| The Gloucestershire Regiment | |
|---|---|
Cap badge (left) and back badge (right) of the Gloucestershire Regiment |
|
| Active | 1881–1994 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Role | Infantry |
| Garrison/HQ | Custom House, Gloucester |
| Nickname | The Glorious Glosters |
| Motto | By our deeds we are known |
| March | The Kennegad Slashers |
| Anniversaries | Back Badge Day (21 Mar) |
| Decorations | United States Army Presidential Unit Citation |
The Gloucestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Nicknamed "The Glorious Glosters", the regiment carried more battle honours on their regimental colours than any other British Army line regiment.
Contents |
The origins of the regiment lie in the regiment formed in Portsmouth in 1694 by Colonel John Gibson. This was named the 28th Regiment of Foot in 1751 and renamed the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot in 1782. After the Childers reforms, the regiment amalgamated with the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to form the two-battalion Gloucestershire Regiment on 1 July 1881.
The regiment saw active service in the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1902. World War I began in August 1914 and during the course of the war, the regiment raised 25 battalions, seeing service on the Western Front, Gallipoli, Macedonia, the Middle East and Italy.
World War II began after Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September, Britain, France, and its Allies declaring war on Nazi Germany on 3 September. The 2nd battalion was involved in the Battle of France after Germany's invasion of the Low Countries on 8 May 1940, taking part in the defensive screen protecting the Dunkirk evacuation and was later involved in the North-West Europe campaign after taking part in the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. The 1st battalion saw active service in Burma against Japanese forces.
The regiment saw heavy fighting in the Korean War. After their actions at Gloster Hill during the Battle of the Imjin River in 1951, following which the regiment was awarded the South Korean Distinguished Unit Citation and United States Distinguished Unit Citation, the regiment gained the nickname "The Glorious Glosters", for its heroic last stand against overwhelming Chinese forces.
The regiment was one of the British Army's most battle honoured units, and amalgamated with the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment in 1994 to form the 1st Battalion, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment.
The regimental archives and memorabilia of The Glosters as well as their antecedents, The 28th and 61st Regiments of Foot are held by The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, which is located within the Historic Docks in Gloucester and available on-line at Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum.
In March 2005, it was announced that this regiment would merge with the Light Infantry, The Royal Green Jackets and the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment to form the 1st Battalion, The Rifles. At this time, the RGBW was made a light infantry regiment, becoming the RGBWLI. This served to forge identity within the new Rifles regiment.