The Tidworth-based 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment has rebadged with two other distinguished units to form the new Mercian Regiment. The soldiers from Staffordshire, the West Midlands and Birmingham now belong to 3rd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (STAFFORDS) (3 MERCIAN).

'3 MERCIAN' marching hrough Tamworth

The spectacular formation parade was held at Tamworth Castle, Staffordshire on Saturday 1 September, with the salute being taken by HRH The Prince of Wales who is the regiment’s new Colonel in Chief. After the parade the soldiers from 3 MERCIAN marched through the streets of Tamworth dressed in their desert combats to signify their two recent tours of Iraq.

HRH The Prince of Wales

The other two regular regiments to form the Mercian Regiment were the Cheshire Regiment and the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment.

In a message to his soldiers, the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Sandiford said:

“The formation of the 3rd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (STAFFORDS) marks the end of another chapter of the fine and glorious history of The 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales’s), a Battalion that you have served with courage, decency and great distinction. Your reputation is deservedly amongst the finest in the British Army.

“We are now the guardians of that past history and that reputation and we are the champions of the future.  The best way for us to ensure that our history lives on is to make our future a success.”

The Stafford knot and the Arnhem Glider, both Staffordshire Regiment symbols, will be kept in the new arm badge for the Mercian Regiment. 1 STAFFORDS returned from Iraq in July 2007, having also served their in 2005. 3 MERCIAN, an armoured infantry battalion, will be moving to Germany in 2009