| Devonshire and Dorset Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1958 – 2007 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Line infantry |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | Twobattalions |
| Part of | Prince of Wales' Division |
| Motto | Semper FidelisLatin: "Always Faithful" |
| March | Quick –Widdecombe Fair/We've Lived and Loved Together/The Maid of Glenconnel |
| Insignia | |
| Tactical Recognition Flash |  |
| Arm Badge |  Croix de Guerre From Devonshire Regiment |
TheDevonshire and Dorset Regiment (11th, 39th and 54th), usually just known as theDevon and Dorsets, was aninfantryregiment of theBritish Army formed in 1958 by the amalgamation of two county regiments, theDevonshire Regiment and theDorset Regiment. In 2007 it was itself merged intoThe Rifles, a "large regiment".[1][2] Members of the regiments referred to themselves as being aJanner.[3]
As part of the1957 Defence Review, it was announced that there would be a reduction in the number of infantrybattalions in the British Army. The reduction was to be effected by the merging of a number of pairs of regiments.[4]
Among the mergers to be carried out were those of the regiments of the two neighbouring counties ofDevon andDorset.
The amalgamation took place inMinden,Germany, on 17 May 1958. The new 1st Battalion, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Guy Young, formerly commanding officer of the 1st Devonshires, while the colonel of the regiment was Major-GeneralGeorge Neville Wood, formerly of the Dorsets.[2][6]
In November 1958 the 1st Battalion moved toCyprus, where they carried outanti-insurgency activities against the paramilitaryEOKA organisation. A ceasefire was called in December 1959, and the island achieved independence from Britain in August 1960. Following the ending of the conflict the battalion carried out exercises inLibya before returning to the United Kingdom in 1961.[7][8]
From 1961 to 1963 the battalion was based inPlymouth, taking part in exercises in theSalisbury Plain Training Area and in recruitment activities following the ending ofNational Service. In May 1962 the regiment was given thefreedom of the City of Exeter, and were presented with a stand ofcolours by theColonel-in-Chief,Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent.[8][9]
From July 1963 the battalion was based inHolywood,County Down. Placed on twenty-four hours' travel notice, in May 1964 they moved toBritish Guiana where there was political and civil unrest.[10] Elections were held in December of that year, a first step in the independence of the colony. The battalion returned to Holywood in January 1965.[8]
In February 1966 the battalion joined theBritish Army of the Rhine (BAOR) as part of6th Infantry Brigade based inMünster.[8][11] In 1967 disturbances spread throughout the Arab world in the wake of theSix-Day War. The battalion were dispatched toBenghazi in Libya to evacuate isolated British personnel.[8] In January 1968 the regiment were transferred within the BAOR to the12th Infantry Brigade based inOsnabrück.[8][11]In 1970 the battalion moved toMalta.[8][12] Following the outbreak ofThe Troubles inNorthern Ireland, the Devon and Dorsets were moved toBelfast with less than twenty four hours' notice in June 1970.[12] They found themselves involved in theBattle of the Falls.[12] They returned to Malta in August 1970.[8]
In 1971 the battalion moved to Gordon Barracks inGillingham, Kent. As an air-portable unit, elements of the Devon & Dorsets were frequently dispatched to various locations at short notice: In January 1972 they moved toCounty Armagh, toBritish Honduras in August 1972, to West Belfast in October 1973, to Cyprus in October 1974 and toBelize in November 1975.[8][13]
In May 1976 the battalion rejoined the12th Mechanised Brigade in Osnabrück.[14] They did two tours of duty in Northern Ireland: in North Belfast from January to May 1977 and in Central Belfast from January to May 1979.[8]
In April 1980 the battalion moved toColchester. From July to November 1981 they did another tour in County Armagh underOperation Banner, and in 1982 took part in training exercises inKenya.[15]
In March 1983 the Devon & Dorsets became a resident battalion atAbercorn Barracks inBallykinler in Northern Ireland as part of the39th Infantry Brigade, remaining there until 1985.[8] In 1985 they joined theBerlin Brigade, remaining in the city until 1987.[8]
From February 1987 the battalion formed part of1st Brigade atBulford.[8] Elements of the regiment were sent to theFalkland Islands andBelize in 1987 and 1988. From April to August 1989 they did another tour of duty in County Armagh.[16] The Regimental Band were sent to thePersian Gulf between October 1990 and March 1991 as part ofOperation Granby to serve in a field hospital.[16] In August 1991 the battalion returned to Germany and was based inWerl andPaderborn.[8] In 1993 they had another tour of duty in West Belfast.[17] In 1994 they moved to Paderborn as part of the20th Armoured Brigade.[8]
In May 1995 the battalion formed part of theUnited Nations Protection Force intervening in theBosnian War. Corporal Simon Harvey was awarded theMilitary Cross for twice extracting hisWarrior tracked armoured vehicle from enemy fire on the MountIgman route intoSarajevo.[18][19] For part of the campaign they served alongside theFrench2e Régiment Étranger d'Infanterie as part of United Nations Task Force Alpha, and a bond of friendship was later established between the two units.[19]
The battalion returned to Paderborn in November 1995 and was based there until 1998. Parts of the unit spent time inFermanagh between December 1996 and June 1997.[8][19] In March 1998 they moved toWarminster where they assumed responsibility for teaching infantry tactics at the Combined Arms Tactics Centre Battle Group.[20] They moved to theCavalry Barracks, Hounslow in 2000.[8] After intensive training, the battalion performedpublic duties in London andWindsor which included providing theQueen's Guard atBuckingham Palace during theSeptember 11 attacks and in 2002 attending thestate funeral ofElizabeth, the Queen Mother.[21][22]
The Devon and Dorsets was again the resident battalion at Ballykinler from 2002 to 2004. In 2004 the battalion moved toCatterick Garrison.[8]
In 2003 a defencewhite paper,Delivering Security in a Changing World, was published. Among the changes proposed was the amalgamation of all single-battalion infantry regiments into multi-battalionlarge regiments. As a result, discussions were undertaken betweenThe Light Infantry and the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment concerning the formation of a three-battalion regiment. In December 2004 details of the amalgamations to be carried out were announced.[23] The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment would integrate Gloucestershire elements of theRoyal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment to form a new battalion of The Light Infantry.[23] As part of the preparation for this, the regiment moved from thePrince of Wales' Division to theLight Division, and was renamed theDevonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, on 22 July 2005.[2]
On 24 November 2005, theMinistry of Defence announced further changes to the amalgamations. The regiment were now to join a new large regiment created by the amalgamation of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, The Light Infantry, the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, and theRoyal Green Jackets. This new regiment was to be calledThe Rifles and was to be formed in February 2007. In the lead-up to the formation of The Rifles, officers and men of all four regiments were cross posted, but1st Battalion, The Rifles was formed from the regular battalions of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment and the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment.[2][24] On becoming part of a rifle regiment, the Devon and Dorsets no longer carried theircolours; these were laid up inExeter Cathedral on 27 January 2007.[25]
The Devonshire and Dorset regimental collections are displayed in theKeep Military Museum,Dorchester.[26]
Colonels-in-Chief of the regiment were:[27]
Colonels of the regiment were:[27]
Canada –Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke
Australia –The Royal New South Wales Regiment
Malaysia – 6th Battalion,Royal Malay Regiment
South Africa –5 South African Infantry Battalion (Bond of Friendship)
Royal Navy –HMSExeter
France –2e Régiment Étranger d'Infanterie (Bond of Friendship){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)