Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment)

The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was formed during the 1881 Childers Reforms of the British Army. The 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot (raised in 1741) and the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot (raised in 1823) were redesignated as the 1st and 2nd battalions of The Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment). The Derbyshire and Royal Sherwood Foresters Militias (militia and rifle volunteers) became the 3rd (Robin Hood Rifles) and 4th Battalions respectively. These were joined by the 1st and 2nd (Derbyshire) and the 3rd and 4th (Nottinghamshire) Volunteer Battalions. The Headquarters of the Regimental District was established at Derby.

In 1902, the Nottinghamshire association was made explicit, the name changing to The Sherwood Foresters (Nottingham and Derbyshire) Regiment. Following a series of mergers since 1970, its lineage is now continued by the 2nd battalion, the Mercian Regiment.

After garrison service in the interwar years, the Sherwood Foresters next saw action in the Second World War. The regiment served in the Norwegian Campaign, the Battle of France, the North African and the Italian campaigns. They also saw action in the Far East. Nearly 27,000 men served in the regiment's 17 battalions, suffering 1,500 killed. The regiment won 10 battle honours and 400 decorations, including a VC. Other battalions saw service in Italy and North Africa.^[2]

1/5th (Derbyshire) Battalion

The 1/5th Battalion was posted to Malaya to defend the peninsula and the island of Singapore against the Japanese. After Singapore fell to the Japanese, the battalion's men were among the thousands of POWs sent to work on the infamous Burma Railway.

2/5th (Derbyshire) Battalion

The 2/5th was a duplicate Territorial battalion raised in 1939. It was renamed the 5th Battalion after the loss of the 1/5th in Malaya. It served in the 139th Infantry Brigade in France (see 9th Battalion), Tunisia, Italy and Greece.

7th (Robin Hood) Battalion

In 1936, the 7th Battalion was converted into a searchlight unit as the 42nd (The Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Anti-Aircraft Battalion, Royal Engineers. In August 1940, it became the 42nd (Robin Hoods, Sherwood Foresters) Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery. During The Blitz, it served in 50 Anti-Aircraft Brigade of 2 Anti-Aircraft Division, covering Derby. In October 1944, it moved to the Italian Front as part of Eighth Army.

8th Battalion

The 8th (Nottinghamshire) Battalion was mobilised in the 148th Brigade on the outbreak of war. It fought in Norway in 1940, and then served as a garrison in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In 1942, the brigade was reorganised as a Training Brigade.

9th Battalion

On the outbreak of World War II, the 9th Battalion was in the process of formation as a duplicate of the 8th Battalion. Based at Bulwell near Nottingham, the battalion was commanded by Claude Lancaster, MP, a former officer in the Royal Horse Guards. The battalion was assigned to the 139th Infantry Brigade of the 46th Division, which, like several other 'Second Line' Territorial divisions, went to join the British Expeditionary Force in France for training and labour duties in April 1940. However, when the Germans attacked and broke through the following month, 46th Division was sent into action. On 29 May, 139 Bde joined 'Macforce' holding the canal line near Carvin. As the 'pocket' shrank towards Dunkirk, 46th Division was ordered inside the perimeter on 27 May. On 29 May, 9th Foresters were sent to reinforce the garrison at the fortified town of Bergues, 9 km south of Dunkirk. The Germans were unable to enter Bergues until 2 June, and 9th Foresters was one of the last units to leave Dunkirk and be evacuated from France.

9th Battalion left 46th Division in December 1940, and shortly afterwards became the lorried infantry element alongside the artillery of 1st Support Group in 1st Armoured Division. However, on 1 November 1941, 9th Bn was converted to the armoured car role as 112th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps. In common with other infantry units transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps, personnel would have continued to wear their Foresters cap badge on the black beret of the RAC, and the regiment continued to add the parenthesis '(Foresters)' after the RAC title. Lieutenant-Colonel Lancaster remained in command during this period before returning to the House of Commons.

112 RAC was assigned to 42nd Armoured Division as its armoured car regiment. It left the division in February 1943 and later became a draft-finding unit for other armoured car regiments fighting in Normandy. 112 RAC ceased to exist on 14 October 1944, when it reverted to the title of 9th Foresters, which was placed in suspended animation. The last entry in the War Diary notes:

The history of this Regiment is a pure example of the complete inefficiency of 'A' Branch at the War Office, in as much as many hundreds of officers and men have wasted valuable years of their lives training for precisely nothing.

10th (Home Defence) Battalion

The 10th Battalion was raised for Home Defence in 1939 and disbanded in 1941.

12th Battalion

12th Battalion was a hostilities-only unit raised in 1940. In 1942, it was sent to India, where it carried out internal security duties at Delhi. On 1 January 1944, it moved to Delawari and came under the command of the 52nd Infantry Brigade, whose role was training British infantry reinforcements in jungle warfare.

13th Battalion

13th Battalion was a hostilities-only unit raised in 1940. In 1942, it was sent to India, where it was converted to the armoured role as 163rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps. In common with other infantry battalions transferred to the Royal Armoured Corps, the personnel of 163 RAC would have continued to wear their Foresters cap badge on the black beret of the RAC.

163 RAC was stationed at Rawalpindi under command of 267 Indian Armoured Brigade. However, there was a change of policy and, on 1 December 1944 (also reported as 1 December 1943), the regiment was re-converted to infantry, reverting to its previous title of 13th Foresters and coming under command of 67 Indian Training Brigade.

14th Battalion

14th Battalion was a hostilities-only unit raised in 1940 that went on to see active service in the Middle East (Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq) and Italy. It was first assigned to the 218th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), formed for Home Service in the Yorkshire Area, but was soon reassigned to be the lorried infantry component alongside the artillery of 8th Support Group in the newly raised 8th Armoured Division. In 1942, the division went round by sea to Suez, but, on arrival in July, it was broken up and 14th Foresters were sent to join the 9th Independent Armoured Brigade, with which it fought at the Second Battle of El Alamein under the command of 2nd New Zealand Division.

In January 1943, the 14th Foresters went to join the 7th Amoured Brigade refitting in Persia and Iraq Command. In the summer of 1943, the battalion returned to North Africa to join the 18th Infantry Brigade in the 1st Armoured Division. In February 1944, the brigade sailed to Italy and took part in the Anzio campaign (February–May 1944) under the command of the 1st Infantry Division. In August, the brigade returned to the 1st Armoured Division and was engaged in the operations at Coriano in September. By now, the brigade's infantry battalions were badly depleted, and 14th Foresters was reduced to a cadre and transferred to the non-operational 168th (London) Infantry Brigade.

15th (Home Defence) Battalion

The 15th Battalion was raised for Home Defence in 1940 and disbanded in 1941.

70th (Young Soldier) Battalion

In 1940, the 70th Battalion was stationed at Holme Pierrepont Hall, near Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottingham. Like all other Young Soldiers Battalions, this was formed to take volunteers who had not reached the compulsory age of conscription. In September 1942, the 70th was redesignated the 16th Battalion