Sherwood Foresters

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The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)
Active 1881 - 1970
Country United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Branch British Army
Type Infantry
Size Two Battalions
Anniversaries Badajoz (6th April)
Alma (20th September)

The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was formed during the Childers Reforms in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot and the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot.

Contents

[edit] Early history

The history of The Sherwood Foresters goes back to 1741, when England was committed to war against France in Europe and later in Asia and America. In this year a new regiment was raised and commanded by a Colonel Houghton.

By 1745 the regiment was in Gibraltar and under the command of a Colonel Warburton, while two years later it was serving in Nova Scotia. In 1751 numerical titles were introduced and the regiment became the 45th. The aggressive actions of the French against the English in Canada resulted in the 45th being called out on active service. It was one of the regiments that won undying fame in storming and capturing from the French the Naval Arsenal of Louisburg, a stronghold that had been heavily and extensively fortified. The 45th Regiment served for twenty years in Canada, and for its gallantry at Louisburg was later awarded the first of the long roll of battle honours that now adorn the Colours. Although not present as a unit, the 45th was represented by its grenadier company in the British force that the gallant General Wolfe led up the St. Lawrence River to capture Quebec and thus seal the doom of French rule in Canada.

On returning home the regiment served for some years in Ireland and when the American War of Independence broke out, was among the reinforcements sent to New York in 1776. It fought at Long Island, Philadelphia, Brandywine, Germantown, and in other places, suffering losses but always exhibiting a high degree of courage and fortitude.

After the war, the 45th, reduced to less than 100 all ranks, returned home to Nottingham. The citizens of Nottingham requested that the regiment should be called "The Nottinghamshire Regiment" and His Majesty agreed, providing 300 men were recruited in the county. With volunteers from the Nottinghamshire Militia and the influence of local landowners, the stipulated number was soon obtained. Between 1786-1794 and 1795-1802, the 45th was in the West Indies almost constantly engaged in fighting the French for possession of those islands - Martinique, Dominica and Les Saints being captured. Unfortunately yellow fever took a far heavier toll of the regiment than did the enemy.

After a brief period at home the 45th was soon on active service again. The regiment was despatched to South America in 1807, where it took part in the attack on Buenos Aires, when every man of the small British force had to fight for his life in the street fighting that followed the capture of the town. After this action the regiment embarked for home.

[edit] The Peninsular War

The following year the 45th Regiment became part of the Peninsular Army, under Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington. The 45th was present at the opening battle, at Rolica in 1808, and served without a break in all Wellington's famous battles until the siege of Toulouse in 1814, winning no less than thirteen battle honours. The nickname, "The Old Stubborns", was bestowed on the regiment for its conspicuous bravery at the Battle of Talavera. In that battle the French flung themselves in dense masses upon the advanced posts of the British Army, which were held by the 45th, who opposed the enemy with such firmness and courage that the enemy troops were first checked and then brought to a standstill. Retiring slowly, the 45th held up the enemy attack so completely that the entire sting was taken out of it, and the British were able to win a great victory. Wellington, describing the battle in his official report said: "Upon this occasion the steadiness and discipline of the 45th Regiment were conspicuous".

In the Battle of Busaco, the 45th Regiment again distinguished itself leading the attack on a dense column of the enemy troops, which had reached the crest of the hill. The attack, made with the bayonet, was so fierce that the enemy was driven pell-mell down the slopes, leaving some hundreds on the ground killed and wounded. "I can assure you I never witnessed a more gallant charge", wrote Wellington in his despatches. In the siege of Badajoz, a detachment of the 45th succeeded in getting into the Castle first and the red coat of an officer of the 45th was hoisted in place of the French flag to indicate the fall of the Castle. This feat is commemorated on the 6th April each year when red jackets are flown on Regimental flag staffs and at Nottingham Castle.

At the Battle of Vimiero, Battle of Fuentes d'Onor, Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, Battle of Vittoria, the forcing of the passes in the Pyrenees and at Nivelle, Orthes and Toulouse, the regiment, forming part of Thomas Picton's famous 3rd Division, added to its reputation, and was recognised as being among the best of Wellington's veteran units. When the campaign ended, the 45th, worn to a shadow, returned to its native county to recruit.

