The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Cap Badge: History, Symbolism & Meaning
Introduction
The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, normally abbreviated to RGBW, formally entered the Army Order of Battle on 27 April 1994, bringing together The Gloucestershire Regiment and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire).
Although the RGBW title lasted for little more than a decade, the regiment inherited the histories of six numbered regiments of foot: the 28th, 49th, 61st, 62nd, 66th and 99th. Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire traditions remained deliberately visible in the new regiment’s insignia, headdress, buttons, Colours and ceremonial customs.
Its cap badge combined a cross pattée inherited through the Wiltshire lineage with the Gloucestershire Sphinx and EGYPT distinction. Behind the front badge was the red Brandywine Flash inherited from the Royal Berkshire tradition, while the famous Gloucestershire back badge continued to be worn at the rear of the headdress.
On 22 July 2005, the regiment transferred to the Light Division and became The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry. On 1 February 2007, its Regular battalion helped form 1st Battalion, The Rifles.
Choose Your RGBW Cap Badge or Display Frame
Formation of the Regiment
RGBW was created during the post-Cold War restructuring of the British Army. Both immediate predecessors already represented earlier amalgamations.
The Gloucestershire Regiment had been formed in 1881 from the 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire) had been formed in 1959 from the Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s) and the Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh’s). Those regiments carried the lineages of the 49th and 66th Foot on the Berkshire side and the 62nd and 99th Foot on the Wiltshire side.
The Regular element became 1st Battalion RGBW. 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion RGBW was formed in October 1995. Its companies were redistributed into the new Volunteer structure on 1 July 1999 during Territorial Army restructuring.
Key Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1694 | The regiment later numbered the 28th Foot is raised. |
| 1756–58 | Units that become the 61st and 62nd Foot are created as second battalions and subsequently numbered as independent regiments. |
| 21 Mar 1801 | 28th Foot fights at Alexandria, the action associated with the Gloucestershire back-badge tradition. |
| 1881 | 28th and 61st form The Gloucestershire Regiment; 49th and 66th form Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Berkshire Regiment); 62nd and 99th form The Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire Regiment). |
| 1885 | The Berkshire Regiment receives the Royal title following Tofrek. |
| 9 Jun 1959 | Royal Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiments form The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire). |
| 27 Apr 1994 | RGBW formally enters the Army Order of Battle. |
| 8 Jun 1994 | New Colours presented to 1 RGBW at Windsor Castle; the US Presidential Unit Citation inherited from the Glosters is re-presented. |
| Oct 1995 | 2nd (Volunteer) Battalion RGBW formed. |
| 1 Jul 1999 | Companies of 2 RGBW(V) redistributed into the new Volunteer structure. |
| 22 Jul 2005 | RGBW joins the Light Division and becomes RGBWLI. |
| 1 Feb 2007 | RGBWLI becomes part of The Rifles; its Regular battalion helps form 1 RIFLES. |
The Regimental Lineages
The Gloucestershire Regiment
The Gloucestershire Regiment was formed in 1881 from the 28th and 61st Foot. Its most recognisable inherited distinctions were the Sphinx and EGYPT device and the right to wear a badge at the rear of the headdress.
Both traditions came from the Egyptian campaign of 1801, but they were not identical. The Sphinx commemorated Egyptian service, while the back-badge tradition was associated specifically with the 28th Foot’s conduct at Alexandria on 21 March 1801, where it fought while threatened from front and rear.
The Gloucestershire Regiment later fought one of the best-known actions of the Korean War at the Battle of the Imjin River in April 1951. Its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel James Power Carne, received the Victoria Cross.
Lieutenant Philip Curtis of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, attached to 1st Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment, also received a posthumous Victoria Cross for his action at Imjin. The contemporary RGBW total of 16 Victoria Crosses reflects the regiment’s inherited gallantry tradition, including awards associated with predecessor battalions and attached officers.
The Berkshire Lineage
The Berkshire lineage came through the 49th and 66th Foot. The 1881 reforms created Princess Charlotte of Wales’s (Berkshire Regiment); the Royal title followed in 1885 after Tofrek.
Two particularly visible Berkshire distinctions survived into RGBW: the red Brandywine Flash behind the front cap badge and the China Dragon used on regimental buttons.
The Wiltshire Lineage
The Wiltshire Regiment descended from the 62nd and 99th Foot, combined in 1881 as The Duke of Edinburgh’s (Wiltshire Regiment). The most obvious Wiltshire contribution to the RGBW cap badge was the cross pattée, carried through DERR into the 1994 regiment.
Victoria Cross and George Cross Heritage
The regiment was described in Parliament in 2004 as inheriting 209 battle honours, 16 Victoria Crosses and one George Cross. These were inherited distinctions from its antecedent regiments, not awards made under the RGBW title itself.
The Gloucestershire inheritance included Lieutenant-Colonel James Power Carne VC for his leadership at the Imjin River.
The Berkshire inheritance included the Crimean War Victoria Crosses of Lieutenant John Augustus Conolly, Sergeant James Owens and Sergeant George Walters, followed by Private William House in South Africa and the First World War awards to Second Lieutenant Alexander Buller Turner and Lance Corporal James Welch. In discussing individual awards, the rank held at the time of the action is the most useful historical convention.
The Wiltshire lineage included Acting Captain Reginald Frederick Johnson Hayward VC, recognised for his actions during the German Spring Offensive in March 1918, and Sergeant Maurice Albert Windham Rogers VC, awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for his actions in Italy in 1944.
The George Cross
The inherited George Cross belonged to Lieutenant Terence Edward Waters, West Yorkshire Regiment, attached to The Gloucestershire Regiment. Captured following the Battle of the Imjin River, he resisted attempts to break him in captivity despite wounds and severe treatment. His George Cross was awarded posthumously.
