Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment

Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
source
Unit name	Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
Caption	Cap badge of the regiment
Dates	1994–2007
Type	Infantry
Size	Battalion
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	Monarch of the United Kingdom
Garrison	Churchill Barracks, Plymouth
Nickname	The Butchers
Motto	Fidem Praestare

Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of antecedent regiments and disbanded in 2007 during reorganisation into a larger regiment. The regiment drew lineage from the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot, the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot, the 49th (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot and the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot, linking historic service in campaigns from the Napoleonic Wars to the Second Boer War. Its cap badge and battle honours reflected connections with Gloucestershire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire counties and with garrison towns such as Plymouth, Bristol, and Reading.

History

The regiment was created by amalgamating the Gloucestershire Regiment and the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire) as part of the Options for Change reductions after the end of the Cold War, inheriting traditions from the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot, 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot, 49th (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot, and 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot. During its lineage the antecedent regiments served in the Peninsular War, the Crimean War, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Second Boer War, and both World War I and World War II, creating links with battles such as Waterloo, Inkerman, Sevastopol, and El Alamein. Post-1994, organisational reviews including the Strategic Defence Review and the restructuring under the Future Army Structure led to further amalgamation into the The Rifles in 2007, consolidating the regiment's companies into battalions alongside the Royal Green Jackets, King's Own Royal Border Regiment, and Light Infantry.

Organisation and Role

The regiment served as a single regular battalion within the Infantry of the British Army alongside Territorial elements linked to county-based units and the Army Reserve. Its headquarters was located at Churchill Barracks, Plymouth with companies recruiting from Gloucester, Cheltenham, Swindon, Reading, and surrounding towns in Somerset and Wiltshire. Operationally it undertook mechanised and light infantry tasks, working with formations such as the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division, 3rd (United Kingdom) Mechanised Division, and deploying on battlegroup duties under the command structures of the British Army of the Rhine and later expeditionary forces aligned with the Joint Rapid Reaction Force. The regiment trained at depots and ranges including Bovington Camp, Sennelager, and BATUS for cold-weather, desert and combined-arms exercises.

Operational Service

Deployments included peacekeeping and combat tours in the Bosnian War under United Nations Protection Force and IFOR mandates in the Balkans, counterinsurgency and stability operations in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, and operational tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of Operation Telic and Operation Herrick. The antecedent regiments held historic campaign credits from the Napoleonic Wars, Crimean War, Zulu War, and both world wars, including service at Gallipoli, the Somme, Ypres, and the North African Campaign. The regiment participated in multinational exercises with allied forces from United States Army, Royal Netherlands Army, French Army, and German Bundeswehr as part of NATO commitments such as those under SACEUR and NATO Stabilisation Force rotations.

Traditions and Regimental Identity

Regimental identity fused customs from the antecedent units including the celebration of founding days tied to 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot antecedents, mess traditions inherited from the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment, and affiliations with civic bodies such as the Gloucester City Council, Reading Borough Council, and county associations in Wiltshire County Council. Honorary colonels and royal patrons included figures associated with the Royal Family and senior officers from the British Army, while alliances were maintained with international units like the Canadian Army, Australian Army, and New Zealand Army. The regiment supported regimental museums housed in institutions such as the Gloucester Folk Museum, the Museum of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, and county heritage centres that preserved collections of uniforms, medals, and diaries from campaigns including Waterloo and El Alamein.

Uniforms, Insignia and Colours

Dress and insignia combined symbols from the antecedent regiments: cap badge elements reflecting the fox, sphinx, and Napoleonic battle honours; collar badges and stable belts carried colours associated with Gloucestershire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire county heraldry; and mess dress incorporated facing colours inherited from the Royal Berkshire Regiment and the Gloucestershire Regiment. Colours presented by members of the Royal Family and civic dignitaries were laid up in regimental chapels and cathedrals including Gloucester Cathedral and Winchester Cathedral, with insignia referencing honours such as the sphinx for Egypt and emblems from Waterloo.

Battle Honours and Memorials

Battle honours on the regimental colours encompassed engagements from Dettingen and Waterloo through Inkerman and Sevastopol to Somme, Ypres, El Alamein, and more recent credits for Iraq and Afghanistan deployments, reflecting the combined histories of the antecedent units. Memorials and rolls of honour are preserved at locations including the National Memorial Arboretum, regimental museums, and civic monuments in Gloucester, Reading, and Salisbury, with annual commemorations on Remembrance Sunday and regimental remembrance days attended by veterans associations, cadet contingents from Army Cadet Force, and local dignitaries.

Category:Infantry regiments of the British Army Category:Military units and formations established in 1994 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 2007