Herefordshire Brochure Final(3) - Flipbook - Page 10
LOCAL INTEREST
King Edward VII. On formation of the
Territorial Force in 1908, the King agreed
to present Colours to Regiments that met
recruiting targets. The Colours of The
Herefordshire Regiment were presented
by the King, at Windsor, in 1909. The
Herefordshire Regiment was one of only
four Territorial Force County Regiments
present.
Barracks. There were two Territorial
barracks in Hereford. The former Militia
Barracks was at the site of the current
Suvla Barracks. The barracks of the Rifles
Volunteers was in Friars Street, now the
site of William Grange. On 8th August
2015 on the centenary of landing at Suvla
Bay, Gallipoli, a plaque was unveiled at
the Volunteer Public House opposite
Suvla Barracks.
On Formation. In 1908 the Herefordshire
Regiment had units within Hereford,
Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury, Leominster,
Ross-on-Wye, Ruardean, Knighton,
Prestiegne and Rhayader.
Great War. Between the outbreak of war
in August 1914 and Christmas over 2,000
volunteers joined the Herefordshire
Regiment, forming two additional
battalions. These units did not serve
overseas and were eventually absorbed
into the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.
A Herefordshire Volunteer battalion for
Home Defence and a Herefordshire
Supplementary Company for UK Guard
Duties was also formed.
Rotherwas. A shell-filling factory was built
at Rotherwas in 1916. It was re-opened
in 1938 and had its own Herefordshire
Regiment Home Guard unit.
Lt Col Wilkins Chipp. The Regiment’s
most decorated soldier, Wilkins
Fitzwilliam Chipp, joined the Rifle
Volunteers at Kington in 1899. In 1915
he was commissioned on the beaches
of Gallipoli and later commanded the
Battalion on the Western Front in 1918. He
was awarded the DSO and bar, the MC,
Mentioned in Despatches three times and
the French and Belgian Croix de Guerre.
As a member of the Royal Auxiliary Force
in WWII he was imprisoned at the fall of
Singapore. His last appearance in uniform
was at Westminster Abbey in 1956. His
medals are displayed in the Regimental
Museum, Suvla Barracks, Hereford.
Home Guard. During WWII there were six
Home Guard battalions within the County.
At stand down in December 1944 they
had a combined strength of more than
7,000.
Territorial Army. In 1938, immediately
before WWII the 1st Battalion was split
in two, creating a 2nd Battalion. Many
members were sent to the 1st Battalion
as reinforcements and as cadre troops
to newly formed units; some fought with
African units. Following the success of
D-Day the 2nd Battalion was disbanded.
National Service and Beyond. Since
WWII there has been no unit mobilisation.
Deployment for Herefordshire’s National
Servicemen, Reservists, Volunteers and
Regulars has continued with operational
deployments including Korea, Malaya,
Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Queenswood, Dinmore Hill. During WWI
Queenswood was clear-felled to provide
timber for the war effort. On 29th June
2019, to commemorate the centenary
of the Treaty of Versailles (the formal
end to WWI), a unique living artwork, by
Herefordshire sculptor Des Hughes and
including the planting of twenty-five red
oak trees, was unveiled within the wood
bringing such history to life.
