Mercian Volunteers

The Mercian Volunteers was a Territorial Army infantry regiment of the British Army, in existence from 1967 to 1988. Upon formation, it consisted of a singular battalion, however it later raised a second in 1975.

Formation

The regiment was formed on 1 April 1967, as the successor to Territorial Army infantry battalions of the Mercian Brigade that had been reduced under the 1966 Defence White Paper and formation of the TAVR. Its initial structure was:

HQ Company, at Walsall
A Company, at Stockport Armoury, Stockport
B Company (Worcestershire), at The Shrubbery, Kidderminster
C Company, at Horninglow Street drill hall, Burton-on-Trent
D Company, at Nottingham

In 1971 a fifth company, E Company, was raised from the cadre of 4th/7th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment.

1st Battalion

Upon the formation of the 2nd Battalion on 1 April 1975, the original unit was designated as the 1st Battalion of the regiment with its headquarters at Wolseley House in Wolverhampton. It also lost E Company to the newly raised battalion. The battalion's structure afterwards was as follows:

HQ Company, at Wolseley House, Wolverhampton; Mortar Platoon at Droitwich Spa and Anti-Tank Platoon at Sutton-in-Ashfield
A Company, at Stockport Armoury, Stockport
B Company (Worcestershire), at The Shrubbery, Kidderminster and Worcester
C Company, at Burton-on-Trent and Rugeley
D Company, at Nottingham

The Home Service Force, a home defence unit, established in 1982 at the height of the Cold War, saw each Territorial infantry battalion raise a company of HSF soldiers; this led to the formation of G Company at Kidderminster.
In the late 1980s, the decision was made to place control of the territorial infantry units back under the control of the local county-line infantry regiments and so the battalion was broken up, and the companies used as the foundation blocks for building these new battalions. The companies were broken up as follows: HQ and C Companies to 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment, retaining their lettering; B and D Companies to 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, with the same lettering; A Company to 3rd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment, as the same; and G Company absorbed by F Company, 4th Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters.

2nd Battalion

The 2nd Battalion was formed on 1 April 1975, mostly from the Light Infantry and Mercian Volunteers. Its structure upon formation was:

HQ Company, at Shirley
A Company, at Silver Street in Worcester, and Stourport-on-Severn
B Company, at Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe
C Company, at Ellesmere Port and Northwich
D Company, at Whittimere Street drill hall, Walsall

Along with the 1st Battalion, the 2nd Battalion also raised a Home Service Force company in 1984, namely F Company at Worcester.
As described above, the 2nd Battalion was also broken up as follows: A and F Companies to 4th Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, with the same lettering; B and D Companies to 3rd Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment, retaining the lettering; C Company to 3rd Battalion, Cheshire Regiment, as the same.

Honorary Colonels

1st Battalion

1975–1980: Colonel Edward R.W. Tooby,
1980–1988: Colonel Charles J. Baines,

2nd Battalion

1975–1979: Major-General James H.S. Majury,
1979–1987: Colonel Anthony B. Griffiths,
1987–1988: Captain Thomas R. Dunne,

Deputy Honorary Colonels

From 1971 to 1972, the companies of the regiment each maintained a Deputy Honorary Colonel, in succession to the previous battalions.

B Company: Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander W.R.H. Pettigrew,