Wessex Regiment

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The Wessex Regiment was a Territorial Army(TA) infantry regiment of the British Army between 1971 and 1995. It had 2 battalions: The 1st Bn (Rifle Volunteers) with headquarters at Le Marchant Barracks Devizes and the 2nd Bn(Volunteers) with headquarters at Brock Barracks in Reading.

2nd Battalion The Wessex Regiment (Volunteers) comprised:

• HQ Company - Reading

• A (Duke of Connaught's) Company - Portsmouth

• B Company - Originally at Bletchley but later at Reading with 6 Platoon at Basingstoke. From April 1983, B coy was disbanded and 4 platoon transferred to D Coy as 12 platoon, 6 platoon was transferred to C Company as 9 platoon, (see below). Remainder of coy staff became the Regimental Recruit Training Team. B Company 1 Wessex transferred to 2 Wessex as new B Company. Coy HQ at Winchester with platoons in Southampton and Isle of Wight.

• C Coy 2 Wessex(Royal Berkshires Company) - Maidenhead
  • 7 platoon - Maidenhead, St Lukes Road
  • 8 platoon - Slough, Uxbridge Road
  • 9 platoon - Basingstoke, Penrith Road

• D Company - Originally at Bournemouth but later at Reading with a platoon at Newbury, St Michael's Road

• E (HSF) Company

Regimental Motto: "Their Land to Defend"

Regimental Cap Badge: Wessex Wyvern

Regimental Quick March: The Farmer's Boy, also The Hampshire and The Dashing White Serjeant.

Regimental Slow March: God Bless the Prince of Wales

Colours Presented at Eastney Barracks Portsmouth by the Duke of Wellington on 28th June 1979.

Dress distinctions:

Soldiers in A Coy originally wore collar badges of the 6th Bn The Royal Hampshire Regt (Duke of Connaught's Own), later replaced with Wyverns

Soldiers in C (Royal Berkshires) Coy wore the "Brandywine Flash" a triangle of red cloth sewn behind the cap badge inherited from the Royal Berkshire Regt, and also worn by the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (DERR).

Officers and Warrant Officers wore Black (Royal Hampshire) pullovers in Barrack Dress

Officers, Warrant Officers and SNCOs wore a green lanyard on the left shoulder, (Blue in the 1st Bn)

The regimental Stable Belt of the 2nd Bn was blue over gold over grass green over gold over blue, stripes as opposed to the plain blue of the 1st Bn

Officers wore Royal Hampshire Regt pattern Sam Browne with whistle.

Commanding Officers:

Lt Col ?

Lt Col ?

Lt Col Buglass (DERR)

Lt Col J D Redding (DERR)

1978-1981 Lt Col W H F Stevens OBE (Wessex)

1981-1983 Lt Col E Churcher (R Hamps)

1983-1985 Lt Col R Hanscombe (R Hamps)

1985-1988 Lt Col E R Holmes (Wessex)

1988-1990 Lt Col J Dewar (R Hamps)

1990- 1992 Lt Col P Bateman (Wessex)

1992- 1995 Lt Col Paddison (DERR)

RSMs:

WO1 ?

WO1 ?

WO1 Stafford (DERR)

WO1 Freelove (DERR)

1978 - 1980 WO1 J Venus (DERR)

1980-1983 WO1 R G Hicks (DERR)

WO1 S Parfitt (Glosters)

WO1 P Mehrlich (DERR)

1987- 1989 WO1 B Lane (R Hamps)

WO1 Gardiner (DERR)

WO1 Coupland (DERR)

2 Wessex (V) Annual Camps

1977 Westdown Camp

1978 Penhale

1979 Browndown/Catterick

1980 "Crusader 80" Ex Square Leg

1981 Gibraltar as composite Coys plus a platoon to Belize

1982 Nesscliffe

1983 Warcop/Thetford

1984 Ex Lionheart Germany (As Orange Special Forces)

1985 Sennybridge - Brave Defender ('C' Coy QRF from Long Marston, Renault vans!)

1986 St Martin's Plain Folkstone with a composite Coy to USA with Pennsylvania Army National Guard 1st Bn 110th Infantry, Fort Indiantown Gap.

1987 Thetford - good weather, got Chinooks on ex.

1988 St Martin's Plain Camp Folkstone

1989 Cultybraggan

1994 Amalgamated with 1st Bn to form the 2nd Bn RGBW The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, then The Royal Rifle Volunteers and most recently its remnants are to be traced in the formation of The Rifles.