Cap Badge - The Hereford Regiment (Territorial Army) The badge is taken from the crest of the coat-of-arms of the City of Hereford -‘a lion passant guardant holding in dexter paw a sword’. 1861.02.20 1st Administrative Battalion, Herefordshire and Radnorshire Rifle Volunteers * 1st Herefordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps at Hereford, raised April 1860 * 2nd Herefordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps at Ross, raised March 1860 * 3rd Herefordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps at Ledbury, raised May 1860, Captain - the Earl Somers * 4th Herefordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps at Bromyard, raised May 1860 * 5th Herefordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps at South Archenfield, raised 1860; disbanded 1873; replaced by 2nd Ross 1878 * 6th Herefordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps at Leominster, raised May 1860 * 7th Herefordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps at Kingston, raised May 1860 * 8th Herefordshire Rifle Volunteer Corps at Hereford (Oddfellows), raised August 1860 1891.12 1st Herefordshire (Hereford and Radnor) Rifle Volunteer Corps. The eight Corps were renamed Companies A to H. 1908.04.01 The Herefordshire Battalion, The King’s (Shropshire Light Infantry) was raised and transferred to the Territorial Force with HQ at the Barracks, Hereford. It was made up of members of the old Volunteer Corps and the Herefordshire Regular Militia. 1909 1st Battalion, The Herefordshire Regiment (part of the corps of The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry) 1914.8.22 A Second line battalion for service at home was raised. To be known as the 2nd/1st Battalion the Herefordshire Regiment. It was absorbed into the 205 Brigade of 68 (Welsh) Division in 1917 and subsequently into the 4th (Reserve) Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. In 1915 a Third line battalion for service at home was raised to be known as the 3rd/1st Battalion the Herefordshire Regiment. 1918.9.20 The 3rd/1st became the 1st Reserve Battalion the Herefordshire Regiment but was absorbed into the 4th (Reserve) Battalion King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1919. In turn the K.S.L.I. battalion was disbanded after the Armistice. The 1st/1st Herefordshire Regiment fought in Europe in the First World War (1914-18) but had no battalions of the regular army. In August 1914 it was part of the 160th (Welsh Border) Brigade, 53rd (Welsh) Division and the following month joined the 205th (2nd Welsh Border) Brigade, 68th Division. On 24 April 1915 they transferred to North Wales Brigade, Welsh Division and on 13 May 1915 they became 158th (North Wales) Brigade, 53rd (Welsh) Division. They embarked at Devonport on the SS Euripedes on 16th July 1915. There were 29 officers and 969 other ranks set out but had sustained losses by the time they had landed at ‘C’ beach at Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey on the 9th August at 7.20 am. After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, they set off for Alexandria in Egypt travelling via Lemnos on 12th December 1915. The Battalion was involved in the defence of the Suez Canal at the battle of Rumani in July 1916 and they then took part in the Palestine Campaign under General Allenby, to drive the Turks out of Palestine. The Battalion was at all three battles of Gaza, and also at Beersheba, reaching Jerusalem in December 1917. On 1 June 1918 they left the Division and moved to France, landing at Taranto (Italy) on 22 June 1918. On 30 June 1918 they were attached to 102nd Infantry Brigade of the 34th Division. Lala Baba War Cemetery Of the many cemeteries where men from the Herefordshire Regiment are buried, Lala Baba in Gallipoli, Turkey is a hill 48 metres high, between the southern side of Suvla Bay and the Salt Lake. 1 kilometre south-west of it is the lower hill known as Little Lala Baba. The cemetery is on Little Lala Baba, facing west towards the sea. 1920.02.07 1st Battalion, The Herefordshire Regiment reconstituted in Territorial Army with HQ at the Barracks, Hereford 1932 Lord Somers KCMG DSO MC of Eastnor Castle, Ledbury was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Regiment and he remained in this position until 1945. The Herefordshire Regiment fought in the Second World War (1939-45). In April 1939 the 1st. Battalion divided to form 1st/1st and 1st/2nd Battalions. 1/1 was part of the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division and served in Northern Ireland; the 1/2 formed part of the 38 (Welsh) Division and concentrated on home defence duties throughout the war. Then, in 1942, the 159th Infantry Brigade was transferred from the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division to 8th Corps 11th Armoured Division and on D-day + 7 were part of the second wave of Normandy landings. They broke out of the beach-head at Caumont on 30th July 1944 and took part in battles at the Falaise Pocket, Antwerp, Hechtel, Hochwald and Aller. 1946 The 11th Armoured Division was disbanded and the 159th Infantry Brigade consisting of the 4th Battalion the KSLI and the 1st Battalion the Herefordshire Regiment rejoined the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division in the Ruhr in Germany. 1947.01.01 The 1st and 2nd Battalions were amalgamated to form the 1st Battalion the Herefordshire Regiment.