Brevet Major Coote Manningham Buller, a half-pay officer who had served with the Rifle Brigade during the Crimean War, was appointed lieutenant-colonel to command the battalion.

[1][2][3][4] On 1 June 1880 the administrative battalion was consolidated as the new 2nd Staffordshire RVC, with The Staffordshire Rangers permitted as an official title:[1][5][6] Under the scheme of 'localisation' introduced by the Cardwell Reforms, Regular infantry battalions became linked in pairs assigned to particular counties or localities, and the county Militia and Volunteers were affiliated to them.

[1][6] Under Childers the Volunteers were assigned a place in the scheme of national defence, and the Staffordshire RVCs were expected to join the Portsmouth garrison in case of war.

[2] The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a more comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war.

[1][10] There were minor changes to the battalion's organisation:[11] At the same time, the men of J Company at Leek mainly transferred to a newly formed 2nd North Midland Brigade, Royal Field Artillery.

This was accepted by the majority of the men, and the North Midland Division moved to Luton and later to Bishop's Stortford to train for deployment overseas.

It went in at 14.00 on 13 October behind a gas cloud, two companies of 1/5th North Staffs led, the other two being in the second line, followed by bombing parties to clear enemy dugouts.

Things did not go according to plan: the British bombardment had been ineffective while the German artillery brought down a barrage on the division's jumping-off trenches.

Charging towards 'Big Willie' trench on the flank of the Hohenzollern, the 1/5th North Staffs came under enfilade fire and lost 20 officers and 485 other ranks in the first few minutes of the attack, the highest casualty rate of any battalion in the 46th Division.

The only result of this move was an outbreak of infectious disease (Paratyphoid fever and Diphtheria) that weakened units and men for months to come.

[29][30][31][32] The Germans eventually retreated as far as their new Hindenburg Line defences well beyond the Somme battlefields, but 46th Division was withdrawn from the pursuit on 17 March.

On 14 June, two companies of 1/5th North Staffs raided 'Narwal' and 'Contact' trenches, occupying the position for 40 minutes before withdrawing with prisoners, having caused considerable casualties.

[12][13][37] In April 1916 the battalion was sent to Dublin to help quell disturbances following the Easter Rising – the troops of the 59th Division were the first TF units to serve in Ireland.

[12][13][37] The 59th Division took part in following the German Retreat to Hindenburg Line in March and April, but it was not until September that it was engaged in its first full-scale action, the phase of the 3rd Ypres Offensive known as the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge.

[38] The next phase, the Battle of Polygon Wood (26 September), was equally successful, with 176th Brigade advancing steadily behind its barrage onto the final objectives.

Lance-Corporal John Thomas of the 2/5th saw this counter-attack being prepared, and on his own initiative he and a comrade went out to reconnoitre the buildings at the western end of Fontaine.

His comrade was hit almost immediately, but Thomas stayed out for three hours, shot several German snipers, and gathered valuable information.

[41] That night the rest of 176th Brigade in Bourlon Wood were subjected to a violent bombardment of high explosive and gas shells, but the division was not directly attacked the following morning.

[37] In May 1918 the shattered 59th Division was temporarily disbanded and its battalions reduced to training cadres, the surplus men being drafted to other units.

[78] On the night of 9 March 1943, a Dornier 217 picked up by the searchlights engaged two of the regiment's sites at Yokefleet with bombs, incendiaries and flares.

By now, Luftwaffe bombing raids were rare, and the regiment concentrated on 'Bullseye' exercises to practise cooperation with Night fighter aircraft.

[80] By 1944, 41 S/L Rgt had come under the orders of 31st (North Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade, which was earmarked for Operation Overlord, the invasion of German-occupied France.

On 7 June (the day after D-Day) it was ordered to move to a concentration area in Sussex where it practised laying out mobile searchlight sites and waterproofed its equipment ready for landing in Normandy.

On 22 October the regiment transferred to the command of 101 AA Brigade and moved to the Brussels area to be employed in the 'Anti-Diver' role against V-1 flying bombs heading towards Antwerp.

[89][90] In late November the regiment moved north of Antwerp under 105th Anti-Aircraft Brigade, leaving two Troops of 362 Bty deployed round Dunkirk to illuminate aircraft and shipping trying to supply the Germans besieged in the town.

The regiment took up positions along the long vulnerable line of the River Scheldt for the winter, adopting an 'extended canopy' layout, introducing new Mk VIII centimetric radar SLC and cooperating with Light Anti-Aircraft (LAA) batteries.

[93][94] By February 1945 the regiment was reporting no hostile activity, but it was frequently called upon to illuminate and identify friendly aircraft infringing the defence zone.

It was also fitting out a Landing Craft Tank ('Barge AA No 1') with searchlights for duty on the Scheldt, and deploying new 20 mm Polsten cannon to the S/L detachments.

[96] Immediately after VE Day (8 May 1945) the regiment handed in its S/L equipment and began occupation duties in Germany – apart from a detachment sent to provide illumination for a British Army Exhibition in Paris.

The regiment took over responsibility for the districts of Hildesheim, Marienberg and Peine in Lower Saxony, dealing with thousands of displaced persons ('DP's) and released prisoners of war.