[edit] Burmese War

The regiment was serving in Ceylon in 1819, and from there went to India and took part in the first Burmese War of 1824-25. This was an arduous campaign. Dense tracks of steamy jungle had to be traversed, and a number of strongly constructed and stubbornly defended stockades stormed and destroyed. This campaign added the battle honour "Ava" to the Colours. The regiment returned home from India in 1838.

[edit] Newport Rising

In 1839 32 men of the regiment stationed in the Westgate Hotel in Newport, made thousands of crudely armed Welsh Chartists retreat, killing around twenty, in a skirmish that ended the Newport Rising, the last large-scale armed rebellion in mainland Britain. The officers involved were promoted.

[edit] Xhosa War

The 45th was split into a 1st and a reserve battalion in 1843 and the 1st Battalion was sent to South Africa where it played a prominent part in the defence of Natal during the Boer disturbances. The Reserve Battalion saw active service in South America in the defence of Montevideo in 1846 and also served in South Africa during the Xhosa War of 1846-47 before being reabsorbed into the 1st Battalion. Reduced to a single battalion regiment for some years and distributed between the Eastern Frontier and Natal until 1859, the 45th took part in the Xhosa War 1851 -53 and the expedition across the Orange River.

[edit] Change in title

The secondary title 'The Sherwood Foresters' was granted to the 45th in 1866 by Queen Victoria; the Nottinghamshire Militia having previously been granted the title of "The Royal Sherwood Foresters" in 1813.

In 1867, the 45th formed part of the British force that, under General Sir Robert Napier (afterwards Lord Napier of Magdala), fought in the Abyssinian campaign. This was one of the most remarkable exploits in the history of the British Army. Magdala, the capital, was a fortified city perched on the summit of a huge rock with almost perpendicular sides, and approachable on one side only. It was situated four hundred road less miles from the coast in the midst of a great range of mountains, over which the troops had to climb, and in some places had to haul their guns and limbers up by ropes.

The 45th marched 300 miles in 24 days and actually covered 70 miles in 4 days over a mountain pass 10,000 feet high to be present at the capture of Magdala.

[edit] The 95th Regiment of Foot

The 95th Regiment was raised in 1823 as the 95th Derbyshire Regiment. It was the sixth regiment to bear this number in the British Army. During its first 20 years the 95th saw service in Malta, The Ionian Islands, Ceylon and China.

[edit] Crimean War

The 95th was called on active service in 1854 for the Crimean War. It experienced all the hardships of the arduous campaign, and was in the thick of all the heaviest fighting. At the Alma it was in the forefront of the attack across the river and up the heights. Owing to the heavy casualties amongst the officers, the Regimental Colour was finally carried by Pte. Keenan, an event traditionally celebrated by the Regiment handing over one of its Colours to the custody of a private soldier on the anniversary of the battle of Alma - 20th September.

At this time, as a result of heavy casualties that were occurring to Colour Parties, an Army order was issued that Colours would no longer be carried in battle. However at the Battle of Inkerman (fought in fog), the Russians 30,000 strong attacked and found the 95th as one of the regiments on outpost duty, fighting stubbornly in small parties to hold on until the repeated British bayonet charges caused the Russians to withdraw. As the Army order concerning Colours had not been received, the 95th Colours were carried and these were the last in the Army to be present in a major battle.

Although the Battalion strength was under 100 as it marched away from Inkerman, it nevertheless continued to serve in the trenches before Sevastopol and the final attack on the fortifications. The saying in the 2nd Division "There may be few of the 95th left but those are as hard as nails" led to the nickname of "The Nails".

[edit] Indian Mutiny

The 95th was on its way to the Cape when the Indian Mutiny occurred. The Regiment was diverted to Bombay where it joined the Central Indian Field Force, whose achievements in marching and fighting through jungle and over arid plains under tropical skies still stand as a marvel of military achievement and endurance. It fought at Awah, Kotah, the battle of Kotah-ke-Serai; the siege and capture of the great fortress of Gwalior and Pouree, and the capture of the rebel camp of Koondryee. In sixteen months it marched over 3,000 miles and took part in 14 actions. Pte. McQuirt won for the Regiment its first Victoria Cross at Rowa. The 95th remained in India until 1870.

