West Midlands Regiment
Encyclopedia
The West Midlands Regiment was a British Territorial Army regiment
from 1998 to 2007.
The regiment was formed on April 5, 1988 by the amalgamation of four territorial infantry
battalion
s:
The regiment was composed of six companies, continuing to wear the badges of the regular regiments to which they were affiliated:
In early 2006 the Machine Gun Platoon in A Company at Canley, Coventry was disbanded and most soldiers transferred to Birmingham, the remainder becoming part of 37 Signal Regiment
. In late 2006 the Recce Platoon at Hereford was disbanded and the platoon became part of the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry
.
Soldiers of the regiment served in recent conflicts and in places such as Iraq
, Afghanistan
, Kosovo
and Northern Ireland
.
On September 1, 2007, the entire West Midlands Regiment united with the Cheshire Regiment
companies of the King's and Cheshire Regiment
to become the 4th Battalion of The Mercian Regiment
.
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
from 1998 to 2007.
The regiment was formed on April 5, 1988 by the amalgamation of four territorial infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s:
- 3rd Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment
- 4th Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood ForestersWorcestershire and Sherwood ForestersThe Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division...
- 5th Battalion, The Light InfantryThe Light InfantryThe Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. It was formed on 10 July 1968 as a "large regiment" by the amalgamation of the four remaining light infantry regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade:...
- 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of FusiliersRoyal Regiment of FusiliersThe Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on April 23, 1968, as part of the reforms of the army that saw the creation of the first 'large infantry regiments', by the amalgamation of the four English fusilier...
The regiment was composed of six companies, continuing to wear the badges of the regular regiments to which they were affiliated:
- HQ Company WolverhamptonWolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
- (Staffords) - A Company BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and CoventryCoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
- (Fusiliers) - B Company KidderminsterKidderminsterKidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
and WorcesterWorcesterThe City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
- (Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters) - C Company Burton upon TrentBurton upon TrentBurton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
and TamworthTamworthTamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
- (Staffords) - D Company Stoke on Trent - (Staffords)
- E Company ShrewsburyShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
and HerefordHerefordHereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
- (Light Infantry)
In early 2006 the Machine Gun Platoon in A Company at Canley, Coventry was disbanded and most soldiers transferred to Birmingham, the remainder becoming part of 37 Signal Regiment
37 Signal Regiment
37 Signal Regiment is Territorial Army regiment in the Royal Corps of Signals in the British Army. The regiment forms part of 2 Signal Brigade, providing military communications for national operations....
. In late 2006 the Recce Platoon at Hereford was disbanded and the platoon became part of the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry
Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry
The Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry is a yeomanry regiment of the United Kingdom's Territorial Army. It currently serves in the armoured replacement role, providing replacement tank crews for regular armoured regiments....
.
Soldiers of the regiment served in recent conflicts and in places such as Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
On September 1, 2007, the entire West Midlands Regiment united with the Cheshire Regiment
Cheshire Regiment
The Cheshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division.The regiment was created in 1881 as part of the Childers reforms by the linking of the 22nd Regiment of Foot and the militia and rifle volunteers of Cheshire...
companies of the King's and Cheshire Regiment
King's and Cheshire Regiment
The King's and Cheshire Regiment was a regiment of the British Territorial Army, with HQ in Warrington, Cheshire.The regiment was the territorial battalion of the regular King's Regiment and Cheshire Regiment...
to become the 4th Battalion of The Mercian Regiment
Mercian Regiment
The Mercian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of three existing regiments on 1 September 2007.The regiment has three regular army battalion's and one Territorial Army or reserve battalion...
.