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and read by General Sir Derek Boorman, emphasised his warmth and kindness. His service continued with postings as Adjutant, to the Mercian Brigade, Eastern Command in Colchester and then New College Sandhurst. After the amalgamation of the South and North Staffordshire Regiments
in 1959, he was OC C Coy in Kenya and Colchester and Battalion 21C in Kenya and Dover. During the Borneo Confrontation, Jeremy served as Brigade Major 99 Gurkha Infantry Brigade. In 1967 he was promoted and set up and Commanded the Junior Infantry Battalion in Shorncliffe. This was
a difficult task, but Jeremy’s enthusiasm carried his staff with him and he was awarded the OBE. In February 1972 he was promoted to Colonel and was posted as Deputy Commander 39 Infantry Brigade in Belfast, during the height of the troubles. His next postings were to Greenwich and Singapore; he was the last British Officer
to serve there and handed over to the Singapore Government on 31st March 1976. His final posting was at the Ministry of Defence. Colonel Swynnerton was Colonel of The Staffordshire Regiment from 1977 – 1985. His period of tenure included the Belize deployment, two Northern Ireland tours and the Presentation of New Colours in 1983. There are very few people who served in The North Staffordshire or Staffordshire Regiments between 1945 and 1985, who will not have come across him.
Jeremy was a bachelor and he
moved to Burford when he retired . His Memorial Service took place in Burford
on the 8th December, which proved to
be a moving occasion in which Jeremy’s qualities were brought out. Captain James Ballard represented Mercian Regiment. Even in 2011, fifty two years after the amalgamation, it was still possible to describe the occasion as a North Stafford gathering, as most of the people present were from that Regiment or were sons of those who had been.
Major Frank Tapling MC died on the
7th December 2011 aged 91. Frank was born on the 8th July 1020 in Birkenhead and was educated at the local Grammar School. He joined the TA in 1938 and
was commissioned in 1943 into the Royal Artillery and later served with 4th Battalion, The Welch Regiment. In April 1945 he was commanding the Bren Carrier Platoon on a reconnaissance patrol in the village of Barnstedt, south east of Bremen, when
he found himself encircled by a large number of snipers and bazooka teams. He was forced to take up a defensive position in a farm yard, the Germans set the barns on fire and the situation became critical; but his instructions to Battalion
HQ were clear, concise and deliberate
and the Battalion was able to call up tanks and a platoon of infantry in support. His outstanding leadership over many months was recognised by the award of an MC. After the War he rejoined the TA and with
served with both the Cheshire and North Staffordshire Regiments.
A Contemporary of his, Chris Phillips remembers that he was good company in the Officers’ Mess. He was awarded the Territorial Decoration in 1951 and a Bar
in 1961. He was appointed Commercial Director of Dan Air in 1969 and played
a notable part of the expansion in
the Company’s passenger and freight services. He settled in Woking and was Captain of Woking Golf Club.
George Taylor. We heard from Lichfield Branch that George Taylor died on 22nd July 2012, aged 85. George enlisted with the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry and later transferred to The North Staffordshire Regiment. He served between 1945–9, but we are not sure which Battalion he was in and where he served. His funeral took place at Sutton Crematorium on Thursday 2nd August.
Harold Taylor died on 17th February 2012, aged 92. He was born on 3rd February 1920 and was originally from Stourbridge. His family believe that he served in the 1st/6th Battalion, The South Staffordshire Regiment from 1937–45. He was injured in a tank track accident in Northern Ireland, his family are not sure whether he served with his Battalion in Normandy or not. His funeral took place at Stourbridge Crematorium on 6th March.
Ron Taylor died 1st March 2012. He served in 1st Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment between 1947–52, which included Suez.
14871069 Pte William Teague of Worcester died on 5th December 2010 ,aged 84. After joining at Norton Barracks in 1945 he was posted to 7th Battalion, The Worcestershire Regiment in India and joined the Pioneer
platoon. In October 1946 he was involved with the Regiment in dealing with serious communal rioting in Calcutta for ten weeks. In March 1947 when 7 Worcestershire Regiment disbanded, he was attached to the The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment for the remainder of his two years’ service.
Arthur Wall died peacefully in his sleep on the weekend of 4th/5th February 2012 aged 92. He served from March 1939 – April 1946 which included time spent with the 7th Battalion, The North Staffordshire Regiment. He was a long serving Honorary Member of Burton Branch of the Staffordshire Regimental Association.
Maj Des Webbe MBE, RRW died 4th March 2012, aged 82. He was Quarter
Master of 1st Battalion, The Cheshire Regiment
Leonard Westwood died on 7th July 2012. We have few details of his life, but he served with 7th Battalion, The North Staffordshire Regiment from 1945 – 8. His funeral took place on 17th July at St. Michael’s Church, Pelsall on 17th July.
4984505 Capt Neville Parker Wildgust of Lambley, Nottinghamshire died on 22nd April 2012, aged 89. He joined The Sherwood Foresters in 1940 and moved to the 70th Battalion. He was granted an emergency
commission and served with the Green Howards. He rejoined the 16th Battalion The Sherwood Foresters in 1942, before being posted as a 2Lt to the 6th Battalion The Lincolnshire Regiment. He was very badly wounded at Sejenane Tunisia in March 1943 and received hospital treatment until September 1944 and was medically downgraded to admin duties and was offered discharge. He opted to remain in the Army and was then posted as
Company Admin Officer to the 11th Battalion, York and Lancashire Regiment. He was then posted to the North Midlands District HQ in Nottingham between 1945/6. He became the Personnel Selection Officer between 1946-47 and was promoted to Captain and posted to Officer In Charge of Personnel Selection at Victoria Barracks, Derby. He was demobilised in May 1947 and worked for the McDonalds
Biscuit Company. He was a stalwart member of the 2nd/5th Sherwood Foresters Wartime Branch WFRA.
Major Harry Maples Williams died on 21st August 2012, in The Princess Royal Hospital Telford, aged 94.
He was born on 31st May 1918 and attended Wolverhampton Municipal Grammar School. He was always known
as Bill and enlisted as a Trooper into The Staffordshire Yeomanry in September 1938. He served with them in Palestine until July 1940, when he attended Middle East OCTU in Cairo. He was commissioned into The South Staffordshire Regiment and joined the 1st Battalion in the Western Desert Force
in December 1940. In March 1942 the Battalion moved to India and then Burma. Initially they were deployed in protecting
the railway which linked Calcutta with the forces in the Abakan, from saboteurs. In 1944, Bill served as Animal Transport Officer throughout the Second Chindit Campaign, during which he was promoted to the
rank of Captain. In 1945 he was posted
to 148 Pre OCTU and left the Army as a Major in January 1946. After the War, Bill lived initially in Wolverhampton, but moved to Claverley in Shropshire and eventually settled in Albrighton. His Remembrance
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