| Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment) Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) | |
|---|---|
 Cap Badge of the Sherwood Foresters | |
| Active | 1881–1970 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Line infantry |
| Size | 1–2Regular battalions 2Militia andSpecial Reserve battalions 2–4Territorial andVolunteer battalions Up to 13 Hostilities-only battalions |
| Garrison/HQ | Normanton Barracks,Derby |
| Anniversaries | Badajoz (6 April) Alma (20 September) |
TheSherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was aline infantryregiment of theBritish Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with theWorcestershire Regiment to form theWorcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment, which in 2007 was amalgamated with theCheshire Regiment and theStaffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's) to form the presentMercian Regiment. The lineage of the Sherwood Foresters is now continued by The Mercian Regiment.
The regiment was formed on 1 July 1881 as part of theChilders Reforms.[1] The45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot (raised in 1741) and the95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot (raised in 1823) were redesignated as the 1st and 2nd battalions of theSherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment).[2] The Derbyshire Militia andRoyal Sherwood Foresters Militia became the 3rd (Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) battalions respectively. These were joined by the 1st and2nd (Derbyshire) and the 3rd (Robin Hood) and 4th (Nottinghamshire) Volunteer battalions.[2]
Following the amalgamation, the 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters saw action in Egypt during theAnglo-Egyptian War, and was stationed atMalta from September 1898. Following the outbreak of theSecond Boer War in October 1899, the battalion was sent to South Africa where they arrived in December. They were stationed in theOrange Free State and took part in fighting under GeneralSir William Gatacre. From April 1900 they were part of the 21st Infantry brigade under GeneralBruce Hamilton.[3] The battalion stayed in South Africa until the end of the war, then transferred on the SSWakool to a new posting atHong Kong in September 1902.[4]
The 2nd Battalion served inIndia from 1882 to 1898, and saw action in theSikkim Expedition 1888 and the North West Frontier campaign 1897–1898, after which they transferred toAden. They were stationed at Malta from February 1900 until returning home in May 1902.[5][6]
In October 1902, the Nottinghamshire association was made explicit, the name changing to theSherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment).[2][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 two Reserve battalions and four Territorial battalions.[9][2]
The 1st battalion landed atLe Havre as part of the24th Brigade in the8th Division in November 1914 for service on theWestern Front.[10]
The 2nd battalion landed atSaint-Nazaire as part of18th Brigade in the6th Division in September 1914 also for service on the Western Front.[10]
The 3rd (Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) Battalions were depot/training units.[10] They moved to Plymouth (3rd Battalion) and Sunderland (4th Battalion) in August 1914.[10] In May 1915, the 3rd Battalion joined the 4th in Sunderland, where they both remained as part ofTyneGarrison,[10] as holding and reinforcement units.[11]
The 1/5th,1/6th,1/7th and 1/8th battalions landed in France as part of theSherwood Foresters Brigade in theNorth Midland Division (later 139th (Sherwood Foresters) Brigade and 46th (North Midland) Division respectively) in February 1915 for service on the Western Front.[10][12] The 2nd-Line TF battalions formed on the outbreak of war, the 2/5th,2/6th,2/7th and 2/8th battalions, moved to Ireland as part of the178th (2/1st Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire) Brigade in the59th (2nd North Midland) Division in April 1916.[10] During theEaster Rising in Ireland, the 2/7th and 2/8th battalions lost over two hundred men killed or wounded atMount Street on 26 April and at the South Dublin Union on 27 April.[13] The 2/5th, 2/7th and the 2/8th battalions transferred to Le Havre in February 1917 for service on the Western Front while the 2/6th battalion transferred toBoulogne-sur-Mer in February 1917 also for service on the Western Front. 3rd-Line TF battalions (3/5th, 3/6th, 3/7th and 3/8th) were also formed to train drafts for the battalions overseas. The 21st Battalion was formed from Home Service men of the TF.[10]
The 9th (Service) Battalion landed atSuvla Bay as part of the33rd Brigade in the11th (Northern) Division in August 1915; it was evacuated fromGallipoli toEgypt in December 1915 and then moved to France in July 1916 for service on the Western Front.[10] The 10th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the51st Brigade in the17th (Northern) Division in July 1915 also for service on the Western Front.[10] The 11th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the70th Brigade in the23rd Division in August 1915 before transferring to Italy in November 1917 and then to France in September 1918.[10] The 12th (Service) Battalion (Pioneers) landed in France as pioneer battalion for the24th Division in August 1915 for service on the Western Front.[10] The15th (Service) Battalion (Nottingham) (a 'Bantam battalion') landed in France as part of the105th Brigade in the35th Division in February 1916 also for service on the Western Front.[10] The16th (Service) Battalion (Chatsworth Rifles), which had been formed by theDuke of Devonshire, and the17th (Service) Battalion (Welbeck Rangers), which had been formed by theLord Mayor of Nottingham, both landed at Le Havre as part of the117th Brigade in the39th Division in March 1916 also for service on the Western Front. There were three other short-lived New Army battalions of the regiment: the 18th (Service) Battalion (another Bantam unit), the19th (Reserve) Battalion and the 20th (Labour) Battalion.[10]
