The Gloucestershire Regiment

Gloucestershire Regiment
Cap badge (left) and back badge (right) of the Gloucestershire Regiment
Active	1881–1994
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Line infantry
Garrison/HQ	Horfield Barracks, Bristol
Nickname(s)	The Glorious Glosters, Slashers
Motto(s)	By our deeds we are known
March	The Kinnegad Slashers
Anniversaries	Back Badge Day (21 Mar)
Decorations	United States Army Presidential Unit Citation

The Gloucestershire Regiment was a line 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. The Gloucestershire Regiment existed from 1881 until 1994 when it was amalgamated with the Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire) to form the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment which was merged with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, The Light Infantry and the Royal Green Jackets to create a new large regiment, The Rifles.

Soldiers of the Gloucestershire Regiment, and subsequently the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment from 1994 onwards, wore a cap badge on both the front and the rear of their headdress, a tradition maintained by soldiers in The Rifles when in service dress. The back badge is unique in the British Army and was adopted by the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to commemorate their actions at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801.

The Gloucestershire Regiment traced its roots to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot which was raised in 1694 in Portsmouth and first saw action in 1705 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Having been commanded by (and therefore named after) a succession of colonels, the regiment was renamed in 1742 as the 28th Regiment of Foot and fought under this name during the War of the Austrian Succession. Another predecessor, the 61st Regiment of Foot, was formed in 1758 when the British Army was expanded during the Seven Years' War. The 61st gained its first battle honour a year later during the invasion of Guadeloupe, the same year that General Wolfe placed himself at the head of the 28th on the Plains of Abraham just prior to the capture of Quebec.