Both of the regular Battalions fought in Burma as part of the 14th Army, which later became known as the "Forgotten Army". On the 22nd August they began their part in the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) with an attack on the enemy defences SE of St Julien. During this period training intensified and after the evacuation of Dunkirk their duties on the coast brought a certain amount of urgency to the task. This was awarded as an honour to the 28th Foot and subsequently worn by the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry. The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (RGBW) was formed in 1994. In 1921, it was renamed the Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's). At this point they were reinforced and the battalion was soon fully up to strength. On arrival at Ahmednagar they reorganised and continued training taking on board some of the lesson learned in the Arakan. This was followed by a spell in Divisional reserve at Fleurbaix and then two months of intensive training to incorporate all the new men who had been drafted in to replace the casualties. Here they were ordered to waterproof all their vehicles. Within  three weeks the Battalion was being tested due to the serious rioting in the Turkish quarter of the city. The Battalion started the year in a rear area keeping the roads free of snow where they remained until early February. In September the young soldiers were separated and formed another unit The 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion The Royal Berkshire Regiment. Greece was also in favour of the movement , so much so that it not only set up a guerrilla organisation, known as EOKA, but also provided a leader for it in the person of George Grivas. It was called No 3 Company and within a month went to Norway, where it made long forced marches and fought hard The remainder of the year was spent of defensive and costal duties. The hope was that as a battalion they could son see action. This Provisional Bn was renamed 1st Bn on 6 July 1916. In June they were made responsible for the care of survivors from Channel loses, plus the burial of prisoners of war. They were back in action for the Battle of Cambrai near Bourlon between the 26th and 30th November 1917 as part of 99th Brigade. In May they came under a severe and violent attack. He had no less than 23 separate commendations. Over a 3000 bags of chalk were taken out daily. The cost in deaths was heavy with the Royal Berkshires losing 6,688 men. They became the 158th and 159th Companies of the newly formed Labour Corps on 12th May 1917 and virtually severed all links with the rest of the Regiment. In December they went to Northern Ireland joining the 148 independent brigade. On the 15th April the battalion took over trenches in its own right in Ploegsteert Wood where their first officer casualty was Lieutenant Ronnie Poulton-Palmer a famous England three quarter Rugby player. They retired to a Reserve location and Christmas was spent at Béthune. During this time they lost 8 officers and 256 other ranks. By the 1st May there was only enough men left to form two companies of 4 officers and 100 Other ranks each which was merged with the 23rd Royal Fusiliers to form a composite battalion. During the period known as ‘The Phoney War’. They carried out raids and reconnaissance missions. They were carrying out this training at Christmas. The Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. However on the 15th October they were diverted to Mustafa Pasha and Adrianople and on to Rustchuk on the Danube where the influenza epidemic struck.Later they went to Batum and Tiflis and finally to Constantinople where they were mostly demobilised. The battalion spent the early part of the year preparing for their role as a beach battalion in the forthcoming Normandy Landings. Their first role was to take up a position in the bridgehead at Pignataro Later in the moth they took part the attack on the ridge at Calvi Risorta which was successful. It was part of the British force sent to assist in protecting British authority which was being threatened by a fanatical Moslem leader, the Mahdi, and in particular a local chief, Osman Digna, who was supporting the revolt. James Herbert Benyon, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, inspects men of the 4th Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment at Newbury Racecourse, October 1914. In August they took part in a major attack on Iron Cross Redoubt acting as the spearhead for the 8th Division. The Battle of Loos opened on September 25th and the 8th attacked Hulluch village. Their first action was a raid at Ferme du Bois 13th July 1916. The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (RGBW) joined the The Light Division on 22 July 2005 (Salamanca Day), becoming The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry. The winter of 1917 was spent in and out of the trenches and training. WO 95/1096–3948. They then took up defensive positions within the perimeter and fought the Japanese who in some places were within grenade throwing distance (and sometimes closer) Many fierce and violent actions took place at Kohima and they were finally relieved on the 17th May returning to Dimapur After five weeks hard fighting 2 officers and 56 men were killed, 15 officers and 239 men were wounded, with a further 60 falling sick. At the en of April the battalion began a series of moves, to Whiteparish, Wareham, and Swan age, while companies wee scattered all over the south of England guarding Vulnerable points. Please click on the links below to view a snap shot of a particular Regiment's history. On New years day they moved to Taze. During the year they provided drafts of trained soldiers to the front line battalions of the regiment. ...worthy of even greater praise is the ... tenacity with which they have held the position ever since, and the skill with which they have entrenched themselves against a constant fire from artillery and musketry...". The German counter-attack came on the 30th November and they were forced to retire. They reverted to local soldiering and were soon immersed in guards of honours for visiting dignitaries such as the duke of Gloucester. 6th Battalion - a platoon on the Western front 1917. Once an organised line was established the immediate danger was over but the Arabs continued to attack with fanatical bravery. The final British offensive began on the 8th August with the Battle of Amiens with 8th in action at Gressaire Wood. 1st Battalion August 1914 : in Ahmednagar, India. The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment ou Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry était un régiment d'infanterie de l'Armée de terre britannique (British Army). At the start of the new year they moved to Cornwall and after a short period of stabilization they were spread all over Cornwall guarding Vulnerable points.. The regiment were now to join a new large regiment created by the amalgamation of the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, The Light Infantry, the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, and the Royal Green Jackets. The battalion was disbanded in December 1943 due to an increasing shortage of manpower in the Army. The 6th lost 27 killed and 127 wounded. No need to register, buy now! After the breakout from the Singu Bridgehead the brigade advanced. The next three months were spent in and out of trenches including Christmas day when they took part in the Christmas Truce. In January the battalion was based at Ridge Camp, Corsham, Wiltshire when they were ordered to provide two platoons as a personal guard for Her Majesty Queen Mary, then living at Badminton. The 18th Division was one of the few to completely attain all their objectives that day and the 6th Battalion advanced over one and a half miles in the day. On the outbreak of the First World War the 1st Battalion was in Aldershot and the 2nd in India. Their first attack took place on the 22nd at a location called Sickle trench, followed by other attacks in the same area. A number of smaller but none the less violent actions took place until September when the campaign in Sicily drew to a close. After this series of events the battalion had lost 35% of its strength. The two regular battalions reverted to "peacetime soldiering" with postings in familiar locations such as India, Ireland and Egypt. By the time the battle concluded the 5th had lost 8 officers and 295 Other ranks. The battalion fought in the Arakan Campaign in late 1942 until June 1943 and later were destined to play a crucial role in the Battle of Kohima the following year, with B Company leading the battalion in relieving the 4th Royal West Kents during the siege. [15] In 1916 Lance corporal James Welch, also of the 1st Battalion, was awarded the Victoria Cross as well. Clicking on the link will take you to the results on Findmypast but you will need a subscription or Pay-Per-View credits to actually view the records. During the Battle of Loos, the 8th Battalion attacked Hulluch village and a platoon managed to fight its way into the village, capturing two German field guns and a number of machine guns. On the 12th June they were transferred back to the British Army and moved to near Dieppe where the 2nd Battalion was rebuilt. The Royal Berkshires raised 13 Battalions which served in these theatre of operations. In November they went to Bombay returning to Ahmednagar on the 1stDecember. Service in Bermuda, Halifax, Gibraltar and Ireland followed with a final posting to Aldershot where they embarked for the First World War. On the 27th August they moved to Devon and were ordered to mobilize in five days. Light Role Infanteers are trained to fight on foot, but their flexibility means they can deploy by land, air or sea. 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