The Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales') (or simply "Staffords" for short) was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of the

South Staffordshire 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 (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot ...

and the North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales'), and in 2007 was amalgamated with the

Cheshire Regiment 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. T ...

and the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment to become the 3rd Battalion,

Mercian Regiment The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire, Worcesters and Foresters, and Staffords) 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 Infant ...

. In 2014, the 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment was merged with the 1st and 2nd battalions, to create the 1st and 2nd battalions, Mercian Regiment (Cheshires, Worcesters and Sherwood Foresters, and Staffords). The mascot of the Staffordshire Regiment was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier; each successive mascot took the name Watchman. The current serving mascot is known as Private Watchman VI and he carries out his duties as part of the Staffordshire Regimental Association.

History

Formation

The regiment was formed on 31 January 1959 by the amalgamation of the

and North Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales'). In November 1960 the regiment undertook a six-month exercise in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, followed by a year in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colc ...

and then a return to Kenya for a further two years. On the tour the regiment had to deal with a mutiny by the Ugandan Army. Returning home, the regiment was the last unit of the British Army to serve in East Africa. A home tour in

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

followed in 1964. Then came a two-year posting to Berlin in 1968 followed by a tour in

Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital ...

in the

Trucial States The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had s ...

where the regiment again recorded a 'last unit' distinction being the last unit to serve in Sharjah.

Northern Ireland

The regiment undertook a tour in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

during

the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

in 1972 before moving to Quebec Barracks in

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a populat ...

in 1973. Further tours in Northern Ireland were undertaken in 1974 and 1976. The regiment moved to Hyderabad Barracks in

Colchester Garrison Colchester Garrison is a major garrison located in Colchester in the county of Essex, Eastern England. It has been an important military base since the Roman era. The first permanent military garrison in Colchester was established by Legio XX ...

later in 1976 before undertaking another tour in Northern Ireland in 1979. The regiment moved to Gibraltar in 1981 and to Roman Barracks at Colchester in 1983 before undertaking another tour in Northern Ireland in 1984. It then moved to

Fallingbostel Bad Fallingbostel ( Northern Low Saxon: ''Bad Fambossel'') is the district town (''Kreisstadt'') of the Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony. Since 1976 the town has had a state-recognised Kneipp spa and has held the title ...

in 1986.

Gulf War

In October 1990 The Staffordshire Regiment was deployed to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

as part of 7th Armoured Brigade (referred to as the 'Desert Rats'). The deployment was in response to the dictator

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

's invasion of the sovereign territory of

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the no ...

, claiming it to rightfully belong to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. The regiment moved to Dale Barracks in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

in 1991, to Abercorn Barracks in Ballykinler in 1994 and Clive Barracks in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

in 1996. From their base in Shropshire, the 1st Battalion deployed to Hong Kong in 1996, shortly before it was handed back to China, and also to Northern Ireland for short periods and a six-month roulement tour to Belfast in 1997.

Iraq War

The regiment moved to Mooltan Barracks in

Tidworth Camp Tidworth Camp is a military installation at Tidworth in Wiltshire, England. It forms part of the Tidworth, Netheravon and Bulford (TidNBul) Garrison. History The Camp was established when the War Office acquired a 19th-century mansion – Ted ...

in 2000. Following a deployment to

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Eur ...

in 2002 and a first deployment to Iraq on Operation Telic 6 in 2005. The regiment also undertook a second deployment to Iraq during Operation Telic 9 in 2006 where they led the raid on the Al Jamiat police station.

Amalgamation

As part of the reorganisation of the infantry announced in 2004, it was announced that the Staffordshire Regiment would merge with the

and the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment into a new four-battalion regiment to be called the

. On 1 September 2007 the Staffordshire Regiment became the 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment.

Structure

The Staffordshire Regiment was organised into the following sub-organisations and units: * Regimental Headquarters, Staffordshire Regiment, at Whittington Barracks,

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west ...