[edit] 1881-1914

The Cardwell reforms of 1881 brought together the 45th and 95th Regiments of Foot with the Militia of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire plus the volunteer regiments of the two counties, to form The Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment). It is of interest that it was not until 1902 that Nottinghamshire was added to the title.

The Regiment now consisted of: 1st Battalion (45th), 2nd Battalion (95th), 3rd (late Derbyshire Militia) and 4th (late Royal Sherwood Foresters) Militia Battalions, and 1st and 2nd (Derbyshire) and 3rd and 4th (Nottinghamshire) Volunteer Battalions. The Headquarters of the Regimental District was established in Derby.

The 2nd Battalion saw active service in Egypt during 1882 and later went on to India. In 1888 they took part in the Sikkim Expedition to Tibet, and in 1897 they were once again on active service in the Tirah Expedition where Lieutenant H. S. Pennell won the regiment's second Victoria Cross during the capture of the Dargai Heights. It was in India in 1885 that the Battalion established what is accepted as a World sporting record, when two companies contested a tug-of-war pull that lasted 2 hours 41 minutes.

The outbreak of the Boer War in 1899 found both regular battalions in Malta and during November of that year the 1st Battalion sailed for South Africa where they were to remain until the end of the War in 1902. They took part in most of the major battles and shared all the hard marching and privations of that long campaign. On one occasion they marched 400 miles in 45 days and were engaged with the enemy 28 times. The 4th Battalion and service companies of the Volunteer Battalions also took part in the campaign with great credit. The 2nd Battalion, still stationed in Malta, provided volunteers for the many mounted infantry companies. Two additional VCs were won by Cpl H Beet and Pte W Bees, while amongst the many other decorations bestowed on Foresters were no fewer than twenty-two Distinguished Conduct Medals.

The growing threat of War with Germany at the beginning of the 20th century caused a further reorganisation of the Army. In 1908 the 3rd and 4th Battalions became part of the Special Reserve with liabilities for overseas service, whilst the Volunteer Battalions became the 5TH, 6th, 7th (Robin Hoods) and 8th Battalions of The Sherwood Foresters in the newly formed Territorial Force, later renamed the Territorial Army.

[edit] First World War (1914-1918)

The history of the regiment in the First World War is very much the story of the men of the counties of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. When war was declared, The Sherwood Foresters consisted of eight battalions and a depot at Derby. During the War the regiment expanded to a maximum of 33 battalions, of whom 20 served overseas. Altogether some 140,000 men, nearly all from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, served in the regiment.

The 2nd Battalion was part of the British Expeditionary Force, which landed in France in September 1914, and went straight into the bitter fighting on the Aisne. On 20 September (the anniversary of the Battle of Alma - a previous Battle Honour of the 95th), the battalion carried out a counter attack to plug a gap in the British lines. The casualties were almost identical with those at Alma, 17 out of 22 officers and 214 out of 930 other ranks. Reinforced, the 2nd Battalion fought another major battle in October at Ennettiere on the way to Ypres, holding a vastly superior German force for 48 hours and losing in the process 16 officers and 710 other ranks.

The 1st Battalion was in India at the outbreak of war. It was brought home, and sent to France in November 1914 without any chance of adjusting itself to European conditions and as a result suffered badly in its first four winter months of "Trench warfare". The battalion took part in two of the major battles in 1915 - Neuve Chapelle and Loos, and suffered severe casualties. Pte. Jacob Rivers and Cpl. James Upton were awarded yet more regimental VCs for bravery.

Both 1st and 2nd Battalions continued to serve in France until after the Armistice on 11 November 1918, and overall were the most heavily committed of all the battalions of the regiment.

The 3rd and 4th Militia Battalions were embodied at the outbreak of war but remained in the UK as holding and reinforcement units.

The Territorial Army was immediately mobilised on the outbreak of war, and the original four Sherwood Foresters Territorial Battalions, the 5th, 6th, 7th (Robin Hoods) and 8th, formed the 139 (Forester) Infantry Brigade in the 46 (North Midland) Division. In September the Territorial Army was doubled and almost overnight the 2/5th, 2/6th, 2/7th (Robin Hoods) and 2/8th Battalions of the regiment were formed from the original battalions, and were made up into the 178 (Forester) Infantry Brigade of 59th (North Midland) Division.

