West Midlands Regiment
The West Midlands Regiment was a British Territorial Army regiment from 1998 to 2007.
The regiment was formed on 5 April 1988 by the amalgamation of four territorial infantry battalions:
- 3rd Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment
- 4th Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters
- 5th Battalion, The Light Infantry
- 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
The regiment was composed of six companies, continuing to wear the badges of the regular regiments to which they were affiliated:
- HQ Company Wolverhampton - (Staffords)
- A Company Birmingham and Coventry - (Fusiliers)
- B Company Kidderminster and Worcester - (Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters)
- C Company Burton upon Trent and Tamworth - (Staffords)
- D Company Stoke on Trent - (Staffords)
- E Company Shrewsbury and Hereford - (Light Infantry)
In early 2006 the Machine Gun Platoon in A Company at Canley, Coventry was disbanded and most soldiers transferred to Birmingham, the remainder becoming part of 37 Signal Regiment. In late 2006 the Recce Platoon at Hereford was disbanded and the platoon became part of the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry.
Soldiers of the regiment served in recent conflicts and in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Northern Ireland.
On 1 September 2007, the entire West Midlands Regiment united with the Cheshire Regiment companies of the King's and Cheshire Regiment to become the 4th Battalion of The Mercian Regiment.