* 1st Battalion (Regular) * Band of the Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's), disbanded in 1994 to form Clive Band of the Prince of Wales's Division * TAVR ** 5th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment (disbanded in 1967) ** 5th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment (amalgamated with 6th Bn in 1961) ** 6th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment (amalgamated with 5th Bn in 1961) ** 5th/6th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment (formed in 1961, disbanded in 1967) ** 5th/6th (Territorial) Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment (formed in 1967, reduced to cadre in 1969, disbanded in 1975) * TA ** 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment (formed in 1988, disbanded in 1999)

Regimental museum

The

Staffordshire Regiment Museum The Staffordshire Regiment Museum is a military museum in Staffordshire, England, preserving the history of the Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's), its antecedent regiments and its successor regiment, the Mercian Regiment, from 1705 ...

is based at Whittington Barracks near

Battle honours

The regiment's

battle honours A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

are as follows: *''Pre-World War I'':

Guadeloupe 1759 Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands— Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and th ...

Martinique 1794 The Battle of Martinique was a successful British invasion of the French colony of Martinique in the West Indies during the French Revolutionary Wars. They continued to occupy the island until 1802, when the Treaty of Amiens restored it to Fren ...

, Hafir, South Africa 1878-79, Egypt 1882,

Kirbekan The Battle of Kirbekan was a battle in the Mahdist War. It was fought February 10, 1885, when the British Nile Column, about 1,000 strong, under General Earle, stormed the heights of Kirbekan, which were held by a strong Mahdist force, and tota ...

Nile 1884–85 The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition (1884–85), was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan ...

South Africa 1900–02 The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

*''World War I'': ** ''France and Flanders'':

Battle of Mons A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and fo ...

, Retreat from

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. ...

, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914– 18, Armentières 1914,

Ypres 1914 Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

-17, Langemarck 1914, Gheluvelt, Nonne Bosschen, Neuve Chapelle, Aubers,

Festubert 1915 Festubert is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. The village was on the Western Front during the First World War and was largely destroyed in the May 1915 Battle of Festubert. Geography A farming vil ...

Loos,

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

1916-18, Albert 1916- 18, Bazentin,

Delville Wood The Battle of Delville Wood was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. Delville Wood , was a thick tangle of trees, chiefly beech an ...

, Battle of Pozières, Battle of Guillemont, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Thiepval,

Ancre Heights The Ancre (; ) is a river of Picardy, France. Rising at Miraumont, a hamlet near the town of Albert, it flows into the Somme at Corbie. It is long. For most of its length it flows through the department of Somme. For a short stretch near Pui ...

Ancre 1916 The Ancre (; ) is a river of Picardy, France. Rising at Miraumont, a hamlet near the town of Albert, it flows into the Somme at Corbie. It is long. For most of its length it flows through the department of Somme. For a short stretch near Puisie ...

, Bapaume 1917- 18,

Arras 1917 Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the ...

Scarpe 1917 The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the ...

Arleux Arleux () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Geography The river Sensée joins the Canal du Nord at Arleux. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 commune ...

, Bullecourt,

Battle of Hill 70 The Battle of Hill 70 took place in the First World War between the Canadian Corps and five divisions of the German 6th Army. The battle took place along the Western Front on the outskirts of Lens in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France be ...

, 1917-18,

Battle of Ypres The Battle of Ypres was a series of engagements during the First World War, near the Belgian city of Ypres, between the German and the Allied armies (Belgian, French, British Expeditionary Force and Canadian Expeditionary Force). During the five e ...

1917-18, Battle of Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Battle of Menin Road, Battle of Polygon Wood, Battle of Broodseinde, Poelcapelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917- 18,

St. Quentin Saint Quentin ( la, Quintinus; died 287 AD) also known as Quentin of Amiens, was an early Christian saint. Hagiography Martyrdom The legend of his life has him as a Roman citizen who was martyred in Gaul. He is said to have been the son of a ...

Bapaume Bapaume (original Dutch name Batpalmen) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The inhabitants of this commune are known as ''Bapalmois'' or ''Bapalmoises''. Geography Bapaume is a far ...

1918, Rosières,

Avre Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE), also known as Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers is the title given to a series of armoured military engineering vehicles operated by the Royal Engineers (RE) for the purpose of protecting engineers durin ...

, Lys, Bailleul, Kemmel, Scherpenberg, Drocourt-Quéant,

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 191 ...

, Havrincourt,

Canal du Nord The Canal du Nord (, literally ''Canal of the North'') is a long canal in northern France. The canal connects the Canal latéral à l'Oise at Pont-l'Évêque to the Sensée Canal at Arleux. The French government, in partnership with coal-min ...

