# West Midlands Regiment

The West Midlands Regiment was a short-lived British Territorial Army regiment from 1999 until it was re-designated as 4th Battalion, Mercian Regiment, in 2007.

## History

The regiment was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of three territorial infantry battalions: 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers; 5th Battalion, The Light Infantry; and 3rd Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment.
The regiment was composed of a headquarters company and five rifle companies, continuing to use the insignia of the regular regiments to which they were affiliated. Its initial structure was as follows:
* HQ Company, at Wolverhampton
* A (Fusilier) Company, at Sheldon and Coventry (from HQ and B Companies, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers)
* B (Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment) Company, at Kidderminster and Worcester (from A Company, 5th Battalion, The Light Infantry)
* C (Staffords) Company, at Burton upon Trent (from C Company, 3rd Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment)
* D (Staffords) Company, at Stoke-on-Trent (from B Company, 3rd Battalion, Staffordshire Regiment)
* E (Light Infantry) Company, at Shrewsbury and Hereford (from HQ and C Companies, 5th Battalion, Light Infantry)

### Structure prior to re-designation

Not long prior to re-designation of a battalion of the Mercian Regiment, the regiment absorbed the companies from other regiments that were within the new regiment's recruiting area, in order to ease the re-designation process. After this, its structure was as follows:
* HQ Company, at Wolverhampton
* A (Cheshire) Company, at Warrington and Stockport (from B (Cheshire) Regiment, King's and Cheshire Regiment)
* B Company, at Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent (from D (Cheshire) Company, King's and Cheshire Regiment)
* C (Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment) Company, at Mansfield (from C (Stafford) Company, West Midlands Regiment; and D (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire (Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment)) Company, East of England Regiment)
* D (Staffordshire) Company, at Wolverhampton, Kidderminster, and Burton upon Trent (from D (Stafford) Company; and Platoon of B (Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment) Company)
* F (Fusilier) Company, at Birmingham (from A (Fusilier) Company)
* L Company (Light Infantry), at Shrewsbury (from E (Light Infantry) Company, less Hereford Platoon to B (Shropshire Yeomanry) Squadron, Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry)

## 4th Battalion, Mercian Regiment

On 1 September 2007, the regiment was re-designated as the 4th Battalion of the Mercian Regiment. It now serves as the reserve infantry battalion for Cheshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, West Midlands, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire.

### Current Structure

Its current structure is as follows:
* Headquarters Company, at Wolseley House, Wolverhampton
** Rifle Platoon, at Dancox House, Worcester
** Javelin Platoon, at Kidderminster
** Band of the Mercian Regiment
* B Company, at Ubique Barracks, Widnes
** Rifle Platoon, in Ellesmere Port
** Mortar Platoon, in Stockport
* C Company, at Nottingham
** Assault Pioneer Platoon, at Mansfield
* D (Staffords) Company, at Stoke-on-Trent
** Machine Gun Platoon, at Burton upon Trent