The Mercian Regiment

[bigjarofwasps]

The Mercian Regiment

http://www.army.mod.uk/news/army_news_curr...an_regiment.htm

[Glenn J]

Well I for one despair at this vandalism with the history, traditions and ethos of our infantry regiments

And you might have have thought they would know on an MOD site how to spell "lose" !!!

Regards

Glenn

[Kev in Deva]

Charles honours regiments merger.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20070901...-6323e80_1.html

The Prince of Wales has praised the valour of service personnel deployed overseas during a ceremony to merge three historic British Army regiments.

Hundreds of current and former soldiers attended the event at Tamworth Castle in Staffordshire, which marked the formation of the new Mercian Regiment.

Charles told soldiers bathed in bright sunshine on the castle's parade ground, that he had no doubt that they would "stand firm and strike hard" in their new unit.

The ceremony saw the formal "re-badging" of the Cheshire Regiment, the Staffordshire Regiment, the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters and their associated Territorial Army battalion.

The Prince, the Colonel-in-Chief of the Cheshire Regiment and of the Mercians, said: "This solemn and historic occasion will mark the start of another chapter in the long story of loyal service to the Crown that is the history of the English county regiments. I have no doubt that the Mercian Regiment will stand firm and strike hard just as its predecessor regiments did in all four corners of the world."

He added: "The Mercian Regiment is being born in an era when the British Army is displaying daily the very best qualities of bravery, loyalty and dogged perseverance in the most impossible and dangerous circumstances.

"I have nothing but the most profound admiration for the sheer resilience being displayed by all our people on operations."

The Prince also presented service medals and commendations to a number of soldiers during the parade, after which serving soldiers and ex-servicemen paraded through the centre of Tamworth.

The three regular Army units which merging today are: the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment, which will become 1st Battalion (Cheshires) the Mercian Regiment; the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, which will become 2nd Battalion (Worcesters and Foresters) the Mercian Regiment; and the Staffordshire Regiment, which will become 3rd Battalion (Staffords) the Mercian Regiment. Additionally, the Territorial Army's West Midland Regiment will become 4th Battalion the Mercian Regiment.

One of the units, the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, also performed a similar ceremony at their base in Lashkar Gar, Afghanistan.

- - - - - END OF ARTICLE - - --

Kevin in Deva.

[Guest Rick Research]

This is quite freakish. I can NOT undertsand what the heck is going through ANYBODY in the decision making processes minds (tiny though they must be) to get into PRE-MODERN "Dark Ages" history.

Oh.

Well, I guess we ARE in the New Dark Ages, so maybe it is rather apt.

Has this... weirdly pre-modern, pre-Christian trend been observed elsewhere? Are the French going all-over Austrasian and Neustrian of a sudden?

Anybody for new letterhead for the Visigoths and Jutes Treaty Organization?

At least it'll cut Scotland's budget, once they ditch uniforms and just go over to blue body pigment in the Pictish Regiments.

Large numbers of people At The Top are apparently stark, raving, gobbling LOONIES.

But think how NIFTY you'll look re-kitted as one of Beorhtwulf's Own House Ceorls, Glenn!

Druids Say: Portents Good for Bruce Springsteen "Coming To Mercia" Tour Next Year.

The Pre-Royal Shake Spears Company announces new production of "The Mercian of Venice."

Pre-British Broadcasting Corporation announces casting call for remake of 1960s American hit TV show as "My Favorite Mercian."

[leigh kitchen]

Unpleasantly reminiscent of the old "Mercian Brigade" of the 1950's - 60's - except then, pre amalgamation with the Worcesters, the Sherwood Foresters were part of the Midland Bde which was soon renamed the Forester Brigade.

Also reminiscent of the same periods formation of 1st East Anglian Regiment, 2nd, 3rd, 4th East Anglian Regiment, rather than 4 battalions of the East Anglian Regiment - I know this Mercian Regiment thing consists of a single regiment but it's a similarly uninspiring a name & concept.

I've never heard of the Territorial Army's West Midland Regiment - possibly a little more inspired than "the Home Counties Brigade" as a title I suppose, but not much - & the new 4th Bn includes elements of the Kings?

What's the new regiments badge going to be - the Mercian eagle but in a more dramatic form than the old Mercian Brigades badge?

Must be very motivating for a squaddie in a war zone to learn that the powers that be think so highly of his units / his prowess that it's going to be slung into a dogs dinner of an amalgamtion.

[leigh kitchen]

I picked up a cloth shoulder title a while ago, West Midland Regiment I think it was, red on blue. I thought it may be a New Zealand Regiment or something like that, but I take it that it's for this West Mids TA regiment?

[Graham Stewart]

Got the new badge on Thursday, which is reminiscent of the old Mercian Brigade badge, but this one is in actual metal and not anodised aluminium, which will please collectors. It has a lovely oxidised silver type finish with gold to claws, beaks and coronet and has 'Firmin' on the slider. I managed to cadge thid one off the partner of a Cheshire Regt lad, as she works for us at 100 Sqdn, RAF Leeming. It appears that a number of Cheshire families are in the RAF MQ's, although officially based at Catterick.

Graham.

[Graham Stewart]

The badge of the Mercian Regt.

Graham.

[bigjarofwasps]

The badge of the Mercian Regt.

Graham.

Cheers Graham,

The new badge is very similar to the RMLY cap badge, to which the old Cheshire Yeomany are now part of...

[leigh kitchen]

So comparing the badges of the two units, to the casual onlooker the Mercian Regiment could appear quite underprivileged - merely a bit of the old RMLY badge for them

The RMLY looks colourful but I can't say I like the design especially with all that red in it - slip in a load of garish colour to draw the eye from the design?