South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army , which was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 38th ( 1st Staffordshire ) Regiment of Foot and the 80th ( Staffordshire Volunteers ) Regiment of Foot . In 1959 , the regiment was amlagamated with the North Staffordshire Regiment to form the Staffordshire Regiment ( Prince of Wales ' s ) . The lineage of the South Staffords is continued by the Mercian Regiment . Formation and antecedents . The regiment was formed as part of the Childers Reforms on 1 July 1881 by the amalgamation of the 38th and 80th regiments of foot , which became the regular 1st and 2nd Battalions of the regiment . Militia and Rifle Volunteers of south Staffordshire were also incorporated in the new regiment . The battalion s formed in 1881 were as follows : The reserve battalions of the regiment were reorganised in 1908 by the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 , with the two militia battalions becoming the 3rd and 4th ( Special Reserve ) Battalions . The three Volunteer Battalions transferred to the Territorial Force ( TF ) ; the 1st Battalion formed the 1st North Midland Field Company , Royal Engineers and , in conjunction with the 2nd Battalion , the 5th Battalion ( TF ) ; the 3rd Battalion formed the 6th Battalion ( TF ) . 1881 - 1914 . The 1st Battalion ( the former 38th ) was sent to Egypt in 1882 as part of the British invasion of the country . On landing in Alexandria , it carried its colours through the city - this was the last occasion on which a British Army unit carried colours on active service . In 1885 , the battalion travelled up the River Nile to Sudan in an unsuccessful attempt to lift the Siege of Khartoum . The battalion was subsequently involved in the defeat of Arab forces at Kirbekan . The battle was to be the last time that the South Staffords wore red uniforms in battle . The 1st Battalion then entered a long period of garrison duty in Gibraltar , Egypt , England and Ireland . With the outbreak of the Second Boer War , it embarked for South Africa , arriving as part of the 8th Division in 1900 . The battalion was mostly involved in minor skirmishes with the Boers , but suffered casualties due to disease and poor nutrition . In 1904 , the 1st South Staffords returned to the UK , being stationed in Ireland and England until 1911 , when it moved to Gibraltar . While in Gibraltar , new colours were presented to the battalion by King George V on 31 January 1912 . The battalion returned to South Africa in 1913 . The 2nd Battalion ( the former 80th ) was stationed in India in 1881 , soon moving to Tralee in Ireland , where it was involved in actions against Irish nationalists . It returned to England in 1883 . It was then posted to The Curragh from 1889 to 1891 , before travelling to Egypt , via Aldershot , in 1893 . The battalion subsequently served in southern India and Burma until 1907 , when it started a four - year posting in Pretoria , South Africa . The battalion returned to England in 1911 . Battle honours . By 1914 , the regimental colours displayed the following battle honour s , representing the actions of the 38th and 80th Foot to 1881 , and the South Staffordshire Regiment after that date : 1914 - 1918 . The regiment was greatly expanded for the duration of the war , with 18 battalions serving on the Western Front , in Italy , Gallipoli and Egypt . Ten representative battle honours were chosen for display on the regiment ' s colours : Both the 2 / 5th and 2 / 6th BN were involved in hostilities in Dublin during the 1916 Easter Rising . Soldiers from the regiment killed a number of civilians in the North King St . area . 1918 - 1939 . From 1919 , the 1st Battalion served in various colonial garrisons : Singapore , Burma , India and Sudan . In 1929 , it returned home , remaining in the UK until 1938 , when it was posted to Palestine . The 2nd battalion moved to Cork in 1919 , and was involved in the Irish War of Independence . It returned to England in 1923 , where it remained for five years . After postings in Malta , Palestine and Egypt , the battalion was posted to India in 1932 . The 3rd and 4th ( Special Reserve ) Battalions were placed in " " suspended animation " " in 1921 , eventually being disbanded in 1953 . The Territorial Force was reconstituted as the Territorial Army in 1920 , and the 5th and 6th Battalions were reformed . In 1939 , the size of the Territorial Army was doubled , with duplicate 2 / 6th and 7th Battalions being formed . In 1935 , the South Staffords were granted the distinction of a badge backing of buff - coloured " Brown Holland " material . This commemorated the 57 years of continuous service by the 38th Foot in the West Indies from 1707 to 1764 , and recalled the fact that their uniforms became so threadbare during their service in the tropics that they had to be repaired with pieces of sacking . In 1936 , the yellow facings formerly worn by the 38th and 80th Foot were restored , replacing the white colour that had been imposed on all non - royal English regiments in 1881 . 