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 South Staffordshire Regiment.
Militia and
Rifle Volunteers of south Staffordshire were also incorporated in the new regiment. The
battalions formed in 1881 were as follows: • 1st Battalion: the
38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot, raised in Lichfield in 1705 as Colonel
Luke Lillingstone's Regiment, numbered as the 38th in 1751, and received the subsidiary title of
1st Staffordshire in 1782. • 2nd Battalion: the
80th (Staffordshire Volunteers) Regiment of Foot, raised in 1793 by
Lord William Henry Paget from members of the Staffordshire Militia. • 3rd (Militia) Battalion: '''1st Battalion,
King's Own (1st Staffordshire) Militia''' • 4th (Militia) Battalion: '''2nd Battalion, King's Own (1st Staffordshire) Militia''' •
1st Volunteer Battalion:
1st Staffordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps • 2nd Volunteer Battalion:
3rd Staffordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps • 3rd Volunteer Battalion:
4th Staffordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps 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 (Reserve) and 4th (Extra Reserve) battalions of the
Special Reserve. The three Volunteer Battalions transferred to the
Territorial Force (TF); the 1st Volunteer Battalion formed the
1st North Midland Field Company,
Royal Engineers, a few of the men joining with the 2nd Volunteer Battalion to form the 5th Battalion (TF) at
Whittimere Street in
Walsall, while the 3rd Volunteer Battalion formed the 6th Battalion (TF) at
Stafford Street in
Wolverhampton.
Prior to the First World War 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 1st Battalion then entered a long period of garrison duty in
Gibraltar, Egypt, England and Ireland. They arrived home from Gibraltar in early February 1900. With the outbreak of the
Second Boer War the previous year, the regiment was ordered to
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 United Kingdom, 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
British 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. The 3rd,
Militia battalion, was embodied in May 1900, and disembodied in December the same year. They were again embodied in May 1901, and the following month 500 men embarked for service in South Africa during the
Second Boer War. The battalion returned in July 1902. The 4th, Militia battalion, was embodied in December 1899, and 650 men embarked in February 1900 for service in South Africa during the
Second Boer War. They returned in August 1901, when they disembodied.
First World War at
Tyne Cot Regular Army The 1st Battalion landed at
Zeebrugge as part of the
22nd Brigade in
7th Division in October 1914 for service on the
Western Front and then moved to
Italy in November 1917. They then landed at Le Havre in February 1917 for service on the Western Front. It was evacuated from
Gallipoli in December 1915 and moved to Egypt before landing in France in July 1916 for service on the Western Front. The battalion returned to England in 1929. After occupying the Rhineland with
II Corps, the 2nd Battalion returned to England in May 1919. The 2nd Battalion moved to
Cork in 1920, and was involved in the
Irish War of Independence. It returned to England in 1923, where it remained until 1929 when it was posted to
Palestine. The 3rd and 4th (Special Reserve) battalions were placed in
"suspended animation" in 1921, eventually being disbanded in 1953.
Second World War of
1st Airborne Division, marching on a road between Oosterbeek and Arnhem. 19 September 1944
Regular Army battalions , 25 October 1940. The regular battalions found themselves fighting in new roles: During the "
Chindits" campaign in Burma, the 1st Battalion was part of the
77th Indian Infantry Brigade and were selected for conversion to the Chindits role and fought in
Operation Thursday, the second Chindit expedition. During the expedition
George Cairns, a lieutenant in the
Somerset Light Infantry attached to the battalion was posthumously awarded the
Victoria Cross. The battalion took part in jungle fighting against the Japanese forces. After serving as Chindits, they were transferred to the
Parachute Regiment, becoming
parachute infantry, and converted to the
16th Parachute Battalion. The battalion joined
50th Indian Parachute Brigade, part of the
44th Indian Airborne Division.
Territorial Army battalions The 5th, 1/6th, 2/6th and 7th battalions, all
Territorials, all served as part of the
59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division alongside battalions of the
North Staffordshire Regiment. The 7th Battalion was part of
176th Brigade and the 5th, 1/6th and 2/6th were in
177th Brigade. The division was sent to France in late June 1944 to fight in the
Battle for Caen. The division performed well and was considered by
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery as one of the best in the
21st Army Group. However, due to a severe shortage of infantrymen in the British Army at the time, the division was broken up in August 1944 and its units were used as replacements for other British divisions who had suffered heavy casualties and the battalions were broken up and sent to other units.
Hostilities-only battalions The regiment raised six other battalions before and during the war but these were used mainly in home defence roles or training units for the battalions overseas, or converted to other roles such as the 14th Battalion which was raised at Hereford racecourse in July 1940 was sent to guard the beaches at
Great Yarmouth and
Caister-on-Sea. In late 1942, it transferred to the
Royal Artillery and converted into the
103rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery and trained in Scotland. However, the regiment was disbanded in August 1943. The 12th Battalion was converted to
91st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery and served with the
4th Infantry Division. Similarly, the 13th Battalion became the
104th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. The 11th Battalion was raised in 1940 and joined the
209th Infantry Brigade as a training battalion. Following the end of the war, the 11th Battalion was posted to the Middle East where it was disbanded.
Victoria Crosses Major Robert Henry Cain seconded to B Company, 2nd Battalion of the regiment from the
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was awarded the
Victoria Cross for his participation during the
Battle of Arnhem. From 17 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 was also 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 VCs during one engagement in the Second World War. The new
1st Battalion (38th/80th) travelled to
Hong Kong in the following year, and thence to
Northern Ireland two years later. Later that year, they were stationed with the
British Army of the Rhine in
West 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. ==Regimental museum==