The Midlands
Micks
Irish Guards Association — West Midlands Branch
The Midlands
Meetings held every second Sunday, at 1200 hours
The Old Contemptibles · 176 Edmund St · Birmingham
Where the name comes from
The Old Contemptibles
Our meeting house is named for the British Expeditionary Force — the 1st Battalion Irish Guards among them — who held up the German advance at Mons under General Sir John French, at terrible cost.
“Exterminate French’s contemptible little army,” Kaiser Wilhelm II is said to have ordered.
The insult was worn as a badge of honour ever after. The 1914 Star, struck for those who served between August and November of that year, became known simply as the Old Contemptibles’ medal — its ribbon is the one that runs through this page.
The venue
176 Edmund St
Birmingham B3 2HB
- Parking
- Hundreds of spaces nearby, plus multi-storey car parks. Disabled bays sit right outside the pub, and are easy to come by on a Sunday morning.
- By rail
- Snow Hill station faces the pub directly. New Street is roughly 600 metres on foot.
- By coach
- Arriving into Digbeth, or unable to walk from New Street? Tell the Vice Chairman or Secretary — we’ll arrange a lift.
Order of the day
Muster
The branch meets in the financial quarter of Birmingham, on the same footing every month.
When
Second Sunday
Every month, at 1200 hours sharp.
Where
The Old Contemptibles
176 Edmund Street, Birmingham — a Victorian pub in the financial quarter.
The wider regiment
Irish Guards Association
Formed after the Great War so friends could keep in touch, and help one another find work. The aims have not changed — fraternity, welfare, and the link between past and serving Micks.
- LondonHeadquarters branch
- Republic of IrelandDublin
- UlsterBelfast
- West MidlandsBirmingham — you are here
- North of EnglandLiverpool
Regimental oversight
The Regimental Lieutenant Colonel chairs the Association’s HQ Committee; the Adjutant serves as Vice Chairman, and RHQ’s Quartermaster Sergeant as Honorary Secretary.
The March to Horse Guards
The London Branch organises the annual march to the Guards Memorial. A shamrock-covered harp wreath is laid alongside the Regimental star.
Annual Dinner
Held on a Friday in mid-November, London. Serving officers off duty are strongly encouraged to attend.
West Midlands Branch
The Committee
The officers who keep the branch running, month to month.
Honorary President
Major Cassian Roberts (Retd)
High Sheriff of Worcestershire. Born 1962, the sixth of ten children. Educated at Ampleforth College and Henley Business School, MBA 2002, before commissioning into the Irish Guards.
Vice Chairman
Vacant — could this be you?
vicechairman@igwmm.co.uk
Honorary Secretary
Chris “Frosty” Draper
07703 322794 · secretary@igwmm.co.uk
Honorary Treasurer
Julie Collister
treasurer@igwmm.co.uk
Welfare, Old Guard
Kevin Treacy
welfareoldguard@igwmm.co.uk
Shop & support
Help the Midlands Micks carry on
A £10 donation goes toward branch welfare and the Sunday muster. Every contribution is remembered.