Commanding Officers of the 1st Battalion
 
Raised in London during 1694 by Colonel Thomas Farrington (warrant was granted on the 16th February 1694). It was then the custom for Regiments to be named after their Colonels, and this new Regiment was named Farrington's Regiment of Foot. This method of naming regiments led to confusion, as regiments were re-named with each Colonel, and it was possible for more than one Colonel, and therefore more than one regiment, to have the same name.  Until 1751, the Regiment had eight different Colonels, and therefore eight different names.

In 1751 regiments were given numbers, and the Regiment was numbered 29 (29th Regiment of Foot).  In 1781, with the idea of helping recruiting, counties were allotted to regiments as recruiting areas, and the 29th became the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment. The association of regiments with counties was received with enthusiasm, but that enthusiasm was damped when, in 1787, recruits raised for the Regiment in the county were sent to the 43rd Regiment.

The next step was in 1881, when single battalion regiments were grouped in pairs, one battalion serving at home and the other abroad.  Under this scheme Herefordshire was linked with Worcestershire, and their two regiments combined to form The Worcestershire Regiment.  The 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment thus became the 1st Battalion The Worcestershire Regiment on the 1st July 1881.

Finally, on the 8th February 1970 the Worcestershire Regiment was amalgamated with the 1st Battalion The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment), to form 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot).
 
Below is a list of all the officers who have commanded the 1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment from 1694 to 1970.
 

MORE DETAILS ABOUT EACH OFFICER MY BE OBTAINED BY CLICKING ON THE INDIVIDUAL SURNAME
 (names with links are highlighted in Blue - others will be added later)

 
Surname Forename/s First Commissioned in to From To
           
Richardson Henry 13th Dragoons    
Carleton Thomas 20th Foot (Lancashire Fusiliers) 1782  
FitzGerald Henry 3rd Regt. of Horse (or Carabineers) Sep. 1788 Oct 1789
Cathcart William Shaw 7th Queen’s Dragoons Oct. 1789  
Campbell Archibald 29th Foot (Worcestershire) Dec. 1792  
Simpson James 1st Foot Guards    
Dickson Hugh   1795  
Enys John      
Lake George A. F. 29th Foot (Worcestershire) Dec. 1807 Aug. 1808
White Daniel     May 1811
Tucker John 29th Foot (Worcestershire) Sept. 1815 1820
Buchan John 1st Bn. Scotch Brigade Feb. 1822 Jun. 1826
Wrottesley Charles Alexander 16 Light Dragoons 1839  
Taylor Charles Cyril 46th Foot (South Devonshire)   Feb. 1846
Congreve George John 29th Foot (Worcestershire) Feb. 1846 Feb. 1855
Smith Mathew 16th Foot (Buckinghamshire) Feb. 1855 Sept 1855
Stewart John Hamilton Royal African Colonial Corps Sept 1855 1859
Westropp Edward Henry   Jun. 1860  Mar. 1862 
Farrington Lindsay 39th Foot (Dorestshire) Mar. 1862  
         
Wilkie Hales 97th Foot (The Earl of Ulster's) Oct. 1871 Mar. 1878
Davis Howell 29th Foot (Worcestershire) Mar. 1878 Mar. 1883
Ruxton Frederick Charles 29th Foot (Worcestershire) Mar. 1883 Mar. 1887
Carrington Edmund 29th Foot (Worcestershire) Mar. 1887 Mar. 1891
Spratt Edward James Henry 29th Foot (Worcestershire) Mar. 1891 Mar. 1895
Clarke William Senhouse Worcestershire Regiment  Mar. 1895  Mar. 1899
Oakes Orbell Henry 29th Foot (Worcestershire) Mar. 1899 Mar. 1903
Gibb John Hassard Stewart Worcestershire Regiment Apr. 1903 Mar. 1907
Hovell Hugh de Berdt Worcestershire Regiment Mar. 1907 Jul. 1908
Holland Walter Dermott Worcestershire Regiment Jul. 1908 Mar. 1912
Lascelles Arthur Edward Norfolk Regiment Mar. 1912 Dec. 1914
Wodehouse Ernest Charles Forbes Worcestershire Regiment Dec. 1914 Mar. 1915
Grogan George William St. George Worcestershire Regiment Mar. 1915 Mar. 1917
Davidge Guy Mortimer Coleridge  Worcestershire Regiment Mar. 1917 May 1918
Roberts Frank Crowther Worcestershire Regiment Jun. 1918 Aug. 1919
Fulton Herbert Albrecht  Prince of Wale's Own (Yorks. Regt.) Aug. 1919 Aug. 1923
Stevens Leighton Marlow Worcestershire Regiment Aug. 1923 1927
Faviell William Frederick Oliver Militia of East Surrey Regt  1927 Aug. 1931
Leman John Frederick Worcestershire Regiment Aug. 1931 1935
Gabb Samuel Alwyne East Surrey Regiment 1935 Aug. 1939
Lawrence Edward Lafone Graham Worcestershire Regiment Aug. 1939 Mar. 1941
Bucknall William Rixon Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt.) Mar. 1941 Sep. 1941
Knight John Oldham Worcestershire Regiment Apr. 1941 1942
Cox William Reginald King's Shropshire Light Infantry Jan. 1943 Sep. 1943
Moss Robert Bramston Worcestershire Regiment Sep. 1943 Jan. 1944
Harrison Antony Roy Royal Warwickshire Regiment Jan. 1944 Aug. 1944
Osborne-Smith Robert Edward Nothamptonshire Regiment Aug. 1944 Nov. 1944
Vickers Arthur William Neville Langston  K.O.Y.L.I. Nov. 1944 Feb. 1945
Hope-Thomson Maxwell Richard Julian Royal Scottish Fusiliers Feb. 1945 Jul. 1945
Wills Charles Pearce Germon Worcestershire Regiment Jul. 1945 Jun 1946
Tuckey Robert Edgar Lavington Worcestershire Regiment Jul. 1946 Jan. 1949
Gillmore Argyle Henry Worcestershire Regiment Mar. 1949 Sep. 1951
Graves-Morris Philip Herbert Worcestershire Regiment Sep. 1951 Nov. 1954
Vaughan Charles Peter Foot Guards Nov. 1953 Nov. 1956
Hughes Thomas Frederick Worcestershire Regiment Nov. 1956 May 1959
Stuart John William Brownlow Worcestershire Regiment May 1959 Jul. 1961
Hall Peter Geoffrey B. Worcestershire Regiment Jul. 1961 Jul. 1964
Trotter Edward Laurence Black Watch (Royal Highland Regt.) Jul. 1964 Jun. 1966
Gabb Alwyne Maudsley Worcestershire Regiment Jun. 1966 May 1969
Leman Richard George Ashley Worcestershire Regiment May 1969 Jan. 1972
 
Notes:
Captain J. H. M. Arden temporary commanded from 13th to 22nd Mar. 1915
Major (A/Lt.-Col.) F. C. Roberts, V.C., D.S.O., temporary commanded during March 1918.
Major J. F. B. Cartland (later killed) temporary commanded on 27th May 1918 while Col. Davidge was sick.
  

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