In February 1915, the 139th (Forester) Brigade had the distinction of being part of the first Territorial Division to land in France. By the end of the year they had been engaged in heavy fighting and Capt. C. G. Vickers of the 1/7th (Robin Hoods) had been awarded the VC. This Forester Brigade served in France for the remainder of the War and suffered severe casualties. In particular, it gained special recognition for its valour on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916, where it suffered 80ΓΈ/ /0 casualties, and its magnificent part in the breaking of the Hindenburg Line and the final defeat of the German Army in the Autumn of 1918; Lt. Col. B. W. Vann MC, the Commanding Officer of the 1/6th Battalion and Sgt. W. H. Johnson of the 1/5th Battalion being awarded the VC for conspicuous bravery in the latter action. Their participation in the Second Battle of Artois, in spring 1915, occasioned the famous exchange between Gen. Sir Henry Rawlinson and Brig. Reginald Oxley.
Rawlinson: "This is most unsatisfactory. Where are the Sherwood Foresters? Where are the East Lancashires out on the right?"
Oxley: "They are lying out in No-Man's Land, sir, and most of them will never stand again."

In 1916, the 178 (Forester) Brigade although only partially trained, was despatched to Dublin to suppress the Easter rebellion. This operation was completed successfully although at some cost in casualties, especially to the 2/7th (Robin Hoods) and 2/8th Battalions. The brigade was ordered to frontally assault a position held by 17 rebels on the Grand Canal in Dublin and took over 240 casualties from concentrated rifle fire (for 4 rebels lost). The event is remembered in Dublin as "Ireland's Thermopylae". In 1917 the brigade moved to France and took part with distinction in the latter part of the 2nd Ypres Battle (Passchendaele), suffering heavy casualties, and also at Cambrai later in 1917 the brigade continued to fight in France until 1918.

As the new Kitchener Armies were raised in 1914, the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th (service) Battalions of The Sherwood Foresters were formed, followed later by the 15th (Bantams) 16th (Chatsworth Rifles), 17th (Welbeck Rangers), 18th (Bantams), 19th and 20th Battalions.

The 9th Battalion took part in the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign in 1915 and gained a name for its stubborn fighting qualities similar to those of the 45th Foot some 100 years previously. The Battalion arrived in France in August 1916 and fought throughout the remaining Somme offensive; the bitter drawn-out battle of Passchendale in 1917, where in October Cpl. F. Greaves was awarded the VC; followed by the German breakthrough in the spring of 1918 and the final successful Allied offensive later in the year.

The 10th Battalion went to France in July 1915 and moved almost immediately into the notorious Ypres (Bloody) salient. In 1916, it took part in the first ten days of continuous fighting on the Somme, returning for a second time into the grim battle in August and yet a third time in October/November. In 1917 the battalion fought magnificently throughout the 2nd Battle of Ypres suffering further heavy casualties and like the 9th Battalion continued in the forefront of battle throughout 1918 to the end.

The 11th Battalion arrived in France in August 1915 and within the month was engaged in a minor role in the Loos Battle. It took part in the opening day of the Somme offensive on 1 July 1916 and suffered such grievous losses it was relieved that night. It returned to the bitter struggle in late July and again in October for the final attempt to break through the German rear position. In 1917, the Battalion was heavily engaged in the second Ypres Battle for Passchendaele Ridge. In November it moved with its division to Northern Italy to assist the Italians in their struggle against the German/ Austrian offensive and won further renown for its successful stand at Asiago, where its Commanding Officer Lt. Col. C. E. Hudson DSO MC was awarded the VC for outstanding bravery and leadership. In October 1918 the 11th Battalion returned to France and took part in the final offensive.

The 12th Battalion arrived in France in August 1915. The following month it took part in the Battle of Loos and from then onwards was engaged in most of the major battles until the end of 1918. Although its primary role was that of a Divisional Pioneer Battalion it was drawn into the fight in times of crisis and gained recognition for gallant conduct on several occasions, notably the Battle of Loos in 1915 and the final German offensive in 1918.

The 15th (Bantam) Battalion, made up initially of men who although fit were below the normal minimum service height of 5'3", moved to France with the 35th (Bantam) Division in 1916. The battalion fought with great distinction and heavy casualties throughout the 1916 battles on the Somme. However at the end of 1916, the problems of finding 'bantam' reinforcements in sufficient numbers became too difficult; the 15th Foresters was redesigned a normal 'service' battalion and fought as such until the end of the War.

