to the military representative when we next meet.”

Ms Stevens wrote to Mr Morgan stating: “I was disappointed to hear about the culture that you experienced when serving in the Royal Regiment of Wales. My office engages regularly with the Ministry of Defence, and I assure you that I will raise these concerns where appropriate.

“As a government we are committed to delivering for service personnel and our veterans. An early indication of that was at the Budget, where we extended the National Insurance relief for employers recruiting qualifying veterans for a further year until April 5 2026.

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Divisions

After writing in similar terms to Ms Jones, Mr Morgan received a reply which stated:  “I am concerned at your account of the culture within the Welsh regiments. I agree with you that there should be no divisions on grounds of class and I am always grateful to the many who gave their lives to keep us safe.

“The Welsh Affairs Select Committee has no plans to review the Welsh military in the immediate future but I will of course keep an eye out for any inappropriate reports regarding the Welsh military.”

The Royal Welsh proclaims its pride in Wales on its website, stating:” We are The Royal Welsh, loyal to our Royal Welsh family and proud of our history. We live by our motto, Gwell Angau na Chywilydd: Death rather than Dishonour. We are selfless in spirit, inspiring each other to achieve the extraordinary. We are determined to succeed, courageous in adversity, never failing in our duty. We are ferocious in battle, always ready to stand up, step forward and serve our nation. We are Welsh Warriors.

“The Royal Welsh is Wales’ oldest and most decorated regiment.  As the Army’s most experienced armoured infantry unit, The Royal Welsh are a key part of the only warfighting division at continual operational readiness in the UK; ready to protect the UK and project its influence across the globe.

“The history of the Royal Welsh covers over 330 years, including nearly every major campaign that the British Army has participated in. Its antecedent regiments, the Royal Welch Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Wales amalgamated in 2006, uniting into one family Regiment the 23rd, 24th, 41st & 69th Regiments of Foot.”