Cheshire Regiment

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The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment
Cap badge of The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment
Active	1689-
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Light Infantry
Size	One battalion
Part of	Prince of Wales' Division
Garrison/HQ	1st Battalion - Ballykinler
Nickname	The Old Two-twos The Young Buffs The Peep of Day Boys The Lightning Conductors The Red Knights The Specimens Twos
Motto	Ich dien (I serve)
Colors	Cerise and Buff
March	Quick - Wha Wadna Fecht for Charlie Slow - The 22nd Regiment 1772
Battles/wars	See honours list
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel A. Sharpe, OBE
Ceremonial chief	HRH The Prince of Wales
Colonel of the Regiment	Major General K. Skempton CBE
Insignia
Tactical Recognition Flash

The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was originally raised by the Duke of Norfolk in 1689 so can boast an independent existence of over 325 years, being one of five line infantry regiments never to have been amalgamated in its history; Up to 2006, it shared this claim with:

However, in mid-2007, the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment will be merged to form the Mercian Regiment, becoming 1 (Cheshires) MERCIAN.

1 History
2 Recent History
- 2.1 Reorganisation of the British Army
3 Alliances
4 Order of Precedence
5 Battle Honours
6 External links

[edit] History

In 1689, Henry, Duke of Norfolk, raised a regiment on the Wirral in an effort to resist any attempt by James II to take the English throne. For the early part of its formation, the regiment was known by the name of the current Colonel-in-Chief, later becoming known as the 22nd Regiment of Foot. In the same year that it was raised, the regiment saw its first action as part of a British force sent to Ireland under the command of General Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg, taking part in the siege and capture of Carrickfergus. In 1690, the 22nd fought in the Battle of Boyne, and in 1691 at the Battle of Aughrim. The regiment continued to serve as a garrison in Ireland from this point until 1695, when it was sent to the Low Countries for a short time before returning to its duties in Ireland.

In 1702, the 22nd Regiment of Foot sailed to Jamaica, spending the next twelve years in combat duties against the French and native population, both on land and at sea.

[edit] Recent History

Between 1986 and 1988, the 1st Battalion was posted to Caterham as a public duties battalion. This was the first time that a line infantry unit had been posted as such - before this, although line infantry battalions had performed public duties, this had only been for brief periods. Amongst the duties performed was the mounting of the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace.

[edit] Reorganisation of the British Army

In 2004, as part of the restructuring of the infantry, it was announced that the Cheshire Regiment would be amalgamated with the Staffordshire Regiment and the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters to form the new Mercian Regiment. In August 2007, the regiment will move to Catterick, simultaenously being renamed 1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment (Cheshires), in the light infantry role. As a consequence, between July 2006 and August 2007, the 22nd will have the honour of being the oldest line infantry regiment in the British Army, thanks to its uninteruppted service since its formation in 1688.