Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
| Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry | |
|---|---|
  Cap and back badges of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry |
|
| Active | 1994-2007 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | Light Role Infantry |
| Size | One battalion |
| Part of | Light Division |
| Garrison/HQ | 1st Battalion - Chester |
| Colors | PUC carried on regimental colour |
| March | Quick - The Sphinx and the Dragon Slow - Scipio |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HRH The Duke of Edinburgh |
| Colonel of the Regiment |
General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue KCB CBE |
| Insignia | |
| Arm Badge | Distinguished Unit Citation From Gloucestershire Regiment |
The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.
It was formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of two English regiments.
The regiment was unique in the British Army in that it was permitted to wear the United States Distinguished 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.
It was also 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. During the Battle of the Imjin River, during the Korean War, the 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment (the Glorious Glosters), and their mortar battery — numbering perhaps 750 men in total — again fought on when surrounded on Gloster Hill by at least one Chinese division of 10,000 men.
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.
On 16 December 2004, it was announced that the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment was to be disbanded - the Gloucestershire element, along with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment was to be merged with the Light Infantry, while the Berkshire and Wiltshire elements would have merged with the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. In March 2005, it was further announced that the de-amalgamation of the regiment would not take place; instead it would merge completely with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment as 1st Battalion, Light Infantry. 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.
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On 24 November 2005, the Ministry of Defence announced further changes to the amalgamations. The regiment would still merge with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment resulting in a single battalion, however, they were now to join a new large regiment created by the amalgamation of The Light Infantry and the Royal Green Jackets. This new regiment was to be called The Rifles and would be formed by the end of 2007. The battalion that will result from the merger of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment and the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment will be designated 1st Battalion, The Rifles. On becoming part of a rifle regiment, the RGBW will no longer carry its colours; the Colours of the 1st. Battalion will be laid up at The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, Gloucester and the Colours of the 2nd Battalion will be laid up at the Wardrobe, home of The Rifles (Berkshire and Wiltshire) Museum, Salisbury.
[edit] Alliances
Canada - The Royal Canadian Regiment- Canada - The Lincoln and Welland Regiment
- Canada - The Algonquin Regiment
Australia - 11th/28th Battalion, The Royal Western Australia Regiment
Pakistan - 13th Battalion, The Frontier Force Regiment
Kenya - 3rd Battalion, The Kenya Rifles
South Africa - The Cape Town Rifles
Royal Navy - HMS Gloucester