In 1920, Sherwood Foresters were inFlensburg-Mürwik at theNaval Academy Mürwik to supervise the elections to theSchleswig plebiscites.[14][15]
In December 1936, the 46th (North Midland) Division was disbanded and its headquarters was reconstituted as2nd Anti-Aircraft Division to control the increasing number of anti-aircraft (AA) units being created north of London. At the same time, several of its infantry battalions were converted into searchlight battalions of theRoyal Engineers (RE). The 6th and 7th Bns Sherwood Foresters were among these, becoming40th (The Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion and42nd (The Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) AA Bn respectively, forming part of32nd (South Midland) Anti-Aircraft Group in 2 AA Division.[16]
After garrison service in the interwar years, the Sherwood Foresters next saw action in theSecond World War. The regiment served in theNorwegian Campaign, theBattle of France,Dunkirk, theNorth African and theItalian campaigns. They also saw action in theFar East. Nearly 27,000 men served in the regiment's 17 battalions, suffering 1,500 officers and men killed in action. The regiment won 10 battle honours and 400 decorations, including a Victoria Cross. Other battalions saw service in Italy and North Africa.[17]
The 1st Battalion was serving in theMiddle Eastern theatre and fought in theNorth African Campaign and theWestern Desert Campaign on the outbreak of war, and was assigned to many different brigades and divisions until late June 1942 when, fighting inTobruk, the battalion was captured. The few survivors of the battalion returned to the United Kingdom. In September the 1st Battalion was reformed, by the redesignation of the 16th Battalion, a hostilities-only battalion.[18] In August 1944 the new 1st Battalion was transferred to the183rd Infantry Brigade, part of the61st Infantry Division and in June 1945 it transferred to the184th Infantry Brigade, again part of 61st Infantry Division.[19]
The 2nd Battalion, Sherwood Foresters was serving in the3rd Infantry Brigade, part of the1st Infantry Division, with which the battalion would remain with throughout the war. The division was sent to France in September 1939 shortly after the outbreak of the war, joining theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF). The battalion remained in France until May 1940 when theGermans invaded theLow Countries. They took part in the short but bitter fighting and were forced to beevacuated at Dunkirk as the BEF was in danger of being surrounded and overrun. They were evacuated to England and spent the next two years on home defence and in preparation for aGerman invasion which never arrived. In early 1943 the division was sent to North Africa where it became part of theBritish First Army and took part in the final stages of theTunisian Campaign. In January 1944, they took part in thelandings at Anzio, under command ofU.S. Fifth Army, where they suffered serious casualties in some of the fiercest fighting of theItalian Campaign so far, and later fighting duringOperation Diadem and on theGothic Line. They fought in Italy until January 1945 when they were sent toPalestine and remained there until the end of the war.[20]
The 1/5th (Derbyshire) Battalion was a 1st-LineTerritorial Army formation originally serving with the148th Infantry Brigade, part of the49th (West Riding) Infantry Division. However, in December 1939, the battalion was reassigned to the25th Infantry Brigade and saw service with the BEF in France and Belgium in 1940 and being evacuated at Dunkirk. In late 1940, it was again reassigned to the55th Infantry Brigade,18th Infantry Division. The battalion, along with the rest of the 18th Division, was posted to Malaya to defend the peninsula and the island of Singapore against the Japanese. AfterSingapore fell to theImperial Japanese Army, the battalion's men were among the thousands ofPrisoners of war sent to work on the infamousBurma Railway.[17]
In August 1940, the AA battalions of the Royal Engineers were transferred to theRoyal Artillery (RA) and the battalion became40th (Sherwood Foresters) Searchlight Regiment, RA, serving through theBattle of Britain andThe Blitz. In June 1943, it was converted again, becoming the149th (Sherwood Foresters) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA and transferred to the55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division inHome Forces before joiningBritish Second Army for the Allied invasion of EuropeOperation Overlord. The regiment landed in August 1944 and served through theNorth-West Europe campaign, particularly at the AlliedSiege of Dunkirk and the Rhine crossing (Operation Plunder).[21][22]