The 16th (Chatsworth Rifles) and 17th (Welbeck Rangers) Battalions arrived in France in late April 1916 and played a prominent part in the Somme Battle from August to the bitter end in November 1916. Their losses were heavy. These battalions were also heavily engaged in the 1917 offensive, and again in the great German offensive on the Somme and Lys in the Spring of 1918, after which they were reduced through severe losses to Cadre form to train the newly arriving American Forces. Their finest hour and certainly their period of heaviest casualties came in the 2nd Battle of Ypres and particularly the grim fighting leading to Passchendaele. It was for outstanding bravery during this battle that Cpl E A Egerton (16th Battalion) was awarded the VC.

All other battalions filled the vital role of reinforcement and training units combined with Home Defence, attempting to keep pace with the heavy losses over the four years of the War. However, towards the end of the War the high rate of casualties necessitated amalgamation of weakened battalions and, as with other regiments, Forester Battalions started to disappear from the Order of Battle.

Throughout all the fighting, officers and soldiers alike, displayed the same selfless courage that had won The Sherwood Foresters so many Battle Honours in the past. After the War, no less than 57 Honours were added to that list. For outstanding acts of bravery, nine members of the regiment were awarded the Victoria Cross including Captain A. Ball VC, DSO, MC, Royal Flying Corps, who was previously a Robin Hood. Over two thousand more received other decorations honours and distinctions.

The cost was high as shown on the War Memorials throughout Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. There can hardly have been a village or city street that did not produce men to serve in The Sherwood Foresters - 11,409 of whom did not return.

[edit] Between the Wars (1919-1939)

As peace returned to the World, all Battalions of The Sherwood Foresters were withdrawn to the UK. By early 1919 the Territorial and Service Battalions were all disbanded or reduced to cadres while the two regular Battalions - the 1st and 2nd, reformed on a peacetime basis. In late 1919, the 2nd Battalion set out on an overseas tour, which was to last for nearly seventeen years. After 2 years in Egypt, the Battalion suddenly found itself ordered to Constantinople and precipitated into a peace keeping role between the Greeks and the Turks in what has become known as the Chanak incident; the peace was held and in late 1922 the 2nd Battalion sailed for India.

Meanwhile in 1920 the 1st Battalion had also found itself involved with another less critical peacekeeping role in Schleswig-Holstein, where a plebiscite was being held to decide whether the country should join Denmark or Germany. After six months and a brief visit to Copenhagen, the Battalion returned to England. However in June 1922 they returned to internal security duties again - this time in Southern Ireland where they spent a difficult if uneventful six months on guards and patrols. Subsequently the Battalion remained in the U K. until 1935.

It is not easy for a Regiment to distinguish itself in peacetime but apart from their general military efficiency, both Battalions played their part in gaining for the Regiment a reputation as the leading soccer Regiment in the Army. The 1st Battalion won the Army Football Cup for three years running in 1930, '31 and '32, and the 2nd Battalion (which had won the Army Cup in 1911 and 1912) became the All India Champions during 1926-28.

In October 1934, the 2nd Battalion left India for the Sudan and remained there until early 1938. A pleasant year in Guernsey followed before the Battalion moved to Borden near Aldershot in early 1939.

In 1935 the 1st Battalion started an overseas tour with a posting to the West Indies where amongst other duties, it assisted the civil police in containing the civil disturbances in Jamaica in 1938. En route to Palestine in 1939, the 1st Battalion met up briefly with the 2nd Battalion at Bordon, where a memorable joint parade and reunion was held. In Palestine the Battalion was soon on active service and suffered casualties including one officer killed in operations in the disturbances there.

After the immediate post-war demobilisation, the Territorial Army was reformed and the 5th, 6th, 7th (Robin Hoods) and 8th Battalions of the Regiment continued to train together as the 139th (Sherwood Foresters) Brigade.

Then in 1936, the increasing air threat resulted in the 6th and 7th Battalions being converted to RE searchlight units and losing their Infantry connection although they retained their Sherwood Forester link. Finally as the War clouds gathered in 1939, a 2/5th and a 9th Battalion were formed from the 5th and 8th Battalions, respectively.

