Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment

Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Cap and back badges of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Active1994–2007
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeLine Infantry
RoleLight Role Infantry
SizeTwo battalions
Part ofLight Division
Garrison/HQ1st Battalion - Chester
ColorsPUC carried on regimental colour
MarchQuick - The Farmers Boy
Slow - Scipio
Commanders
Last Colonel-in-ChiefThe Duke of Edinburgh
Colonel of
the Regiment		General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue KCB CBE
Insignia
Arm BadgeDistinguished Unit Citation
From Gloucestershire Regiment

The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment was a short-lived infantry regiment of the British Army.

History

The regiment was formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of the Gloucestershire Regiment and the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire).[1]

It was the only regiment in the British Army whose members were permitted to wear a cap badge on both the front and the rear of their headdress. The back badge was awarded to the 28th Regiment of Foot for their actions at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801 when the regiment fought on whilst completely surrounded by the enemy.[2]

The regiment was also unique in the British Army in that it was permitted to wear the United States Presidential Unit Citation, which it inherited from the 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment which was awarded for their defence of Gloster Hill during the Battle of the Imjin River in April 1951 during the Korean War.[3]

Between 2002 and 2005, the 1st Battalion, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment served as a public duties battalion in London, where its duties included providing the Queen's Guard. It was while the RGBW was on guard at Buckingham Palace that the Fathers 4 Justice protest took place.[4]

In April 2004, 16 Territorial Army soldiers from the regiment joined the TA Force Protection Company, Salamanca Company, and deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Telic.[5]

A soldier from the RGBW in Iraq.
RGBW soldier in Iraq.

On 16 December 2004, the Ministry of Defence announced a reorganisation of the infantry regiments. In preparation for this, the regiment was moved from the Prince of Wales' Division to the Light Division and renamed the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry in July 2005.[6]

On 24 November 2005, the Ministry of Defence announced further changes to the amalgamations. The regiment would amalgamate with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, the Royal Green Jackets and The Light Infantry to form a new large regiment to be called The Rifles. The new regiment came into existence in 2007.[7]

The Colours of the 1st Battalion were laid up at the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum in Gloucester and the Colours of the 2nd Battalion were laid up at the Wardrobe, home of The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum in Salisbury.[8]

Volunteers

In 1995, the regiment formed its own territorial battalion: 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion, Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, through the amalgamation of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Wessex Regiment. Its structure was:[9]

In 1999 the battalion was split up, with A and B Companies amalgamating to form The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Company, Rifle Volunteers;[10] and HQ and C Companies amalgamating to form The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Company, Royal Rifle Volunteers.[11]

Alliances

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment". Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  2. ^ "The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment: History". army.mod.uk. Archived from the original on 9 January 2007.
  3. ^ "Bernard Leroy Martin. 1924 – 1997 (obituary of one of three Bermudians in the Regiment at Gloster Hill". The Royal Gazette. 11 March 1998. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Newspaper cutting". Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  5. ^ Ripley, Tim. "Operation Telic 4 (May to Nov 2004) (8,900 troops)" (PDF). Operation Telic. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  7. ^ "History of the Light Infantry". Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Regimental Colours". Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  9. ^ "2nd Battalion, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment". Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Rifle Volunteers - British Army units from 1945 on". Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  11. ^ "Royal Rifle Volunteers - British Army units from 1945 on". Retrieved 12 April 2021.