, St. Quentin Canal,

Beaurevoir Beaurevoir is a commune in the department of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also * Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 communes in the French department of Aisne. The comm ...

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larges ...

Selle Selle may refer to: * Selle (Scheldt tributary), the name of a river in Nord, France * Selle (Somme tributary), the name of a river in Picardy, France * Pic la Selle, a mountain in Haiti * La Selle-Guerchaise, a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine depa ...

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a ...

Sambre The Sambre (; nl, Samber, ) is a river in northern France and in Wallonia, Belgium. It is a left-bank tributary of the Meuse, which it joins in the Wallonian capital Namur. The source of the Sambre is near Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, in the Aisn ...

, France and

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

1914-18 ** ''Gallipoli'': Suvla, Landing at Suvla,

Scimitar Hill A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...

, Sari Bair, Gallipoli 1915–16 ** ''Mesopotamia'': Egypt 1916,

Tigris 1916 Tigris 1916 was a battle honour awarded to units of the British and Imperial Armies that took part in the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to relieve the Siege of Kut in the Mesopotamian Campaign of the Great War.T.F. MillMesopotamia 1914-1918(archiv ...

, Kut al Amara 1917, Bagdhad,

Mesopotamia 1916–18 The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies of World War I, Allies represented by the British Empire, troops from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, Australi ...

** ''Italy'': Piave,

Vittorio Veneto Vittorio Veneto is a city and ''comune'' situated in the Province of Treviso, in the region of Veneto, Italy, in the northeast of Italy, between the Piave and the Livenza rivers, borders with the following municipalities: Alpago ( BL), Belluno ...

1918 ** ''North West Frontier India'': Baku, Persia 1918, North West Frontier India 1915 *''Inter-War'':

Afghanistan 1919 Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

*''World War II'': ** ''North West Europe'': Dyle, Defence of the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

, Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal,

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Noyers, Mont Picton, Brieux Bridgehead, Falaise,

Arnhem 1944 Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...

North-West Europe 1940 The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

-1944 ** ''North Africa'': Battle of Sidi Barrani, Djebel Kesskiss, Medjez Plain, Gueriat el Atch Ridge, Gab Gab Gap,

North Africa 1943 North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

** ''Italy'': Landing in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, Sicily 1943,

Battle of Anzio The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...

, Carroceto, Rome, Advance to

Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Ri ...

Gothic Line The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German Defense line, defensive line of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Generalfeldmarschall, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's la ...

, Battle of Marradi, Italy 1943 and

Italy 1944–45 Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, ** ''Burma'':

Chindits The Chindits, officially as Long Range Penetration Groups, were special operations units of the British and Indian armies which saw action in 1943–1944 during the Burma Campaign of World War II. The British Army Brigadier Orde Wingate fo ...

1944, Burma 1943–44 *''Post-World War II'': Gulf 1991, Wadi al Batin

Regimental Colonels

Colonels of the Regiment were: *1959–1961: Col. (Hon. Maj-Gen.) Alec Wilfred Lee, CB, MC (previously Colonel of the

) *1961–1966: Brig. Gerald Ernest Thubron, DSO, OBE *1966–1971: Brig. John Conway Commings, CBE *1971–1977: Brig. Robert Louis Hargroves, CBE *1977–1985: Col. Jeremy Charles Angelo Swynnerton, OBE *1985–1990: Lt-Gen. Sir Derek Boorman, KCB *1990–1995: Maj-Gen. Ian Lennox Freer, CB, CBE *1995–2002: Col. Timothy Richard Cottis, MBE *2002–2005: Brig. Simon James Knapper, CBE, MC *2005–2007: Col. James Kenneth Tanner, OBE *''2007 Regiment amalgamated into the

Alliances

* – 4^e Bataillon, Royal 22^e Régiment (Châteauguay) * – The Royal Victoria Regiment * – The Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force * – The Jamaica Regiment * –

7th Battalion 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythol ...

, The Baloch Regiment

References

External links

Gulf War Photographs of the Staffordshire Regiment
at the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the A ...

The Staffordshire Regiment Museum
{{Mercian Regiment Infantry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations in Staffordshire Military units and formations established in 1959 Mercian Regiment Military units and formations disestablished in 2007