The Mercian Regiment
Under the final stage of the Future Infantry Structure, announced by Government in 2005, the 22nd Cheshire Regiment, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment and the Staffordshire Regiment, along with associated Territorial Army, Army Cadet Force and Combined Cadet Force elements were required to merge to form the new Mercian Regiment. The Formation Ceremony was conducted at Tamworth Castle, the ancient Capital of Mercia, on 1 Sep 2007. The new Regiment has a proud history of 300 years of dedicated service behind it, as well as being a close-knit local infantry Regiment drawn from the Heart of England. The regimental motto is: 'Stand Firm and Strike Hard'.
The Colonel in Chief of the Mercian Regiment is HRH the Prince of Wales and the first Regimental Colonel is Major General CGS Hughes CBE, late Staffordshire Regiment, who is assisted by three deputy colonels, drawn from the antecedent regiments.
The new Regiment comprises three Regular battalions based on the antecedent three regular battalions and one Territorial Army battalion drawn from county elements of the Kings and Cheshire Regiment, the East of England Regiment and the West Midlands Regiment. Its Regimental footprint covers the counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire along with a shared responsibility for the metropolitan counties of the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
The new volunteer 4th Battalion the Mercian Regiment reflects this regimental footprint with its HQ in Wolverhampton and companies in Birmingham, Widnes, Mansfield, Crewe, Shrewsbury and Burton-on-Trent and an Independent platoon in Kidderminster. The new Regiment also encompass 85 Army Cadet Force and 21 Combined Cadet Force detachments from within the Regimental area. The Regimental Headquarters is at Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire with outstations in Chester, Nottingham and until the end of 2009 in Worcester. Regimental Headquarters provides the 'foot on the ground' in the County areas and supports, not only the newly established Regiment, its personnel and dependants , but also all previous members of antecedent regiments. A new Mercian Regiment Association will embrace the existing Regimental Associations, which will, however, initially retain their antecedent names and independence, and the old Mercian Volunteers Association. This therefore, maintains the important linkage with the past as well as nurturing the future, within the whole of the Heart of England or more poetically "the lands between the three great Rivers, the Severn, Mersey and Trent."
The Regular Battalion's new titles, peacetime permanent locations and roles are:
1 Mercian (Cheshire) at Alma Barracks, Catterick, North Yorkshire, in the Light Role as part of 4 Mechanised Brigade. They will move to Marne Barracks, Catterick later in 2008.
2 Mercian (Worcesters and Foresters), Palace Barracks, Belfast, Northern Ireland in the Light Role as part of 19 Light Brigade.
3 Mercian (Staffords) at Mooltan Barracks, Tidworth in the Armoured Infantry Role as part of 12 Mechanised Brigade, moving to Lumsden Barracks, Fallingbostel, Germany in Aug 09 to form part of 7 Armoured Brigade.
All three battalions have been on operations during the last 12 months. 3 MERCIAN as 1 STAFFORDS in Iraq early 2007; 2 MERCIAN/1 WFR in Afghanistan in mid to late 2007 and 1 MERCIAN currently in Iraq. Future operational tours are planned with 2 MERCIAN returning to Afghanistan, for the third time, in May 2009. All three battalions have and will receive manpower reinforcements from 4 MERCIAN for their operational tours.
The Mercian Regiment has been offered the Freedom of a total of 28 cities and towns within the footprint area and has so far exercised this freedom in 13. The Regiment also has Alliances with regiments from Australia, Canada (3), Jamaica, The Leeward Islands and Pakistan (2) along with two Royal Navy ships. The Worshipful Company of Bowyers is the only Livery Company to offer the Regiment an alliance.
Further information about the Regiment can found at: www.army.mod.uk/mercian/index.htm