Similarly, in August 1940 this battalion became the42nd (Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Searchlight Regiment, RA, serving throughThe Blitz in50th Anti-Aircraft Brigade of 2nd AA Division, covering Derby. It went to North-West Europe and served in the defence ofAntwerp againstV-1 flying bomb attacks during the winter of 1944–45.[23][24][25][26][27]
The 8th (Nottinghamshire) Battalion was mobilised in the148th Infantry Brigade alongside the 1/5th Battalion on the outbreak of war, attached to the49th (West Riding) Division. It fought inNorway in 1940, and then served as a garrison in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In 1942, the brigade was reorganised as a Training brigade.[28]
The 2/5th (Derbyshire) Battalion was formed as a 2nd-Line duplicate of the 1/5th Battalion, raised in 1939 when the TA was doubled in size. It was renamed the 5th Battalion after the loss of the 1/5th in Malaya in February 1942. It served in the139th Infantry Brigade, part of the46th Infantry Division, in France (see 9th Battalion),Tunisia,Italy andGreece.[2][29]
On the outbreak of the Second World War, the 9th Battalion was in the process of formation as a duplicate of the 8th Battalion. Based atBulwell nearNottingham, the battalion was commanded byClaude Lancaster, MP, a former officer in theRoyal Horse Guards.[30] The battalion was assigned to the139th Infantry Brigade, alongside the 2/5th (Derbyshire) Battalion and 2/5thLeicestershire Regiment of the46th Infantry Division, which, like several other '2nd Line' Territorial divisions, went to join theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France for training and labour duties in April 1940.[31] However, when theGerman Army attacked and broke through the following month, 46th Division was sent into action. On 29 May, 139 Brigade joined 'Macforce' holding the canal line nearCarvin. As the 'pocket'shrank towards Dunkirk, 46th Division was ordered inside the perimeter on 27 May. On 29 May, 9th Foresters were sent to reinforce the garrison at the fortified town ofBergues, 9 km south of Dunkirk.[32] The Germans were unable to enter Bergues until 2 June, and 9th Foresters was one of the last units to leave Dunkirk and beevacuated from France.[33]
The 9th Battalion left 46th Division in December 1940, and shortly afterwards became the lorried infantry element alongside the artillery of1st Support Group in1st Armoured Division.[34] However, on 1 November 1941, the battalion was converted to the armoured car role as112th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps. In common with other infantry units transferred to theRoyal Armoured Corps, personnel would have continued to wear their Foresters cap badge on the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps,[35] and the regiment continued to add the parenthesis '(Foresters)' after the RAC title.[36] Lieutenant-Colonel Lancaster remained in command during this period before returning to the House of Commons.[33]
112 RAC was assigned to the42nd Armoured Division as its armoured car regiment. It left the division in February 1943[37] and later became a draft-finding unit for other armoured car regiments fighting in theNormandy Campaign. 112 RAC ceased to exist on 14 October 1944, when it reverted to the title of 9th Foresters, which was placed in suspended animation.[38] The last entry in the War Diary notes:
The 10th (Home Defence) Battalion was raised for home defence in 1939 and, like most other home service units, would mainly have had consisted of men with military experience who were too old or medically unfit for active service overseas, or from younger soldiers who themselves were not old enough to beconscripted (the age for conscription being 20 at the time). The battalion was disbanded in 1941.[2]
The 12th Battalion was a hostilities-only unit raised in 1940.[2] In 1942, it was sent to India, where it carried out internal security duties at Delhi. On 1 January 1944, it moved to Delawari and came under the command of the52nd Infantry Brigade, whose role was training British infantrymen injungle warfare.[40]
The 13th Battalion was a hostilities-only unit raised in 1940.[2] In 1942, it was sent to India, where it was converted to the armoured role as163rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps.[41] In common with other infantry battalions transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps, the personnel of 163 RAC would have continued to wear their Foresters cap badge on the black beret of the Royal Armoured Corps.[42]
163 RAC was stationed atRawalpindi under command of267th Indian Armoured Brigade. However, there was a change of policy and, on 1 December 1944 (also reported as 1 December 1943), the regiment was re-converted to infantry, reverting to its previous title of 13th Sherwood Foresters and coming under command of67th Indian Training Brigade.[43]
The 14th Battalion was a hostilities-only unit raised in 1940[2] that went on to see active service in the Middle East (Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq) and Italy. It was first assigned to the218th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), formed for Home Service in the Yorkshire Area, but was soon reassigned to be the lorried infantry[44] component alongside the artillery of8th Support Group in the newly raised8th Armoured Division. In 1942, the division went round by sea to Suez, but, on arrival in July, it was broken up and 14th Foresters were sent to join the9th Independent Armoured Brigade, with which it fought at theSecond Battle of El Alamein under the command of2nd New Zealand Division.[45]