1939 - 1945 . The regiment was expanded during the war , with the two regular and four territorial battalions being supplemented by the creation of additional battalions . Battalions served in North West Europe , Sicily , Italy , North Africa and Burma . The regular battalions found themselves fighting in new roles : During the " Chindits " campaign in Burma , the 1st Battalion took part in jungle fighting against the Japan ese forces , while the 2nd Battalion was converted to a glider borne role . As such , they landed in Sicily in 1943 and as part of Operation Market Garden at Arnhem in 1944 . Losses at Arnhem were high - the battalion started the operation with a strength of 867 , but only 139 returned to British lines . After the war , the regiment was awarded an arm badge depicting a glider , in recognition of its services as an airborne unit . The regiment selected the ten representative battle honours to appear on the colours : Major Robert Henry Cain of B Company , 2nd Battalion of the regiment was awarded the Victoria Cross for his participation during the Battle of Arnhem . From 17 September to 25 September 1944 , Major Cain ' s company was cut off from the battalion and throughout the whole of this time was closely engaged with enemy tanks , self - propelled guns and infantry . The Major was everywhere danger threatened , moving among his men and encouraging them to hold out . By the end of the Battle , Cain had reportedly been personally responsible for the destruction or disabling of six tanks , four of which were Tigers , as well as a number of self - propelled guns . By his leadership he not only stopped but demoralized the enemy attacks and although he was suffering from a perforated ear - drum and multiple wounds , he refused medical attention . Major Cain ' s conduct throughout was highly respected , both in terms of personal actions and leadership ability , and for this he was awarded the Victoria Cross ; the only living man to receive this medal at Arnhem . Lance - Sergeant John Daniel Baskeyfield of 2nd Battalion of the regiment was awarded the Victoria Cross . On 20 September 1944 , Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield was the NCO in charge of a 6 - pounder anti - tank gun at Oosterbeek . When their battalion was attacked , Baskeyfield was badly wounded in the leg , and the rest of the crew were either killed or badly wounded . He refused an offer of transport to the Regimental Aid Post , in order to stay at his gun and encourage morale . After a brief respite , Baskeyfield again came under heavy fire ; he refused to cower . After crawling under enemy fire to another 6 - pounder gun , he was killed by a shell from a supporting enemy tank . Lance - Sergeant Baskeyfield ' s body was never found , but there is a memorial statue of him at Festival Heights in Stoke - on - Trent , which was erected in the early 1990s . The award of the Victoria Cross to both men made the 2nd Battalion the only British battalion to receive two VC ' s during one engagement in the Second World War . 1945 - 1959 . Following the granting of independence of India in 1947 , all infantry regiments in the British Army were reduced to a single regular battalion . Accordingly , the 1st and 2nd Battalions amalgamated in Lichfield in 1948 . The new 1st Battalion ( 38th / 80th ) travelled to Hong Kong in the following year , and thence to Northern Ireland two years later . New colours were presented to the battalion at Lisburn on 22 May 1952 . Later that year , they were stationed in Germany . In 1954 , the battalion was posted to the Suez Canal zone , before being speedily dispatched to Cyprus where hostilities had broken out between the two communities on the island . In 1955 , a ceremony was held in Lichfield to commemorate the regiment ' s 250th anniversary . The 1st Battalion moved to its final posting , in Germany , two years later . In July 1957 , a defence review was announced . The South Staffords were to amalgamate with the North Staffordshire Regiment , and to become part of the new administrative Mercian Brigade . The amalgamation of the 1st Battalions of the two regiments took place on 31 January 1959 at Minden , Germany , to form the 1st Battalion , The Staffordshire Regiment ( The Prince of Wales ' s Own ) . In 1947 , the Territorial Army was reformed , and the 5th Battalion , South Staffordshire Regiment ( TA ) was duly raised . Following the 1959 amalgamation of the North and South Staffords , the battalion continued as a territorial unit of the new regiment without a change of title . The battalion was disbanded in 1967 on the creation of the Territorial Army and Volunteer Reserve in 1967 , with its lineage continued by HQ Company of the Mercian Volunteers .