| Whittimere Street drill hall | |
|---|---|
| Walsall | |
 Whittimere Street drill hall | |
  Whittimere Street drill hall Location within West Midlands | |
| Coordinates | 52°35′09″N1°58′39″W / 52.58597°N 1.97758°W |
| Type | Drill hall |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1866 |
| Built for | War Office |
| In use | 1866-1984 |
The Whittimere Street drill hall is a former military installation in Walsall, West Midlands.
The building was designed as the headquarters of the 3rd Staffordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps and was completed in 1866. [1] This unit evolved to become the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1885 and the 5th Battalion, the South Staffordshire Regiment in 1908. [2] The drill hall was substantially remodelled in 1910. [1] The battalion was mobilised at the drill hall in August 1914 before being deployed to the Western Front. [3]
The presence at the drill hall was reduced to a single company, B (South Stafford) Company, 5th/6th (Territorial) Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's), in 1967 which evolved to become D Company, 2nd Battalion, Mercian Volunteers in 1975. [4] After the battalion left the drill hall in 1984, it was decommissioned and subsequently converted for use as a nightclub. [5]
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 South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th Regiment of Foot and the 80th Regiment of Foot. The regiment saw service in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II.
The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the King's Division. It was created in 1958 by the amalgamation of the West Yorkshire Regiment and the East Yorkshire Regiment. After 48 years service, the regiment was amalgamated again, this time with two other Yorkshire regiments. It became the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, with the Green Howards forming the 2nd Battalion and the Duke of Wellington's Regiment forming the 3rd Battalion on 6 June 2006. Following further merges, in 2012, the battalion was redesignated as the new 2nd Battalion (2Yorks).
The Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment) was a mounted auxiliary unit of the British Army raised in 1794 to defend Great Britain from foreign invasion. It continued in service after the Napoleonic Wars, frequently being called out in support of the civil powers. It first sent units overseas at the time of the Second Boer War and saw distinguished service in Egypt and Palestine in World War I. During World War II it gave up its horses and became a tank regiment, serving in the Western Desert and landing in Normandy on D-Day. Postwar the Staffordshire Yeomanry became part of the Queen's Own Mercian Yeomanry with one of the squadrons being designated 'Staffordshire Yeomanry' until 2021.
The North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was in existence between 1881 and 1959. The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot was created on 21 April 1758 from the 2nd Battalion of the 11th Regiment of Foot. In 1881, under the Childers Reforms, the 64th Regiment of Foot was merged with the 98th (Prince of Wales's) Regiment of Foot (originally raised in 1824) to form the Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire Regiment). In 1921 the regimental title was altered to the North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's).
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