Artillery or Marine Artillery; the appointment to last for five years,
and at the expiration of that time the officer to return to his corps,
and another one to succeed him. The writer was at that time adjutant of
the 46th Regiment, and the first to be thus appointed to the Royal
Brecon Rifles, South Wales--a small corps of only four companies. There
was another smaller corps of only two companies in the adjoining county,
Radnorshire, and, perhaps for economy's sake, it was ordered that both
of these corps should be made one regiment. Each wanted to retain its
old militia designation, but it was decided by the officers to give them
a totally new one, and they were christened the 'South Wales Borderers.'

"Brecon was made a depot centre, and the 24th Regiment were to recruit
and have their depots there. Being then without a title they took that
of the local militia, and are, therefore, now the '1st and 2nd
Battalions South Wales Borderers.' But they will always be known as the
time-honoured 24th, who lost one colonel, one major, four captains,
fourteen lieutenants and seven entire companies, including band, buglers
and drummer boys, at Isandhlwana. Lieutenants Melville and Coghill, on
that occasion, seeing that all was lost, attempted to save the colours.
Melville was first hit, and Coghill turned back to share his fate. The
colours were afterwards found in the bed of the Buffalo River, and when
brought home Her Majesty tied a small wreath of immortelles on the staff
head at Osborn. They are still in the possession of the regiment, and
the wreath presented by Her Majesty is preserved in a handsome
hermetically-sealed oak box, mounted in silver."




APPENDIX NO. 7.