The 1st Battalion, as part of the 10th Indian Infantry Division, was sent to Iraq to quell a German-inspired uprising in Iraq in November 1941.[23] The battalion saw subsequent service in Iran. The battalion sustained enormous casualties in Libya near Tobruk when they lost around 500 officers and men captured or killed during a general retreat. The battalion found itself cut off when the German forces outflanked them, the Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. F.R.G. Matthews, decided to attempt to escape around the enemy and break through to British lines. It turned into a disaster with only four officers and around one hundred men reaching Sollum.[23] To the surprise of the survivors the battalion was ordered to disband in Cyprus and the remnants of the battalion were transferred, with the exception of a small cadre that returned to the United Kingdom, to the 1st Battalion of the King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster). A few months later the battalion was re-formed from the cadre and the 4th Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment.
Upon the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, the 2nd Battalion was serving in Derry, Northern Ireland, under command of Northern Ireland District, having been there since December 1936. In December 1939 the battalion left Northern Ireland and was sent to join the 148th Infantry Brigade of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division, a Territorial formation. In April 1940 the battalion was again transferred to the newly created 24th Guards Brigade (Rupertforce), and took part in the Norwegian Campaign, and were among the first British troops to see action against the German Army in the Second World War.[26] The campaign failed and the brigade had to be evacuated. Casualties in the battalion, however, had been remarkably light, with only 13 wounded and 6 killed and two DCMs had been awarded.[27]
ttalion returned to the United Kingdom and, on 7 December 1941 (the day the United States entered the war), transferred to the
37th Independent Infantry Brigade(redesignated
7th Infantry Brigade the day after). On 1 March 1944 the battalion was transferred to the newly created
56th Independent Infantry Brigade, alongside which were the 2nd Battalion,
Essex Regiment and 2nd Battalion,
Gloucestershire Regiment and trained for the
invasion of Normandy. The battalion had the distinction of being the only Welsh battalion to take part in the
Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, landing at
Gold Beach under command of
50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division and fought in the
Battle of Normandy, under command of
7th Armoured Division for a few days in June 1944, before reverting to the 50th Division. In August 1944 it was briefly under command of the
59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division and fought in the
Battle of the Falaise Gap. On 20 August the brigade joined the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division, replacing the disbanded
70th Brigade. With the division, the battalion fought in the operations to
clear the Channel coast, where they captured
Le Havre in
Operation Astonia. Afterwards the battalion enjoyed a short rest and, on 22 September, moved to join the rest of the
21st Army Group fighting in
Belgium. In October, shortly after the failure of
Operation Market Garden, the division was sent to garrison 'The Island', the area of land between
Arnhem and
Nijmegen, where it remained throughout the winter of 1944. The last major action for the battalion was in April 1945 when, with the rest of the division, they fought in the
Second Battle of Arnhem. The battalion ended its war in Germany, and remained there, as part of the
occupation forces, until 1948 when it returned home. During the
campaign in North-western Europe the battalion had suffered over 100% casualties.
The 6th Battalion, South Wales Borders served in the Burma Campaign with the 72nd Infantry Brigade, 36th British Infantry Division, previously a division of the British Indian Armybefore being redesignated the 36th British Division
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