AFRL March

 
Example: The Band of the Royal Engineers
 

What is a March?

Most military bands have official Regimental Marches music that are played during parades and celebrations. Every Regiment and Corps in the British Army has its own March which identifies them and acts as an outward sign of regimental pride.

AFRL does the same and has its own March/Song.

Men of Harlech

AFRL March is Men of Harlech and has been made culturally famous by the 1964 film Zulu. Men of Harlech was chosen due, in no small part, to the film. The use of the music in the film, while apocryphal, has created an indelible spirit and unity in Wales. A song about the North sung by the South is second only to Mae hen wlad fy nhadau in its power to unity a country in song.


Men of Harlech is also the slow march of the Welsh Guards and the quick march of the Royal Welsh. It was also the march of the South Wales Borderers (24th Regiment of Foot 1689-1969) which featured in the film Zulu. The SWB was amalgamated into The Royal Regiment of Wales which itself was amalgamated into the Royal Welsh in 2006.

Helmet of the 24th Foot and SWB Cap badge

Part of the films myth has created an idea that the soldiers at Rorke's Drift were a wholly Welsh unit, brimming with men from South Wales, and although based in Brecon the regiment was made up of 49 Englishmen, 32 Welshmen, 16 Irishmen, one Scotsman, and three were born overseas. While the nationalities of the remaining 21 are unknown to this day this mixing of nationalities under a Welsh banner is reflected today by AFRL Cymru. Although mostly made up of Welsh players, because of residency, parent club geography and Welsh representation honours at other levels many players were born in other parts of not only the UK, but the world.

Instrumental

with Choir at end
 

MEN OF HARLECH

Lyric used by AFRL


Men of Harlech, stop your dreaming,
Can't you see their spearpoints gleaming?
See their warrior pennants streaming,
To this battle field!

Men of Harlech stand ye steady,
It can not be ever said ye
For the battle were not ready,
Welshmen never yield!

From the hills rebounding,
Let this war cry sounding,
Summon all at Cambria's call,
The mighty force surrounding!

Men of Harlech on to glory,
This will ever be your story,
Keep these burning words before ye,
Welshmen will not yield!


Sung again with a quicker tempo

As there is no single accepted English lyric version of Men of Harlech. AFRL uses the 1964 lyrics by John Barry. Remembering extraordinary bravery and sacrifice on both sides, while also keeping the myth.

 

Names of the British who defended Rorke's Drift

 

5th Company Royal Engineers 
(Now 5 Armoured Engineer Squadron)


Lieutenant John Rouse Merriott Chard. 5th Coy. Corps of Royal Engineers


The 24th Regiment of Foot 
(Now AMALGAMATED into the Royal Welsh)

