Staffords regiment protests to be held

Protests over the axing of the former Staffordshire Regiment are to be held across the region.

Demonstrations calling for a Government rethink will take place in Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield and Rugeley on July 30.

The Staffordshire Regimental Association will co-ordinate the action with other groups around the UK against the Armed Forces Review, which will see the number of troops reduced from 102,000 to 82,000 by the end of the decade.

The move will break a centuries-old direct link between the region and the military. The Stafford protest will take place in Market Square at 11am.

Branch chairman Dave Lovell said: "The Government is wrong to send our troops to war with a P45 in their pockets. Our aim is to stop that happening and in the process save 300 years of regimental history. Our soldiers are currently preparing for another tour of Afghanistan in September 2013. We don't want this hanging over their heads."

Protesters are asked to wear something black and yellow, the colours of the old regimental flashings, and will be invited to sign a petition. The regiment merged with two others to form the Mercians in 2007, with 3Mercian being referred to as "formerly the Staffords". The Army is to lose 17 major units in the spending overhaul.