Mercian Regiment - Regimental Dress Distinctions

Regimental Dress Distinctions

The regiment's cap badge is a double headed Mercian Eagle with Saxon crown. This has been chosen because it forms a link to the regiment's recruiting area, which encompass a number of divergent counties that do not have traditional links, except under the ancient Kingdom of Mercia (unlike the other new regiments from Scotland, Wales and Yorkshire). It was originally intended to use the old Mercian Brigade badge worn by the Cheshire Regiment, Staffordshire Regiment, Worcestershire Regiment and Sherwood Foresters from 1958 to 1968, rather than create an amalgamated badge that would require elements from all of the antecedents. In 2005 this badge was rejected by the Army Dress Committee on the grounds that it had been the badge of a territorial unit, The Mercian Volunteers, junior to the amalgamating regiments. Accordingly a slightly modified design featuring two colours of metal was adopted.

Various "Golden Threads", representing the traditions of predecessor units, are incorporated in the Mercian Regiment's uniform:

• Arm badge: a gold wire Stafford knot and glider badge with a backing of "Brown Holland" material on a black felt patch from the Staffordshire Regiment
• Collar badge: oak leaves and acorn from the Cheshire Regiment combined with the motto Firm from the Worcestershire Regiment
• Facing colour: buff, from the Cheshire Regiment. To be worn on full dress uniform, mess dress and as piping on No.1 dress shoulder straps.
• Sword frog on the Sam Browne Belt comes from the Worcestershire Regiment
• Officer's rank badges will be coloured bronze /gun metal, from the North Staffordshire Regiment
• Warrant officers' and NCO's rank badges: Black backing from Staffordshire Regiment.
• Cap badge backing: A square Lincoln green cloth backing worn behind the cap badge on the beret, from the Sherwood Foresters
• Lanyards: Each battalion is to retain a distinctively coloured lanyard on No.2 dress: red cerise for the 1st battalion, Lincoln green for the 2nd, black for the 3rd and Mercian blue for the 4th. A regimental pattern with twists of cerise, buff and green also exists, for those who are extra-regimentally employed.
• Tactical Recognition Flashes: The Regiment's TRF is a 3 vertical striped diamond with Cerise on the left, Buff in the middle and Lincoln Green on the right. Each Battalion also has their own, the 1st and 2nd Battalions use their anticendant Regiments flashes, Buff and Cerise for the 1st and Cerise and Lincoln Green for the 2nd. The 3rd battalion has a black diamond with the Staffordshire knot and the 4th Battalion has a blue diamond with the Mercian Eagle on it.
• Regimental Side Hat: black with buff inner crease and green piping and peak. The cap badge is in silver and gold wire embroidery.
• Pullover: Buff, worn by officers and WOs, from the Cheshire Regiment.
• Stable Belt: Buff, from the Cheshire Regiment, with a bronze locket bearing the cap badge in brass.