25B/987 Private Robert Adams D Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/1240 Corporal William Wilson Allen (or Allan) B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/913 Private James Ashton B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. -
B/1381 Private Thomas Barry B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/135. Private William Beckett 1st Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/918 Private William Bennett. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1287 Private William Bessell B Coy 2nd Battn 24th Regiment. - 2/24/2427 Private John Bly B Coy. 2nd Battalion. 24th Regiment. -2/24/2459 B Coy. Col.- Sergeant Frank Bourne. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1524 Private Joseph Bromwich. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1184 Private Thomas Buckley B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1220 Private Thomas Burke. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/2350 Private Thomas Bushe B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. -25B/1181 Private William Camp B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1241 Private Thomas Chester B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B/1335 Private James Chick. D Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B/755 Private Thomas Clayton B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment
25B/1459 Private Robert Cole F Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B/801 Private Thomas Cole B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1396 Private Thomas Collins B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment
25B/906 Private John Connolly. C Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/2310 Private Anthony Connors. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 2/24/1323 Private Timothy Connors. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment
2/24/2453 Private William Cooper F Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/470 Private George Davies. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B/1363 Private William Henry Davis. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment
25B/1178 Private Thomas Daw. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B/1467 Private George Deacon B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B1357 Private Michael Deane. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment
25B/568 Private Patrick Desmond. 1st Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/1697 Private James Dick. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 2/24/1634 Private William Dicks. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment
25B/971 Private Thomas Driscoll. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.- 25B1421 Private James Dunbar. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B/922 Private George Edwards B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment
25B/953 Private Frederick Evans. H Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B/969 Private John Fagan. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 2/24/582 Corporal George French. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment
2/24/1713 Drummer Patrick Galgey. D Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 25/B81 Sergeant Henry Gallagher. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/2429 Private Edward Gee B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/978 Private James Hagan. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1282 L/Corporal William Halley.. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25b/1062 Private John Harris. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
2/24/1769 Private Garret Hayden D Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/2067 Drummer Patrick Hayes B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1362 Private Frederick Hitch. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1373 Private Alfred Henry Hook. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 1/24/1861 Private William Horrigan. 1st Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1061 Private John Jobbins. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/841 Private James Jenkins. 1st Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1428 Private Evan Jones. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1179 Private John Jones B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B970 Private John Jones., B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/716 Private Robert Jones. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. -2/24/593 Private William Jones. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
2/24 2437 Private Peter Judge, B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/972 Private Patrick Kears. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/2381 Drummer James Keefe. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
2/24/2389 Corporal John Key. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1386 Private Michael Kiley. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/963 Private David Lewis B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
2/24/1528 Private Henry Lines. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1409 Private David Lloyd. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. -25B/1176 Private Thomas Lockhart. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment
25B/1304 Private Joshua Lodge. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/942 Private Thomas M. Lynch. B.Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. -25B/1112 Corporal John Lyons. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
2/24/1441 Private John Lyons A. Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/1731 Private John Manley. A Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/964 Private James Marshall. B.Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/756 Private Henry Martin. B Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1284 Private Charles Mason. B.Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25b/623 Sergeant Robert Maxfield. G Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
2/24/2383 Drummer John Meehan. A.Coy. 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/1527 Private Michael Minehan. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/968 Private Thomas Moffatt. B.Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1342 Private Augustus Morris. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/525 Private Frederick Morris. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B1371 Private Thomas Morrison. BCoy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/662 Private John Murphy. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1279 Private William Neville. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25b/625 Private Edward Nicholas. 1st Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1257 Private Robert Norris B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1480 Private William Osborne. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1399 Private Samuel Parry. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment
25B/1410 Private William Partridge. G Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/372 Private Thomas Payton 1st Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B/1186 Private Samuel Pitt. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1286 Private Edward Robinson. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 1/24/1542 Private William Roy. 1st Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B1065 Private James Ruck. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1185. Private Edward Savage. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/849 Corporal Alfred Saxty. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 25B/1051 Private John Scanlon. A Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
2/24/2404 Private Arthur Sears. A Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/1618 Private George Shearman. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment - 2/24/914 Private John Shergold. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
2/24/1387 Sergeant George Smith. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1005 Private John Smith. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/777 Private Thomas Stevens. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
2/24/1812 Private William Tasker. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B973 Private Frederick Taylor. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/82 L/Sergeant James Taylor. E.Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/889 Private Thomas E. Taylor B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1280 Private John Thomas. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1394 Private John Thompson. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/641 Private Michael Tobin. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/641 Private Patrick Tobin. BCoy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B1281 Private William J. Todd. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1315 Private Robert Tongue. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/104 Private Henry Turner. 1st Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1497 Private John Wall. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
1/24/1542 Private John Waters. 1st Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/977 Private Alfred Whetton. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B1187 PrivateWilliam Wilcox. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1395 Private John Williams. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/934 Private John Williams. E Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/1398 Private Joseph Williams. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1328 L/Sergeant Thomas Williams. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment. - 25B/56 Sergeant Edward Wilson. 1st Battn. 24th Regiment. - 2/24/735 Sergeant Joseph Windridge. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.
25B/1316 Private Caleb Wood. B Coy 2nd Battn. 24th Regiment.