In January 1943, the 14th Foresters went to join the7th Armoured Brigade refitting inPersia and Iraq Command. In the summer of 1943, the battalion returned to North Africa to join the18th Infantry Brigade in the 1st Armoured Division. In February 1944, the brigade sailed to Italy and took part in theAnzio campaign (February–May 1944) under the command of the1st Infantry Division. In August, the brigade returned to the 1st Armoured Division and was engaged in the operations at Coriano in September. By now, the brigade's infantry battalions were badly depleted and, due to the lack of replacements in the Mediterranean, the 14th Foresters was reduced to a cadre and transferred to the non-operational168th (London) Infantry Brigade, before being disbanded.[46]
The 15th Battalion was raised for Home Defence in 1940 and disbanded in 1941.[2]
The 16th Battalion was formed by the re-designation of the 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion in September 1942. The new 16th battalion transferred to the162nd Infantry Brigade and later the222nd Infantry Brigade.[47] On 1 January 1943 the 16th Battalion was re-designated as the 1st Battalion.[18]
In 1940, the 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion was stationed atHolme Pierrepont Hall, near Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottingham. Like all other Young Soldiers battalions, this was formed to take volunteers around the ages of 18 and 19 who had not yet reached the compulsory age ofconscription, which was 20 at the time. In September 1942, the 70th was redesignated as the 16th Battalion.[48]
In 1948, the regiment became part of the Midland Brigade, known as theForester Brigade from 1958. In the post-war period, the 1st battalion Sherwood Foresters served in Germany,Egypt andLibya. In 1958, the battalion saw action inMalaya and, in 1963, inCyprus. The 2nd battalion served inPalestine and Germany.[49]
In 1970, the Sherwood Foresters were amalgamated with theWorcestershire Regiment to form theWorcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot).[50]
In August 2007, as part of an ongoing series of further amalgamations, the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment became the 2nd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment.[51]
TheSherwood Foresters Museum is based inNottingham Castle.[52] Meanwhile, theDerby Museum and Art Gallery incorporates the Soldier's Story Gallery, based on the collections, amongst others, of the Sherwood Foresters.[53]
The regiment's battle honours were as follows:[2]
The following members of the regiment were awarded theVictoria Cross:
Colonels of the regiment were:[2]
A Memorial Tower, for those of the regiment who died in battle, was erected in 1923 at the summit of Crich Stand in the Derbyshire village ofCrich. Built on the site of an older tower, the Memorial Tower is the destination of an annual pilgrimage on the first Sunday in July. It is 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, and has 52 steps to the top. From there eight counties can be seen, including landmarks such as theHumber Bridge andLincoln Cathedral.[55]
In 1931, the Sherwood Foresters were officially allied with the Simcoe Foresters (35th Regiment of Infantry), Canadian Militia.[56] In 1936, the Simcoe Foresters amalgamated with the Grey Regiment (31st Regiment of Infantry) to become the present-dayThe Grey and Simcoe Foresters (G&SF), Canadian Army. The Sherwood Foresters' badge was suitably modified ("Canadianised") and adopted as the G&SF badge. In 1970, with the Sherwood and Worcestershire amalgamation, Her Majesty The Queen graciously granted the continuation this alliance, and again in 2007 with the WFR/Stafford/Chester amalgamation. The G&SF Regimental Colour has a Sherwood Foresters Lincoln green facing, Lincoln green over hunting scarlet (maroon) are its colours, and the Sherwood Foresters regimental tie is that of the G&SF (purchased from the association). in 1977, Her Majesty The Queen appointed Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal as Colonel-in-Chief of The Grey & Simcoe Foresters.[57]
The Sherwood Foresters'stable belt continues to be used by the East Midlands Universities Officer Training Corps.[58]
The formal regimental colours were chocolate and green.[59] As the 45th Regiment of Foot, the regiment initially had deep greenfacings on the lapels, cuffs and lining of thered coats of the 18th century.Lincoln green was subsequently adopted in recognition of its unique title. When merged with the 95th Regiment in 1881, the Sherwood Foresters adopted the standard white facings of non-royal Englishline infantry regiments. The historic lincoln green was restored in 1913. In other respects the regiment followed the normal progression of the British infantry from red coats, to scarlet tunics, to khakiservice dress andbattledress. Officers had silver lace on their coats until 1830, after which gold braiding was adopted.[60]
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