Light Infantry and Mercian Volunteers

Active| 1971–1975
Allegiance|  United Kingdom
Branch|  British Army
Role| Line Infantry
Size| One Battalion
Garrison/HQ| Wolverhampton

Military unit

The Light Infantry and Mercian Volunteers was a short-lived infantry regiment of the British Army, in existence from 1971 to 1975.

## History[edit]

The battalion was formed on the 1 April 1971, from the cadres of former Midland infantry battalions that had been reduced as a result of the 1966 Defence White Paper and formation of the much smaller TAVR.[1] Its initial structure was:[2][3]

* Headquarters, at Wolseley House, Wolverhampton[4]
* A (Worcestershire Regiment) Company, at Worcester
(from 7th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment)
* B (5th/6th Battalion Staffordshire Regiment) Company, at Stoke-on-Trent
(from 5th/6th Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment)
* C (King's Shropshire Light Infantry) Company, at Wellington
(from 4th Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry)
* D (Herefordshire Light Infantry) Company, at Ross-on-Wye
(from 1st Battalion, Herefordshire Light Infantry)
* E Company, at Whittimere Street Drill Hall, Walsall
(newly raised)

Only four years later, however, the regiment was broken up and the companies were distributed amongst other battalions. Namely: A, B, and E Companies to the 2nd Battalion, Mercian Volunteers as A, B, and D Companies respectively; C Company to 5th Battalion, The Light Infantry, as E Company;[5] and D Company to 6th Battalion, The Light Infantry,[5] with the same lettering.[2][3]

## Deputy Honorary Colonels[edit]

The regiment didn't have an Honorary Colonel as a whole, however from 1971–1972 each company maintained their own Deputy Honorary Colonel, in succession to the previous unit. These were:

* A Company: Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander W.R.H. Pettigrew, OBE, TD[6]
* B Company: Colonel Charles J. Baines, CBE, MC, TD, DL[7]
* C & D Companies: Lieutenant-Colonel Guy M. Thorneycroft, DL[8]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "badge, collar, British, Light Infantry & The Mercian Volunteers". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
2. ^ a b "The Light Infantry and Mercian Volunteers". Archived from the original on 1 March 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
3. ^ a b "Light Infantry and Mercian Volunteers - British Army units from 1945 on". Retrieved 3 April 2021.
4. ^ "Mercian Volunteers - British Army units from 1945 on". Retrieved 3 April 2021.
5. ^ a b "Formation of the New Regiment". Retrieved 3 April 2021.
6. ^ "7th Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment (and all Worcestershire successors)". Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
7. ^ "3rd Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's)". Archived from the original on 1 March 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
8. ^ "The King's Shropshire and Herefordshire Light Infantry, The Light Infantry". Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2021.