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Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and
Wiltshire Regiment (now Light Infantry)
The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment was formed in 1994 by the amalgamation of two English Regiments - the Gloucestershire Regiment and the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire).
The Regiment is unique in the British Army in that it is permitted to wear the United States Distinguished Unit Citation, which it inherited from the 1st Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment. The citation was awarded for their defence of Gloster Hill during the Battle of the Imjin River in April 1951 during the Korean War.
It is also unique in being the only regiment in the British Army 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 while 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.
The modern regiment, converted to a Light Infantry Regiment on 22nd July 2005. It comprises one operational battalion, which is at the forefront of British Military operations. Currently based in Hounslow, the battalion will move to Chester in July, 2005.
The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry will merge with The Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, The Light Infantry and The Royal Green Jackets to form The Rifles in February 2007.
