| Dorsetshire Regiment Dorset Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Dorset Regiment (1953–1958) | |
| Active | 1881–1958 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Line infantry |
| Size | 2Regular battalions 1Militia/Special Reserve battalion 1Volunteer/Territorial battalion Up to 6 Hostilities-only battalions |
| Garrison/HQ | The Depot Barracks,Dorchester |
| Nickname | The Dorsets |
| Motto | Primus in Indis |
| March | Quick:The Maid of Glenconnel |
| Anniversaries | Plassey, 23 June |
TheDorset Regiment was aline infantryregiment of theBritish Army in existence from 1881 to 1958, being thecounty regiment ofDorset. Until 1951, it was formally called theDorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets". In 1958, after service in theSecond Boer War along withWorld War I andWorld War II, the Dorset Regiment was amalgamated with theDevonshire Regiment to form theDevonshire and Dorset Regiment. In 2007, it was amalgamated with theRoyal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment,The Light Infantry and theRoyal Green Jackets to form a newlarge regiment,The Rifles.
The Territorials in Dorset trace their origins to the 1st Administrative Battalion, Dorsetshire Rifle Volunteers formed atDorchester.[1] Its first formation consisted of the following: The first volunteer corps in Dorset had their headquarters inDorchester. The1st Dorsetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps (1 Dorsetshire RVC) was atBridport, 2 Dorsetshire RVC atWareham, 3Dorsetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps atDorchester, 4thDorsetshire RVC atPoole, 5Dorsetshire RVC atWeymouth, 6Dorsetshire RVC atWimborne, 7Dorsetshire RVC atSherborne, 8 RVC atBlandford, 9Dorsetshire RVC –Shaftesbury, 10Dorsetshire RVC atSturminster, 11Dorsetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps atGillingham, and 12Dorsetshire RVC atStalbridge.[2]
Eventually in 1880 as a result of theChilders Reforms the regiment was re-designated to the 1st Dorsetshire Rifle Volunteers. Just a year later it moved under control of the Dorsetshire Regiment as the volunteer battalion.[2]
The Dorsetshire Regiment was established in the Regular Army in 1881 under theChilders Reforms by the amalgamation of the39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot and the54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot.[3][4] The 1st Battalion was stationed inMalta from 1888, inEgypt from 1889, and inBritish India from 1893, where it took part in operations in theTirah Campaign on theNorth West Frontier in 1897–98.[5]
The 2nd Battalion was stationed in Ireland from 1893 to 1897, then in Malta from 1899. Following the outbreak of theSecond Boer War in late 1899, they were sent to South Africa, participating in theRelief of Ladysmith.[6] The battalion stayed in South Africa throughout the war, which ended in June 1902 with thePeace of Vereeniging. Four months later 300 officers and men leftCape Town on the SSGerman in late September 1902, and arrived at Southampton in late October, when they were posted toPortland.[7]
In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming theTerritorial Force and the latter theSpecial Reserve;[8] the regiment now had one Reserve battalion and one Territorial battalion.[a][3][9]
During theFirst World War, nine hostilities-only battalions were formed, six battalions serving overseas. The 1st Battalion and 6th (Service) battalion served on theWestern Front throughout most of the war. Additional battalions (1/4th Battalion, 2/4th Battalion and 3/4th Battalion) were formed as part of theTerritorial Force to meet the demand for troops on the Western Front.[3][10][11]
The 1st Battalion was inBelfast when war broke out: it landed atLe Havre in August 1914 forming part of the15th Brigade in the5th Division.[11] It transferred to95th Brigade in the32nd Division in December 1915 and to the14th Brigade in the same Division in January 1916.[10][11]
The 2nd Battalion was inPoona, India, when war broke out and was shipped, as part of the16th Indian Brigade, toMesopotamia, where it was trapped in theSiege of Kut and captured by the Turks. (Of the 350 men of the battalion captured, only 70 survived their captivity.) During the siege, returning sick and wounded, and the few replacements who had been sent out, were unable to re-join their battalion, so they, and similar drafts of the 2ndNorfolk Regiment, were amalgamated into a scratch battalion forming part of the force attempting to relieve Kut.[12] This battalion was formally titled theComposite English Battalion, but was more commonly known asThe Norsets; it was broken up in July 1916, when the 2nd Dorsets was re-constituted.[11] The battalion then served inEgypt as part of9th Indian Brigade in the3rd Indian Division.[10][11]
The3rd (Reserve) Battalion remained in the UK fulfilling its role of training reinforcement drafts for the Regular battalions (including the 'Norsets'). It was also instrumental in setting up the 7th (Reserve) Battalion to do the same for the 5th and 6th (Service) Battalions, and the 1st and 2nd (later 8th) Home Service Battalions.[3][10][13]
