Wessex Regiment

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.

1st Battalion The Wessex Regiment (Rifle Volunteers)

The Battalion comprised

HQ Company Devizes

A Company - Coy Hq and 1Pln Gloucester, 2 and 3 Platoons BristolB Company (Winchester) - Coy HQ and 5 Pln Winchester, 6 Platoon Southamption and 7 Platoon IOW

This Company was transferred to 2 Wessex (in 1985?) and 1 Wessex then formed B Company (Swindon) [formed based of the MG Platoon] C Company (Dorchester) with a remote (11) platoon in Poole later swapped with D Company (Bournemouth) for the remote platoon in Weymouth.D Company (Reading)was co-located with Bn HQ 2 Wessex and was later swapped with 2 Wessex forD Company (Coy HQ, 13 and 14 platoons Bournemouth and 15 Platoon Poole)this company later moved out of Bournemouth to Poole and formed a new remote platoon at Fordingbridge.E Company (Coy HQ 17 and 18 Platoons in Exeter with 19 Platoon in Barnstaple

C Company(Dorchester) D Company (Poole) and E Company (Exeter) were later removed from 1 Wessex and formed the base for 4th Battalion the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment D&D

1 Wessex then formed a new C Company in Newbury based on a remote Platoon transferred from 2 Wessex

1 Wessex was a NATO roled Battalion, the TA infantry component of 1 Brigade which formed with logistic elements the UK Mobile Force with deployment options in the Baltic Approachs (Danemark and Schleiswig Holstein) and in Northern Italy

In addition to five Rifle Company's 1 Wessex had the following support Platoons

Recce Platoon Cheltenham -equipped with FoxAnti Tank Platoon - Cirencester equipped with Wombat later replaced with Milan. Mortar Platoon - Andover Machine Gun Platoon - SwindonAssault Pioneer Platoon - Cinderford (just right for a traditional mining area)

There was in addition from 1983 an HSF (Home Service Force) company

The Battalion also had the distinction of being able to parade with 2 Bands, 1 based in Exeter, 1 in Devizes, as well as a Corps of Drums found by HQ Coy Devizes..

2nd Battalion The Wessex Regiment (Volunteers)

The Battalion comprised:
*HQ Company - Reading

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

*B Company - Originally at Bletchley(Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry Coy) 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 - originally at Newbury, later at Basingstoke, Penrith RoadC Company 2nd battalion Wessex Regiment was headquartered at St. Lukes Road, Maidenhead with platoons at the following locations:6/9 Platoon - Penrith Rd., Basingstoke, 7 Platoon - St. Lukes Rd., Maidenhead, 8 Platoon - Uxbridge Rd., Slough

Company Re-unionDespite Army reorganisations, 'C' Coy continue to meet regularly for annual re-unions, normally held at Slough Rugby Club - thanks to Perry and Argie.

*D Company - Originally at Weymouth (Dorset Yeomanry Coy) 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 the Royal Marine Barracks, Eastney, Portsmouth by Brigadier the Duke of Wellington on the morning of Saturday the 30th June 1979. On the afternoon of the 30th, the Regiment then paraded their Colours in the Guildhall Square, Portsmouth.

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 T.May TD (Wessex)late QOOH(TA)

Lt Col K R Buglass (Wessex) late RTR

Lt Col J D Redding (DERR)

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

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 R B 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)

** Pete Macafferty, still in the TA (2007) still a Lance Jack!

2 Wessex (V) Annual Camps

1976 Sennybridge

1977 Westdown Camp

1978 Penhale

1979 Browndown/Catterick

1980 "Crusader 80" Ex Square Leg

1981 Gibraltar as composite Coys plus a Company 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.

1990 Otterburn. (a small Ex also ran in Ascension Island in June that year mainly D Coy personnel).

1991 SennyBridge.

1992 Thetford.

1993 Oakhampton (who was the Rhodesian guy who thunderflashed a post box?)SMILEY!1994 cyprus.Bloodhound camp! 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.