Meir, near to Longton in North Staffordshire, was defended by 'C' Coy. of the 3rd Staffordshire (Longton) Battalion.

In 1945, after the Home Guard standown in December 1944, a commemorative tankard was issued. This was produced by the Shelley company, a pottery whose reputation for fine china was worldwide and which survived from the 1860s until the 1960s. It may be no coincidence that the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion was one Lt.-Col. V.B. Shelley. Col. Shelley (right), late captain in the T.A., was the second son (and the elder of twins) of Mr. Percy Shelley who had done much to build up the company over the 50 years until his retirement in 1932 when he handed over to the next generation.

We are indebted to Mr. Roy Goodwin for providing an image of one of these tankards which remains in his possession and for allowing us to reproduce it here. Both Mr. Goodwin's grandfather, Harold Goodwin, and his father, John Thomas Goodwin, served in the Meir unit. Harold, as can be seen below, was Intelligence Officer in 'C' Coy.; he was also an employee at Shelley's in Longton.