Who we are

A (Fusilier) Company 4 MERCIAN is Birmingham and Coventry's TA Infantry Company.

Although part of 4 MERCIAN, we maintain strong links with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers; continuing the 200 years of connection of the Fusiliers with the West Midlands. We wear the distinctive cap badge and hackle (plume) of the Fusiliers, which is a source of great pride to all members of the company.

The majority of A Company soldiers are from the area bounded by Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Coventry, Warwick and Solihull. 
 

What we do

Our job is to provide trained Fusiliers, NCOs and Officers to take part in operations wherever the British Army is deployed. Within the last 5 years, soldiers from our company have taken part in operations in

• Northern Ireland
• former Yugoslavia
• Iraq
• Afghanistan

To prepare ourselves for operations, we have regular training sessions.

Weekly: we train every Tuesday night. This training is based around fitness, weapon handling, first aid, communications and other core military skills.

Monthly: we train with the rest of 4 MERCIAN one weekend a month. Weekend training is demanding and enjoyable, and is focused on tactical shooting and training exercises. Weekend training takes place at military training areas in the UK.

Annually: the 4 MERCIAN annual camp is the culmination of the training year and lasts 15 days, typically 1 week's training followed by a week's exercise. This training can be overseas or in the UK in late August or early September.
 

Specialist training

Trained soldiers have opportunities to attend further courses and special exercises to extend their skills. Fusiliers from A Company have recently attended specialist training in driving, jungle warfare, instructional techniques, mountain leadership, first aid and fighting in built-up areas.

Later this year, our soldiers will be taking part in exercises in

• USA
• Jordan
• Cyprus
   

Adventurous training

Adventurous training is no holiday! It is testing, yet rewarding, training that develops powers of leadership, courage, self-reliance and endurance.

This year soldiers from 4 MERCIAN, including A (Fusilier) Company, will take part in mountaineering, downhill skiing, ski-touring, rock-climbing and other activities.
 

Promotion

The backbone of the infantry is its junior NCOs - the Lance Corporals and Corporals who command our fire-teams and sections. Promotion is on merit and subject to successfully passing demanding courses run by the Infantry Training Centres at Brecon and Catterick. If you have the ambition and the talent, promotion can follow fast.

During summer 2008, 5 Fusiliers from A (Fusilier) Company successfully qualified as Lance Corporals, the first rung on the promotion ladder.
 

Team building

Becoming part of the Company team is a vital part of what we do. As well as the team-building part of military training, we run a variety of social events and have a well equipped training centre that is the focus for many off-duty activities.
 

Where we train

Tuesday night training takes place at our training centre in Barrows Lane. Weekend training takes place in a variety of locations throughout the UK.
 

Want to know more?

We want to hear from:

• potential recruits and officers - standards are high and competition is strong, you need to be fit and well motivated to succeed
• TA or former regular soldiers moving into the area and who want to serve with their local TA infantry

If you want to know, more or are interested in joining, contact us:

TA Centre
Barrows Lane
Sheldon
BIRMINGHAM
B26 3BE

Telephone: 0121 7436040
Email: 4mercian-acoy-psao@mod.uk