Devonshire and Dorset Regiment Officers BRONZE Collar Badge

Guaranteed original. Complete & intact. This is an original Devonshire and Dorset Regiment collar badge for sale. In good condition. Please see our other items for more original WW1, WW2 & post war British military collar badges for sale including other Devonshire and Dorset Regiment collar badges.

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The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, usually just known as the Devon and Dorsets, was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1958 by the amalgamation of two county regiments. As part of the 1957 Defence Review, it was announced that there would be a reduction in the number of infantry battalions in the British Army. The reduction was to be effected by the merging of a number of pairs of regiments. Among the mergers to be carried out were those of the regiments of the two neighbouring counties of Devon and Dorset. The Devonshire Regiment (the former 11th Regiment of Foot, originally raised in 1685) The Dorset Regiment (the successor to the 39th Foot, raised in 1702; and the 54th Foot, dating from 1755) The amalgamation took place in Minden, Germany, on 17 May 1958. The new 1st Battalion, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Guy Young, formerly commanding officer of the 1st Devonshires, while the colonel of the regiment was Major-General George Neville Wood, formerly of the Dorsets. In November 1958 the 1st Battalion moved to Cyprus, where they carried out anti-insurgency activities against the paramilitary EOKA organisation. A ceasefire was called in December 1959, and the island achieved independence from Britain in August 1960. Following the ending of the conflict the battalion carried out exercises in Libya before returning to the United Kingdom in 1961. From 1961 to 1963 the battalion was based in Plymouth, taking part in exercises on Salisbury Plain and in recruitment activities following the ending of National Service. In May 1962 the regiment was given the freedom of the City of Exeter, and were presented with a stand of colours by the Colonel-in-Chief, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. From July 1963 the battalion was based in Holywood, County Down. Placed on twenty four hours travel notice, in May 1964 they moved to British Guiana where there was political and civil unrest. Elections were held in December of that year, a first step in the independence of the colony.

The battalion returned to Hollywood in January 1965. In February 1966 the battalion joined the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) as part of 6th Infantry Brigade based in Munster. In 1967 disturbances spread throughout the Arab world in the wake of the Six-Day War. The battalion were dispatched to Benghazi in Libya to evacuate isolated British personnel. In January 1968 the regiment were transferred within the BAOR to the 12th Infantry Brigade based in Osnabrack. In 1970 the battalion moved to Malta. Following the outbreak of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, the Devon and Dorsets were moved to Belfast with less than twenty four hours notice in June 1970. They found themselves involved in the “Battle of the Falls”. They returned to Malta in August 1970. In 1971 the battalion moved to Gordon Barracks in Gillingham, Kent. As an air-portable unit, elements of the Devon & Dorsets were frequently dispatched to various locations at short notice: In January 1972 they moved to County Armagh, to British Honduras in August 1972, to West Belfast in October 1973, to Cyprus in October 1974 and to Belize in November 1975. In May 1976 the battalion rejoined the 12th Mechanised Brigade in Osnabrack. They did two tours of duty in Northern Ireland: in North Belfast from January to May 1977 and in Central Belfast from January to May 1979. In April 1980 the battalion moved to Colchester. From July to November 1981 they did another tour in County Armagh under Operation Banner, and in 1982 took part in training exercises in Kenya. In the summer of 1982, the Regiment provided a ceremonial guard for the Tower of London. In March 1983 the Devon & Dorsets became a resident battalion at Abercorn Barracks in Ballykinler in Northern Ireland as part of the 39th Infantry Brigade, remaining there until 1985.

Please see our other items for more original WW1, WW2 & post war British military cap badges for sale including other Devonshire and Dorset Regiment collar badges.