Hundreds protest as Mercian Regiment axed

Army veterans and their families gathered in Wolverhampton today in protest over the axing of the 3rd Battalion The Mercian Regiment, formerly known as The Staffords. Today's gathering was at the cenotaph in St Peters Square.

The event was among 61 being held at war memorials around the country, including the Cenotaph in London. The demonstrations were staged to oppose the plan to cut the Army from 102,000 to 82,000 personnel by 2020 – the lowest level since the Napoleonic Wars.

Among those gathering in Wolverhampton was Scott Hamilton, a 40-year-old mechanic and father of three from Curtin Drive, Bilston.

He became the seventh generation of his family to serve with the Staffords when he spent 17 years with the regiment, leaving when it was disbanded and merged into the newly formed Mercian Regiment in 2007.

Mr Hamilton, who served in Iraq, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Kosovo, said: "I left because I could see what was coming.

"That was the first step towards throwing 300 years of military history down the toilet, which is what the Ministry of Defence is now proposing.

"The Staffords were formed in 1705 and the regimental colours were handed on to 3Mercian in 2007 to continue the connection but that direct link between Staffordshire, the Black Country and the military will be severed forever."

Colin Quinton, 53, a father of three from Stoney Brook Leys, Wombourne, who is now manager of the Wulfrun Centre and served for 14 years with the Staffords, said: "We would like to make the Government think again. They are making a big mistake.

"Local lads want to follow in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers."

In Lichfield, a protest was organised by the Lichfield branch of the Staffordshire Regiment Association.

Protestors headed to The King's Head, in Bird Street, which many believe to be the spiritual home of the Staffords. The meeting that led to their formation was held at the pub in 1705. There is a plaque on the wall outside the pub.

The protestors gathered at 10.30am at the city's garden of remembrance, near Lichfield Cathedral, before making their way to The King's Head. A minute's silence was held at 11am.

Tom Mason, secretary of the Staffordshire Regiment Association's Lichfield branch, said he hoped the protests would make the Government aware of the public anger.

The 74-year-old who lives in Chasetown said: "I have given up on the Government, we are paying for the mishandling of the country's finances."

Former corporal Andy Singer, 59, vice chairman of the Walsall and Bloxwich Staffordshire Regiment Ex-Servicemen's Association, led a protest at Walsall Town Hall.

A similar protest is planned at Stafford's market square on Monday.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond hopes to plug gaps in the UK's forces by increasing the Territorial Army from 14,000 to 30,000.

By John Scott