During all this period the Regimental Depot at Derby played its part as the home and backup for the Regular and Territorial Army Units of the Sherwood Foresters.

[edit] Second World War

Between 1940 and 1942 the 70th (YS) Battalion Sherwood Foresters were stationed at Holme Pierrepont Hall near Radcliffe on Trent Nottingham. The young soldiers battalions were formed to take volunteers who had not reached the compulsory age of conscription.

The 2nd Battalion landed in France with the British Expeditionary Force in September 1939, and took part in the early stages of the 'phoney War' and the advance into Belgium.

The 1/5, 2/5 and 9th Battalions also joined the BEF, the former as lines of communication troops, and the latter two for pioneer duties. All three of these Battalions were totally ill equipped for the operational tasks they eventually had to perform in the retreat to the Channel coast. At one period the 2nd, the 2/5th and 9th Battalions were together defending the Dunkirk perimeter before the successful evacuation. At the same time the 1/5th Battalion, after a period fighting alongside 51st Highland Division, was evacuated from Cherbourg.

Meanwhile in April 1940, the 8th Battalion (as part of the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division) had landed in Norway as part of the ill-fated attempt to assist the Norwegian Army against the Germans. This Battalion had had little training and was not fully equipped; a situation made worse when the ship carrying its vehicles and heavy equipment was sunk. The Battalion became involved in a withdrawal through mountains and deep snow pursued by ski troops supported by aircraft and tanks, the remnants eventually being evacuated to Scotland.

In June 1940 the 1st Battalion was moved from Palestine to reinforce the Garrison of Cyprus, where they suffered their first war casualties in an air raid. On late February 1941, they were ordered to take the Italian Dodecanese island of Kastelorizo with one company, but the swift enemy's reaction prevented their landing and the combined operation was aborted. Early in 1942 the Battalion was moved to Egypt, converted to a motorised role, and joined the Desert Army. Unfortunately, after a sharp engagement in the Knightsbridge Box, the Battalion was ordered to surrender when the garrison in Tobruk capitulated.

The 1/5th Battalion (part of the 18th (East Anglian) Infantry Division) after a year in England sailed for the Far East and arrived in Singapore on 29th January 1942 just prior to its capture by the Japanese.

As a result of those early defeats, many Foresters spent long years in Japanese captivity. Those of the 1/5th Battalion suffered particularly badly at the hands of the Japanese while working on the now notorious Burma Railway. 450 officers and men of this Battalion died in captivity.

Their fortunes turned with the 8th Army's victory at El Alamein in November 1942. The 14th Battalion took part with distinction in this battle. It had been originally formed as the 50th Battalion in 1940 but was renumbered after a few months and then in July 1942 had been converted to a Motor Battalion.

In January 1943 the 2/5th Battalion, by now renamed the 5th Battalion, joined the 1st British Army in Tunisia and was followed shortly by the 2nd Battalion. The two Battalions took part in severe and difficult fighting, in particular at Sedjenane and the Medjez Plain, and suffered many casualties before the remnants of the German Armies capitulated at Cap Bon.

The 5th Battalion were next in action in Italy at the assault landing at Salerno in September 1943. They suffered heavy casualties there and later in the difficult and fiercely resisted fighting advance up to the Cassino area.

The 2nd Battalion took part in the assault landing at Anzio in January 1944, where they were joined later by the 14th Battalion and took part in what was probably the toughest fighting of the whole War. After the fall of Rome the 2nd, 5th and 14th Battalions continued the difficult fight up the length of Italy, adding a further eleven battle honours to the seven earned in North Africa.

In December 1944 the 5th Battalion was despatched to Greece to help to quell the Civil War, which had started there after the German withdrawal. Meanwhile the 14th Battalion had been disbanded and many of its officers and men were posted to the 2nd and 5th Battalions. At the end of the War the 2nd Battalion was in Palestine and the 5th back in Italy from where they moved into Austria with the liberation armies. The 1st Battalion was meanwhile re-forming in England.

Brief mention should now be made to some of the other battalions of the Regiment. The 9th Battalion had been converted to an armoured car role after Dunkirk but was disbanded in October 1944. The 12th and 13th Battalions had been sent to India and both became jungle-training units, providing officers and men for the 14th Army's campaign in Burma. The 8th Battalion after retraining in Northern Ireland and a period on defence of the Southeast coast of England was converted to a pre-OCTU at Wrotham, where it gave valuable service in training large numbers of potential officers.

