THE GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT 1914 - 1918

1st Battalion (Regular Battalion. 28th Regiment)
Served in France and Flanders in the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division. Landed in France 13 August 1914. Awarded 31 battle honours.
Died: 62 officers and 982 men died.
The sign of the First Division. Blue triangular flag, white edge, centre white spot, black flagstaff. (in Marine signals this flag represents the word 'One').

2nd Battalion (Regular Battalion. 61st Regiment)
Served in France, Flanders and Macedonia in the 81st Brigade, 27th Division. Landed in France 18 December 1914. Nov. 1915 with 82nd Brigade to Salonika. Awarded 8 battle honours.
Died: 32 officers and 324 men.
The sign of the 27th Division was a narrow strip of buff coloured cloth worn on each side of the shoulder-strap.

3rd Battalion (Special Reserve, late Royal South Gloucestershire Militia)
Served at home as a training unit. From Bristol they moved to Woolwich (1914), Gravesend (May 1915), Sittingbourne and Maidstone area (1916-18) as part of the Thames and Medway Garrison).
Died: 42 officers and 79 men.

1/4th (City of Bristol) Battalion (Territorials. Late 1st (City of Bristol) Volunteer Battalion)
Served in France, Flanders and Italy in 144th Brigade, 48th (South Midland) Division. Landed in France 30 March 1915. Awarded 12 battle honours.
Died: 48 officers and 333 men.
The sign of the 48th Division. A white diamond.

1/5th Battalion (Territorials. Late 2nd Volunteer Battalion)
Served in France, Flanders and Italy in 145th Brigade, 48th (South Midland) Division. Landed in France 29 March 1915. Awarded 16 battle honours.
Died: 30 officers and 557 men.

1/6th Battalion (Territorials. Late 3rd Volunteer Battalion)
Served in France, Flanders and Italy in 48th (South Midland) Division. Awarded 11 battle honours. Landed in France 31st March 1915.
Died: 40 officers and 469 men.

2/4th Battalion (Territorials 1914-18)
Served in France and Flanders in the 183rd Brigade, 61st Division. Formed at Bristol in September 1914. Landed in France 24 May 1916. Disbanded in France 20 February 1918. Awarded 4 battle honours.
Died: 288 men.
The sign of the 61st Division. The Roman numerals LXI (61).

3/4th Battalion (Territorials 1915-16)
Served at home as a Reserve Battalion. With the 3/5th and 3/6th in 1916 became the 4th Reserve Battalion.

2/5th Battalion (Territorials 1914-18)
Served in France and Flanders in the 61st Division. Awarded 13 battle honours.
Died: 481 men.

3/5th Battalion (Territorials 1915-16)
Served at home as a Reserve Battalion. With the 3/4th and 3/6th in 1916 became the 4th Reserve Battalion.

2/6th Battalion (Territorials 1914-18)
Served in France and Flanders in the 61st Division. Awarded 4 battle honours.
Died: 296 men.

3/6th Battalion (Territorials 1915-16)
Served at home as a Reserve Battalion. With the 3/4th and 3/5th in 1916 became the 4th Reserve Battalion.
Died: 19 men.

7th Battalion (Service Battalion 1914-19)
Served in Gallipoli, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Persia in 39th Brigade, 13th Division. Formed in Bristol August 1914. Landed in Gallipoli in July 1915. To Egypt in January 1916. Awarded 10 battle honours.
Died: 20 officers and 629 men.
The sign of the 13th Division. Black horseshoe 'for luck'.

8th Battalion (Service Battalion 1914-19)
Served in France and Flanders in 57th Brigade, 19th Division. Formed in Bristol in September 1914. Landed in France 18 July 1915. Awarded 23 battle honours.
Died: 42 officers and 931 men.
Sign of the 19th Division. The sign was adopted before July 1916, by Major-General G. Bridges, CB, CMG, DSO.

9th Battalion (Service Battalion 1914-19)
Served in France, Flanders and Macedonia in 78th Brigade, 26th Division. Formed at Bristol September 1914. Landed in France 21 September 1915. Awarded 6 battle honours.
Died: 5 officers and 131 men.
The sign of the 26th Division was a blue bar worn on the shoulder-straps.

10th Battalion (Service Battalion 1914-18)
Served in France and Flanders in the 1st Brigade, 1st Division. Formed at Bristol September 1914. Landed in France 8 August 1915. Disbanded in France 14 February 1918. Most personnel transferred to the 13th Entrenching Battalion. Awarded 23 battle honours.
Died: 31 officers and 625 men.

11th Battalion (Reserve Battalion 1914-15)
Served at home. Formed at Woolwich October 1914. Became 2nd Reserve Battalion in 1915 as part of 4th Reserve Brigade at Seaford. In September became 16th Training Reserve Battalion.
Died: 19 officers and 9 men.

12th Battalion ('Bristol's Own' Service Battalion 1914-19)
Served in France, Flanders and Italy in the 95th Brigade, 5th Division. Raised in Bristol on 30 August 1914. Landed in France 21 November 1915. To Italy, November 1917. Disbanded in France 19 October 1918. Awarded 22 battle honours.
Died: 11 officers and 754 men.
Sign of the 5th Division. A blue square with a yellow diagonal bar.

13th Battalion ('Forest of Dean' Service Battalion (Pioneers) 1914-19)
Served in France and Flanders in the 39th Division. Raised by Lieut-Colonel H. Webb, MP in December 1914. Landed in France 3 March 1916. Reduced to cadre on 6 May 1918. Awarded 9 battle honours.
Died: 10 officers and 292 men.
Sign of the 39th Division. A white square with three light (Eton) blue stripes. Adopted by General Barnadiston.

14th Battalion ('West of England' Service Battalion (Bantams) 1915-18)
Served in France and Flanders in 105th Brigade, 35th Division. Raised in Bristol. Landed in France 30 January 1916. Disbanded in France 11 February 1918. Awarded 5 battle honours.
Died: 12 officers and 359 men.
Sign of the 35th Division. Originally the 35th Division sign was a 'bantam cock', but this was changed in 1916-17 to a circular emblem of seven fives for 35.

15th Battalion (Local Reserve Battalion 1915-17)
Served at home as a reserve unit for 12th Battalion. Formed in August 1915 and based at Chisledon as 93rd Training Reserve Battalion, 22nd Reserve Brigade.
Died: 3 officers and 34 men.

16th Battalion (Local Reserve Battalion 1916-17)
Served at home as a reserve unit for 13th Battalion. Formed in November 1915 and based at Chisledon as 94th Training Reserve Battalion, 22nd Reserve Brigade.
Died: 1 officer and 31 men.

17th Battalion (Territorials 1917-19)
Served at home. On the 1 January 1917 the 82nd Provisional Battalion became the 17th Glosters. Based at Clacton in the 226th Brigade.
Died: 5 men.

18th Battalion (Service Battalion 1918-19)
Served in France and Flanders in 49th Brigade, 16th Division. Formed at Clacton 20 June 1918. Landed in France 1 August 1918. Awarded 1 battle honour.
Died: 1 officer and 38 men.
Sign of the 16th Division. Shamrock in green silk on a circle of khaki cloth. Worn on the arm below the shoulder. (A green diamond-shaped piece of cloth was worn on the right arm to signify that that the wearer had gained a G.O.C. Parchment Certificate for service under fire.)

Depot
Served at Horfield Barracks, Bristol.
Died: 4 men.

TOTALS
24 Battalions.
72 different Battle Honours.
Died: 409 officers and 7691 men.

Index