marabout39

Unfortunately I think you'll find the re-dedication of the chapel and the re-laying of our colours a rather mundane affair.We will have the band of the Rifles, and a small Guard from 6th Rifles (formely 4th Battalion The Devonshires and Dorset Regiment) but the main participation will be by former members of the regiment now retired and members of the Regimental Association. It will not be a large formal parade, nor will it be a long service, and given the size of the old Devonshire regiments chapel , rather cramped. But if you have a connection to the regiment you will still find it intresting. On the amalgamation we at first thought it would be the end of the regiment, but time has proved this not to be the case. Two of the seven battalions are direct decendants of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment ( 1st Bn The Rifles, formerly 1 D and D, and 6th Bn The Rifles formerly 4 D and D ), being the senior regiment of the Line ( The 11th of foot being one of our anticedent Regiments) The Rifles march to our bugle calls and wear our Croix de Guerre on both arms. We lost our magificent bands and the Colours ( the heart of the regiment ) were laid up, The Rifles wear our joint battle honours on the belt buckle, so no need for colours!. On amalgamtion 5 of the 7 commanding officers were Devon and Dorsets, so not so much an amalgamation but more a take over. Currently my cousin commands our 7th battalion, so still very much a family Regiment.

Tim Saunders is a very approachable man and a mine of information on regimental history, especially the obscure stuff. The regimental re-union and redidication of the regimental chapels in Exeter will happen on the 18th of may, it will be an occasion with restricted access, so if you are intrested in going contact Major Don Jellard at RHQ on the number above to obtain tickets.

Thank you Mervyn, I am a former officer of the regiment, and after amalgamation The Rifles. I am now a retired Lt Col and run two CCF units in Hampshire and a living history group comprised of ex-members of the regiment who want to keep the regiment 'alive and in the public eye'. Both the Devons and the Dorsets have been my families regiments for generations so as you can imagine I am intrested in anything from our past.

I f you are to follow the regiment through Spain then you should contact Major (retd) Tim Saunders. Tim is a former company commander of the 1st battalion and now writer of military history. Last year he ran a joint expidition to the regiments Penninsular war sites along with Sandhurst, the Spanish Army and a group of historians, what he doesnt know about the period and the sites isnt worth knowning. To contact him first contact RHQ at Exeter on 01392 492436 and speak to a Major (retd) Don Jellard. If you explain to Don your reasons for wanting to contact Tim He should pass your details onto Tim.

Just to add to this thread, The Colours of The Dorsetshire Regiment were recently taken down so we could do some restoration work and have the wall re-limed in preparation for later this year. The regiment has until now had three chapels, The Devonshire Regimental Chapel and The Devonshire and Dorset Regimental chapel both in Exeter Cathedral and The Dorset Regimental chapel at Sherborne Abbey. Exeter cathedral wanted to re-dedicate the Chapel of St James ( The Devonshire and Dorset Chapel) as a tri-service chapel now that the regiment has amagameted. We have taken a decision to remove our Colours from this chapel and have the Devonshire Regiments chapel re-dedicated as The Devonshire Reggiment and Devonshire and Dorset Regimental Chapel and to have the chapel in Sherborne re-dedicated as The Dorset Regiment and Devonshire and Dorset Regimental Chapel. The four stands of colours of the 1st and 4th Battalions The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment will be split between the two chapels, for the first time giving Dorset members of the regimental family a place to honour our fallen within their own county. The re-dedication in Exeter will take place in May this year at the same time as the regimental re-union, and in Sherborne later this year. The Dorset Regiments colours were indeed in a fragile state, they have been cleaned and stabalised, mostly made of silk they are slowly decomposing in sunlight, in a way sad but also in a way fitting, even our newer stands of colours from 1960 (1 D and D ) are starting to show the adverse effects of sunlight. On the wall near the colours is a poem we in the regiment beleive fitting for our colours. A moth-eaten rag On a worm-eaten pole, It doesn't seem much To stir a man's soul 'Tis the deeds that were done 'Neath the moth-eaten rag When the pole was a Staff And the rag was a Flag. Semper Fidelis