The 6th and 7th (Robin Hoods) Battalions in their respective antiaircraft roles as 40th SL Regt (later 149th LAA Regt) RA and 42nd SL Regt RA did their share in the Air Defence of the UK and then later operating in N.W. Europe. The Robin Hoods were awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre.

The requirement for infantry in World War 2 was considerably less than in World War 1 and the casualties were thankfully correspondingly lower. A total of 26,940 officers and men served in the Foresters, of whom 1,520 were killed or died of wounds and about three times that number were wounded.

The Foresters won 25 battle honours, ten of which are emblazoned on the Queen's Colours.

The VC was posthumously awarded to Capt. J. H. C. Brunt MC, who at the time was serving with the 6th Bn The Lincolnshire Regiment. Some 400 other Foresters received awards for gallantry and outstanding War service.

[edit] Post World War II (1945-1970)

By mid 1945 the 1st Battalion had been re-formed and was training as part of 61 Light Division to move out to take part in the final defeat of the Japanese. However, with the end of hostilities, its role was changed and instead it joined the Army of occupation in Germany. The 2nd Battalion remained in Palestine seeing further active service during the post war disturbances there. Meanwhile TA and Service Battalions were disbanded.

As the old colonies and territories of the British Empire were granted their independence, the size of the army was reduced. In 1948 the 1st and 2nd Battalions were amalgamated to form one Battalion, although for a further short period following the Korean War, the 2nd Battalion was reactivated (1952-1955). During the post-war period the 1st Battalion served first as a lorry-borne infantry battalion in Germany and then as garrison troops in Egypt. Early in 1953 the Battalion moved to Libya where they became a motorised battalion equipped with armoured tracked vehicles. Service in the same role in Germany followed.

In 1958 the Battalion reverted to a normal infantry role and took part in the closing stages of the jungle fighting against the communists in Malaya. Then, after a further period in Singapore, the Battalion returned to UK in 1961.

In December 1963 following an emergency over-Christmas move to Cyprus, the Battalion found itself in a United Nations peace keeping role once again keeping the Turks and Greeks apart. In 1964 1 Foresters moved again to Germany as a mechanised infantry Battalion and served there until returning to UK in early 1970. It was during this period that Nottingham, Derby, Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Mansfield, Newark, East Retford and Buxton in turn bestowed their 'Freedom' on the Regiment further cementing ties with their County Regiment.

The wartime system of conscription was continued through to the early sixties with national servicemen augmenting the soldiers of the peacetime Regular Army. The national servicemen served for 2 years with the Regular Army and then a further 2 years with the Territorial Army. Many however became TA Volunteers.

The Territorial element of The Sherwood Foresters consisted of the re-formed 5th Battalion based in Derbyshire and the 8th Battalion in Nottinghamshire, while the old 6th and 7th (Robin Hood) Battalions continued in the form of 575 (The Sherwood Foresters) LAA Regt RA and the 350 (The Robin Hood Foresters) Light Regt RA. Unfortunately all of these were reduced in size by subsequent Defence cuts, the 5th and 8th Battalions being finally amalgamated to form the 5th/8th Battalion.

As the strength of the Army diminished it was decided to group regiments together into administrative brigades with common basic depots. Initially The Sherwood Foresters were grouped with the Royal Warwickshire, Royal Lincolnshire and Royal Leicestershire Regiments in the Midland Brigade; this was renamed the Forester Brigade in 1958 when the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment left the group. A Forester Brigade cap badge and buttons were introduced but regiments retained their own collar badges. The Regimental Depot at Normanton Barracks, Derby, became an outstation of the Brigade Depot at Leicester and finally closed in 1963.

In 1963 a further regrouping occurred and the Foresters found themselves linked with the Cheshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire Regiments in the Mercian Brigade based on Lichfield A new common cap badge was introduced but regiments reverted to their old buttons.

The grouping was again changed in 1969; regimental cap badges were restored and The Sherwood Foresters found themselves in the present Prince of Wales's Division whose HQ and Depot is at Lichfield.

[edit] Amalgamation

In 1970 the Sherwood Foresters were amalgamated with The Worcestershire Regiment to form The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot).

[edit] External links