| Mercian Volunteers | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1967–1988 |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Role | Line Infantry |
| Size | Two battalions |
| Garrison/HQ | 1st Battalion – Walsall 2nd Battalion – Shirley |
The Mercian Volunteers was a Territorial Army infantry regiment of the British Army, in existence from 1967 to 1988. Upon formation, it consisted of a singular battalion, however it later raised a second in 1975.
The regiment was formed on 1 April 1967, as the successor to Territorial Army infantry battalions of the Mercian Brigade that had been reduced under the 1966 Defence White Paper and formation of the TAVR. Its initial structure was: [1] [2]
In 1971 a fifth company, E Company (Cheshire), was raised from the cadre of 4th/7th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment.
Upon the formation of the 2nd Battalion on 1 April 1975, the original unit was designated as the 1st Battalion of the regiment with its headquarters at Wolseley House in Wolverhampton. It also lost E Company (Cheshire) to the newly raised battalion. The battalion's structure afterwards was as follows: [1] [2]
The Home Service Force, a home defence unit, established in 1982 at the height of the Cold War, saw each Territorial infantry battalion raise a company of HSF soldiers; this led to the formation of G (HSF) Company at Kidderminster. [3]
In the late 1980s, the decision was made to place control of the territorial infantry units back under the control of the local county-line infantry regiments and so the battalion was broken up, and the companies used as the foundation blocks for building these new battalions. The companies were broken up as follows: [1] [2] HQ and C Companies to 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment, retaining their lettering; B and D Companies to 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, with the same lettering; A Company to 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment, as the same; and G (HSF) Company absorbed by F (HSF) Company, 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters.
The 2nd Battalion was formed on 1 April 1975, mostly from the Light Infantry and Mercian Volunteers. Its structure upon formation was: [4] [2]
Along with the 1st Battalion, the 2nd Battalion also raised a Home Service Force company in 1984, namely F (HSF) Company at Worcester. [3]
As described above, the 2nd Battalion was also broken up as follows: [4] [2] A and F (HSF) Companies to 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, with the same lettering; B and D Companies to 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment, retaining the lettering; C Company to 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment, as the same.
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
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From 1971 to 1972, the companies of the regiment each maintained a Deputy Honorary Colonel, in succession to the previous battalions.
The Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales') (or simply "Staffords" for short) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of the South Staffordshire Regiment and the North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales'), and in 2007 was amalgamated with the Cheshire Regiment and the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment to become the 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment.
The Mercian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, which is recruited from five of the counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia. Known as 'The Heart of England's Infantry', it was formed on 1 September 2007 by the amalgamation of three existing regiments. The Regiment has had fifteen operational deployments since its formation.
The Cheshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The 22nd Regiment of Foot was raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 and was able to boast an independent existence of over 300 years. The regiment was expanded in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the linking of the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment of Foot and the militia and rifle volunteers of Cheshire. The title 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment continued to be used within the regiment.
The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The regiment served as the county regiment for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire.
The Prince of Wales's Division was a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for all land force units in the West of England and Wales. It merged with the Scottish Division, to form the Scottish, Welsh and Irish Division; at the same time the Mercian Regiment joined with the King's Division.
The West Midlands Regiment was a short-lived British Territorial Army regiment from 1999 until it was re-designated as 4th Battalion, Mercian Regiment, in 2007.
The Wessex Regiment was a Territorial Army infantry regiment of the British Army, in existence from 1967 to 1995. Initially consisting of a singular battalion, the regiment was later expanded to also have a second.
The Staffordshire Yeomanry was a unit of the British Army. Raised in 1794 following Prime Minister William Pitt's order to raise volunteer bodies of men to defend Great Britain from foreign invasion, the Staffordshire Yeomanry began as a volunteer cavalry regiment.
The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to form the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, which in 2007 was amalgamated with the Cheshire Regiment and the Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) to form the present Mercian Regiment. The lineage of the Sherwood Foresters is now continued by The Mercian Regiment.
The Mercian Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1964. The Brigade administered the infantry regiments from the area of England between the Trent, Mersey and Severn rivers that roughly corresponded to the ancient kingdom of Mercia.
The Home Service Force was a Home Guard type force established in the United Kingdom in 1982. Each HSF unit was placed with either a Regular Army or Territorial Army regiment or battalion for administrative purposes and given that formation’s title, cap badge and recruited from volunteers aged 18–60 with previous British forces experience. It was introduced to guard key points and installations likely to be the target of enemy special forces and saboteurs, so releasing other units for mobile defence roles. It was stood down in 1992.
The Shrubbery is a former military installation in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. It is a Grade II listed building.
The Light Infantry Volunteers was short lived a Territorial Army infantry regiment of the British Army, that existed from 1967 to 1972, composed of companies from the Light Infantry regiments. In 1972, it was re-designated as 5th Battalion, The Light Infantry, serving as such until amalgamation in 1999.
The 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters was a former territorial infantry battalion that existed for a short time towards the end of the Cold War. Following reductions to the Territorial Army (TA) in 1992, the battalion was disbanded with elements helping to form RHQ & HQ Sqn of 37 Signal Regiment, and 96 Signal Squadron. This squadron was then reduced to a signal troop in 2009, but continues to exist as part of 48 Signal Squadron.
The 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment was a Territorial Army unit of the regular Staffordshire Regiment which was formed in 1988, but disbanded in 1999. The battalion's successor continues to serve in the Mercian Regiment to this day.
The Light Infantry and Mercian Volunteers was a short-lived infantry regiment of the British Army, in existence from 1971 to 1975.
The 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment was a part-time infantry battalion based in Cheshire, England and tasked with home defence during its tenure. The battalion was formed in the latter part of the Cold War, but later disbanded forming two companies in the new local Territorial Army (TA) regiment, the King's and Cheshire Regiment. Today, the battalion's lineage is continued in Mortar Platoon, B Company, 4th Battalion, Mercian Regiment.
The Worcestershire Rifles was a volunteer, part-time unit of the British Army based in the county of Worcestershire which had a long, yet split history in two units before merging into the larger Worcestershire Regiment. Following active service in both World Wars, during which its strength was doubled into three battalions, the unit was reduced to a company, and later expanded to two companies. Following reductions in the early 21st century, the two companies were merged and later reduced to a platoon in 2006. Today, the regiment's lineage is continued in the anti-tank platoon of the 4th Battalion, Mercian Regiment, still based in Kidderminster where the first volunteers had formed.