The people of Stoke-on-Trent said farewell to the Staffordshire Regiment as around 250 soldiers marched through the city centre for the final time under the banner of the Staffords. Later this year the regiment, which is over 300-years-old, will merge with the Cheshires to become the First Battalian the Mercians. The Freedom Parade also marked the return of the Battalion from their recent operational tour of Iraq. The parade on the 12 June 2007 started in John Street in Hanley. The soldiers then moved through Lichfield Street and Albion Square before taking a salute from their commanding officers and dignitaries by the Sir Stanley Matthews Statue in Hanley. A special tribute
The current Battalion were most recently deployed in Basra, between October 2006 and April 2007, where they took part in numerous raids and operations seizing illegal weapons and ammunition and arresting insurgents. Their return in April was tinged with sadness as they lost 21-year-old Private Johnathon Dany Wysoczan from Biddulph during the tour. Before their last parade through Stoke-on-Trent members of the regiment gathered at St. Mark's Church in Hanley to pay tribute to Private Wysoczan in a special memorial service. A 300 year history The regiment have known they were merging since December 2004, when the then Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced that they'd form with the Cheshires on 01 September 2007. The history of the regiment goes back over 300 years and includes campaigns in Arnhem during World War II, as well as Korea and Iraq. There were previously two regiments - North Staffords and South Staffords - who served in both World War I and World War II. These two were merged into the Staffordshire Regiment in 1959. The South Staffords were part of operation Market Garden (the invasion of Holland) during World War II, and were supposed to help take Arnhem Bridge, but were driven back by German forces. The 2nd battalion won two Victoria Crosses in the conflict, something no other battalion achieved during the war. In October 1990 The Staffordshire Regiment was deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of 7th Armoured Brigade, better known as the 'Desert Rats'. The Staffords comprised 45 Warrior APCs with a company of Grenadier Guards, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, being attached to the regiment. | 
