Editing Devonshire and Dorset Regiment (section)

==Formation==
As part of the [[1957 Defence White Paper|1957 Defence Review]], it was announced that there would be a reduction in the number of infantry battalions in the British Army. The reduction was to be effected by the merging of a number of pairs of regiments.<ref name=1957rev>Merged regiments and new brigading – many famous units to lose separate identity. ''[[The Times]]'', 25 July 1957.</ref>

Among the mergers to be carried out were those of the regiments of the two neighbouring counties of [[Devon]] and [[Dorset]].
* [[Devonshire Regiment]] (the former 11th Regiment of Foot, originally raised in 1685)
* [[Dorset Regiment]] (the successor to the [[39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot|39th Foot]], raised in 1702; and the [[54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot|54th Foot]], dating from 1755)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20051028190629/http://regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/039Dorst.htm The Dorset Regiment at the archive of regiments.org]</ref>

The amalgamation took place in [[Minden]], [[Germany]], on 17 May 1958. The new 1st Battalion, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Guy Young, formerly commanding officer of the 1st Devonshires, while the colonel of the regiment was Major-General [[George Wood (British Army officer)|George Neville Wood]], formerly of the Dorsets.<ref name="regts"/><ref name="merger">{{cite web|url=http://www.keepmilitarymuseum.org/devonanddorset/amalgamation.php?&dx=1&ob=3&rpn=history|title=Amalgamation|publisher=The Keep Military Museum|access-date=3 January 2012}}</ref>