22nd Regiment Of Foot Website Links For
Cheshire
 

Information About

22nd Regiment Of Foot




  caption Cap badge of The Cheshire Regiment
  dates 1689-2007
  country United Kingdom
  branch Army
  type Infantry
  role Light Infantry
  size 650
  current Commander Colonel A Sharpe, OBE
  garrison Chester (RHQ)
  ceremonial Chief Charles, Prince Of Wales
  colonel Of The Regiment Major General K Skempton CBE
  nickname The Old Two-twos<br>The Young Buffs<br>The Peep of Day Boys<br>The Lightning Conductors<br>The Red Knights<br>The Specimens<br>Twos
  motto ''Ich dien'' (I serve)
  colors Cerise and Buff
  march ''Slow March:'' "The 22nd Regiment 1772"<br>''Quick March:'' Wha Wadna Fecht for Charlie
  battles See honours list


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; it shares this claim with:


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


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.


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 .

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.

Alliances with other Regiments

  • 2nd Battalion The Nova Scotia Highlanders (Cape Breton)

  • The Eagle Troop, 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery

  • 5th Battalion (Napiers) The Rajputan Rifles



BATTLE HONOURS


Borne on Regimental Colours

  • ‘Louisburg’

  • ‘Martinique 1762’

  • ‘Havannah’,

  • ‘Meanee’

  • ‘Hyderabad’

  • ‘Scinde’

  • ‘South Africa 1900-02’

  • Borne on Queen's Colours

  • ‘Mons’

  • ‘Ypres 1914, 15, 17, 18’

  • ‘Somme 1916, 18’

  • ‘Arras 1917, 18’

  • ‘Messines 1917, 18’

  • ‘Bapaume 1918’

  • ‘Dorian 1917, 18’

  • ‘Suvla’

  • ‘Gaza’

  • ‘Kut al Amara 1917’

  • 1939-1945

  • ‘St. Omer-La Bassee’

  • ‘Normandy Landing’

  • ‘Capture of Tobruk’

  • ‘El Alamein’

  • ‘Mareth’

  • ‘Sicily 1943’

  • ‘Salerno’

  • ‘Rome’

  • ‘Gothic Line’

  • ‘Malta 1941-42’



EXTERNAL LINKS