THE Prince of Wales has agreed to become the Colonel in Chief of the new unit which the Cheshire Regiment will join next year.

Writing to members of the regimental association, the Cheshires' colonel, Brigadier Andrew Sharpe, confirms Prince Charles has agreed to take up the ceremonial position as head of the new three-battalion Mercian Regiment.

He also updates old soldiers on other details of the merger between the Cheshires and two other regiments, the Worcesters and Sherwood Foresters' Regiment and the Staffordshires, which have just been thrashed out by their respective representatives.

The Mercian Regiment will actually come into being on September 1, 2007, with an official formation parade taking place somewhere in the centre of its recruiting area.

Regimental headquarters will be at Lich-field in Staffordshire, where £35,000 has been spent on modernising a suitable building outside Whittington Barracks.

The Cheshires' present headquarters, at Chester Castle, will remain as a regimental out-station and, according to Brig Sharpe, will be properly manned, although the post of assistant regimental secretary will be axed.

Both the regimental museum and social club, also within the castle, will be unaffected by the merger.

The Cheshires will retain some of their identity by becoming the 1st Battalion the Mercian Regiment.

The Worcester and Sherwood Foresters will be known as the 2nd

Battalion and the Staffordshires will become the 3rd Battalion.

For all three battalions the regimental colour will be buff with a roundel bearing the new regimental name.

The Cheshires will also be able to continue celebrating its own historical landmarks dates such as Mons and Meeanee Days.

There have been criticisms of the merger but Brig Sharpe stresses in his letter to the association that those who continue to 'throw stones at the Mercian name are throwing stones at our serving soldiers'.