The 1/4th Battalion of the Territorial Force served in India and Mesopotamia and 2/4th Battalion in India and Egypt.[10][11]
The 5th (Service) Battalion took part in theGallipoli Campaign, and having been evacuated from there in December 1915, went to Egypt before joining the war on the Western Front in July 1916.[11] The 6th (Service) Battalion was shipped toBoulogne in France in July 1915 as part of50th Brigade in the17th (Northern) Division and saw action on the Western Front.[10][11]
The 3/4th (Reserve) Battalion was moved toEbrington Barracks inDerry in April 1918.[10][11] The 3rd (Reserve) Battalion also served in Derry from March 1919, absorbing the 3/4th Battalion as postwardemobilisation progressed. The remaining personnel were drafted to the 1st Battalion in August 1919.[3][14]
In April 1920, during theIrish War of Independence, soldiers of the regiment fired at a rioting crowd on Bridge Street in Derry to disperse it, which led to attacks by Irish nationalists on British troops in the city and full-scale riots.Ulster Volunteers in Derry set up checkpoints and attacked local Catholics, which the Dorsets andRoyal Irish Constabulary did nothing to prevent.[15]
In 1921, a detachment from the Dorset Regiment was based inEnniscorthy, County Wexford (which was undermartial law) where it was accused of mistreating severalIrish Republican Army prisoners being held in the courthouse.[16] On 7 February 1920 4th Battalion was reformed in the TF (soon afterwards reorganised as theTerritorial Army (TA)) with its headquarters in Dorchester and four companies (A–D).[2]
In Summer 1921, the 2nd Battalion served under the command of Major-GeneralJohn Burnett-Stuart,General Officer CommandingMadras District in India,[17] where he was involved in the suppression of theMoplah Rebellion atMalabar between 1921 and 1922. The riots that they quashed were inspired by 10,000guerrillas and led to 2,300executions.[18]
The Officers and Men from the Dorset Regiment who lost their lives while taking part in the suppression of the revolt are commemorated in a brass tablet at theSt. Mark's Cathedral, Bangalore.[19]
In theSecond World War, the regiment expanded to eight battalions.[b][3][9]
The 1st Battalion was aregular army unit and part of the231st Infantry Brigade, alongside the 1stHampshires and 2ndDevonshires, for the duration of the war, fighting inMalta between 1940 and 1942,Sicily in August 1943, andItaly in September 1943. The 1st Dorsets landed onGold Beach onD-Day in June 1944 as a part of the50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division and fought with the division in theBattle of Normandy andNorth-West Europe, until the division was withdrawn in late 1944 and used as a training division. The battalion had troops 327 killed and 1,029 wounded.[20]
The 2nd Battalion was also a regular army unit and was part of the5th Infantry Brigade,2nd Infantry Division, throughout the war, participating in theBattle of France and theDunkirk evacuation in 1940. In 1944, it took part in theBattle of Kohima during theBurma Campaign of 1944–1945, still with the 2nd Division.[21]
The 4th Battalion was an original 1st Line TA unit and, in 1939, raised a 2nd Line duplicate, the 5th Battalion, when the Territorial Army was doubled in size prior to the commencement of the war.[3] The 4th and 5th Battalions were both part of130th Infantry Brigade in the43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, participating in theNormandy Campaign,Operation Market Garden and the Rhine Crossing.[22]
The 30th Battalion, previously the 6th (Home Defence) Battalion, was with the43rd Infantry Brigade in North Africa and the invasion of Sicily, after which it spent the rest of the war inGibraltar.[3][23]
The 7th Battalion, which was raised in 1940, was later converted to the110th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. The regiment served with the 43rd (Wessex) Division in North-West Europe from June 1944 to May 1945.[3][24]
The 8th Battalion, which was also raised in 1940 as 50th (Holding) Battalion, was initially assigned to the210th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) and was on home defence. Later, the battalion converted to the105th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. The regiment was sent toNorth Africa in late 1942 and fought with theBritish First Army, It later served in theItalian Campaign supportingUS Fifth Army.[3][24]
In 1958, the regiment amalgamated with theDevonshire Regiment to form theDevonshire and Dorset Regiment.[3][25]
The regimental collection is displayed in theKeep Military Museum inDorchester.[26]
The regiment was awarded the followingbattle honours. Those from the two World Wars that are emblazoned on theQueen's Colour are indicated in bold:[27]
The following member of the regiment was awarded theVictoria Cross:
Colonels of the regiment were:[9]
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