Wessex Regiment

Wessex Regiment
Cap badge of the Wessex Regiment
Active	1971-1995
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Army
Type	Line Infantry
Size	2 Battalions
Motto(s)	Their Land to Defend
March	Quick: The Farmer's Boy Quick: The Hampshire Quick: The Dashing White Serjeant Slow: God Bless the Prince of Wales
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lieutenant Colonel Richard Holmes (military historian)

The Wessex Regiment was a Territorial Army (TA) infantry regiment of the British Army between 1971 and 1995. It had two battalions: The 1st Bn (Rifle Volunteers) with its headquarters at Le Marchant Barracks in Devizes and the 2nd Bn (Volunteers), which was headquartered at Brock Barracks in Reading. In 1994, the battalions were amalgamated to form the 2nd Bn The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, later The Royal Rifle Volunteers. Most recently, its remnants can be traced to the formation of The Rifles.

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 Approaches (Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein)

The Battalion comprised:

C Company (Dorchester), D Company (Poole) and E Company (Exeter) were later removed from 1 Wessex and formed the base for the 4th Battalion, The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment. 1 Wessex then formed a new C Company in Newbury, which was based on a remote Platoon transferred from 2 Wessex.

In addition to the five Rifle Companies, 1 Wessex had the following support Platoons under HQ Company:

There was also from 1983, a HSF (Home Service Force) company.

The Battalion also had the distinction of being able to parade with two Bands, one based in Exeter and one in Devizes, as well as a Corps of Drums founded by the HQ Coy (Devizes).

The Battalion comprised:

Soldiers in A Coy originally wore collar badges of the 6th Bn The Royal Hampshire Regt (Duke of Connaught's Own), later replaced with the 'Wyvern'.

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 - this was also worn by the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (DERR).