Ref: 692 (68) - Notts and Derby 7th Robin Hoods Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby) Regiment Cap Badge - 'JR. Gaunt, London' Makers Mark

Guaranteed original. Complete and intact. This is an original 7th Robin Hoods Battalion, Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby) Regiment Cap Badge for sale. In very fine condition. 

The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was formed during the 1881 Childers Reforms of the British Army. The 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot (raised in 1741) and the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot (raised in 1823) were redesignated as the 1st and 2nd battalions of The Sherwood Foresters (Derbyshire Regiment). The Derbyshire and Royal Sherwood Foresters Militias (militia and rifle volunteers) became the 3rd (Robin Hood Rifles) and 4th Battalions respectively. These were joined by the 1st and 2nd (Derbyshire) and the 3rd and 4th (Nottinghamshire) Volunteer Battalions. The Headquarters of the Regimental District was established at Derby. In 1902, the Nottinghamshire association was made explicit, the name changing to The Sherwood Foresters (Nottingham and Derbyshire) Regiment. Following a series of mergers since 1970, its lineage is now continued by the 2nd battalion, the Mercian Regiment.

During the First World War, the Sherwood Foresters had 33 battalions in service, of which 20 served overseas: mainly on the Western Front, but also in Gallipoli, Italy and the Middle East. Over 140,000 men served in the regiment, which lost 11,400 killed. The regiment won 57 battle honours and 2,000 decorations, including nine Victoria Crosses. Officers and men from the 12th Battalion produced the Wipers Times. During the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland, the Sherwood Foresters took part in the Battle of Mount Street Bridge in Dublin, where they suffered heavy losses against a small handful of Irish volunteers. After garrison service in the interwar years, the Sherwood Foresters next saw action in the Second World War. The regiment served in the Norwegian Campaign, the Battle of France, the North African and the Italian campaigns. They also saw action in the Far East. Nearly 27,000 men served in the regiment's 17 battalions, suffering 1,500 killed. The regiment won 10 battle honours and 400 decorations, including a VC. Other battalions saw service in Italy and North Africa.