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Three infantry regiments to merge | Three infantry regiments to merge |
(10 minutes later) | |
Three regiments are due to merge as part of the British Army's infantry restructuring plans. | Three regiments are due to merge as part of the British Army's infantry restructuring plans. |
The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment, the Staffordshire Regiment and the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters will combine as the Mercian Regiment. | The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment, the Staffordshire Regiment and the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters will combine as the Mercian Regiment. |
A "re-badging" ceremony at Tamworth Castle in Staffordshire, attended by the Prince of Wales, will see the new unit formally established. | A "re-badging" ceremony at Tamworth Castle in Staffordshire, attended by the Prince of Wales, will see the new unit formally established. |
The new regiment's headquarters will be at Whittington Barracks, Staffordshire. | The new regiment's headquarters will be at Whittington Barracks, Staffordshire. |
Prince Charles, Colonel-in-Chief of the Cheshires, will replace his cap badge at the same time as the parading soldiers. | Prince Charles, Colonel-in-Chief of the Cheshires, will replace his cap badge at the same time as the parading soldiers. |
The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters will perform a similar ceremony in Lashkar Gar, Afghanistan, where they are currently serving. | The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters will perform a similar ceremony in Lashkar Gar, Afghanistan, where they are currently serving. |
Change roles | Change roles |
The old units will become 1st Battalion (Cheshires), the Mercian Regiment; 2nd Battalion (Worcesters and Foresters), the Mercian Regiment; and 3rd Battalion (Staffords), the Mercian Regiment. | The old units will become 1st Battalion (Cheshires), the Mercian Regiment; 2nd Battalion (Worcesters and Foresters), the Mercian Regiment; and 3rd Battalion (Staffords), the Mercian Regiment. |
The Territorial Army's West Midlands Regiment will become 4th Battalion, the Mercian Regiment. | The Territorial Army's West Midlands Regiment will become 4th Battalion, the Mercian Regiment. |
The merger is part of the Future Infantry Structure, announced by the Ministry of Defence in December 2004. | The merger is part of the Future Infantry Structure, announced by the Ministry of Defence in December 2004. |
It decided that the Arms Plot system - where regiments moved from one posting to another at regular intervals - was to end. | |
Instead, infantry battalions will have fixed garrisons within the UK. | |
They will also take on permanent status as either light, armoured or mechanised units instead of regularly changing roles. |