The RGBW Cap Badge
The Cross Pattée
The principal body of the RGBW cap badge was a cross pattée, inherited through DERR from the Wiltshire Regiment. The Wardrobe describes the device as a cross pattée; the National Army Museum catalogues its specimen as a Maltese Cross.
The Sphinx and EGYPT
Above the cross sits the Gloucestershire Sphinx over the word EGYPT, inherited from the 28th Foot’s service during the Egyptian campaign of 1801.
The Brandywine Flash
RGBW wore a red triangular cloth flash behind the front cap badge. This came through DERR from the Royal Berkshire Regiment and was traditionally associated with the 49th Foot’s service during the American War of Independence.
The red flash itself is an established regimental distinction. The more detailed stories surrounding its origin at Brandywine and Paoli are best understood as regimental tradition rather than treated as proven in every later retelling.
The Back Badge
RGBW retained the Gloucestershire practice of wearing a badge at the rear of the headdress. The tradition commemorated the 28th Foot’s conduct at Alexandria in 1801 and later became one of the most recognisable distinctions passed into The Rifles.
The China Dragon
The China Dragon used on RGBW buttons came from the Berkshire side through DERR. Alongside the Brandywine Flash it ensured the Berkshire inheritance remained visible within the new regiment.
Regimental Traditions
RGBW deliberately retained visible traditions from all three county strands. Gloucestershire supplied the Sphinx and back badge, Berkshire the Brandywine Flash and China Dragon, and Wiltshire the cross pattée.
The regiment also inherited the United States Presidential Unit Citation awarded to 1st Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment for the Imjin River. When new Colours were presented to 1 RGBW at Windsor Castle on 8 June 1994, the citation was formally re-presented.
Regimental Marches
The original RGBW quick march was The Sphinx and Dragon, composed for the new regiment by Bandmaster G. Clegg. In 1999, it was replaced as the Regimental March by Army of the Nile. The slow march was Scipio.
Operational Service
RGBW began operational service almost immediately after formation. The battalion initially served at Catterick in the mechanised role with Saxon armoured personnel carriers before deploying to Bosnia in 1994 with United Nations forces. The battalion served at Goražde, with a company at Bugojno; four soldiers died in two vehicle accidents during the tour.
In March 1995, the battalion moved to Cyprus for a two-year United Nations posting. During that period a company was also detached to the Falkland Islands.
RGBW began a Northern Ireland posting in late 1997 and returned to Britain in 1999. A company also served with NATO forces in Kosovo in 1999.
From April 2000 to April 2002, the battalion served as a resident unit in Northern Ireland. After moving to Hounslow, it carried out two further operational deployments to Northern Ireland between December 2002 and June 2003, alongside public duties in London.
In March and April 2004, the regiment returned at short notice to Kosovo during renewed civil unrest.
Battle Honours and the Colours
RGBW was described in Parliament in 2004 as inheriting 209 battle honours. The inherited record stretched across more than two centuries and included honours associated with the Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire lineages.
The Colours of 1st Battalion RGBW were presented at Windsor Castle on 8 June 1994 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel-in-Chief. On the same occasion, the United States Presidential Unit Citation inherited from the Gloucestershire Regiment was re-presented.
The Volunteer battalion received new Colours at Windsor Castle on 5 June 1998.
After the regiment passed into The Rifles in 2007, the successor regiment followed the rifle tradition of not carrying Colours. The 1st Battalion RGBW Colours were subsequently laid up in Gloucester.
Becoming the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry
On 22 July 2005, RGBW transferred to the Light Division and was retitled The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry. The change of title did not bring a new cap badge: the Wardrobe records that there were no cap-badge or uniform changes at this stage.
Later that year the battalion deployed to Afghanistan, serving from bases including Mazar-e-Sharif and Kabul.
On 29 October 2005, Lance Corporal Steven Sherwood was killed by hostile action at Mazar-e-Sharif when his patrol came under fire.
On 27 March 2006, Lance Corporal Peter Edward Craddock died in a road traffic accident at Lashkar Gah. Both deaths belong to the regiment’s final operational tour before the creation of The Rifles.
RGBW and The Rifles
On 1 February 2007, RGBWLI joined the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, The Light Infantry and The Royal Green Jackets in forming The Rifles.
The Regular battalions of RGBWLI and the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry combined to form 1st Battalion, The Rifles.
RGBW’s most visible contribution to the new regiment’s formal Golden Threads was the EGYPT back badge.
Collecting the RGBW Cap Badge
The comparatively short life of RGBW makes its insignia easier to place chronologically than that of many older regiments, but individual examples still need careful examination.
Front Badge
The standard badge combines the cross pattée with the Sphinx and EGYPT distinction. The National Army Museum holds a circa-1994 other-ranks example in die-struck anodised aluminium.
Brandywine Flash
The red triangular backing is an important part of the complete RGBW headdress appearance. A loose metal badge without its flash is not necessarily incorrect as a collectable object, but the complete worn arrangement included the inherited Berkshire distinction.
Back Badge
The rear Gloucestershire-style badge needs to be assessed separately from the front RGBW badge. Because the back-badge tradition predates RGBW by many decades, a rear badge alone should not automatically be attributed to the 1994–2005 regiment without supporting provenance.
Materials and Fittings
Material, reverse fittings, dimensions, manufacture and provenance should be considered together. Brightness or apparent quality alone is not a reliable guide to age, rank or authenticity.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was RGBW formed?
The regiment formally entered the Army Order of Battle on 27 April 1994.
What does RGBW stand for?
Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire.
What does the RGBW cap badge show?
A Wiltshire-derived cross pattée surmounted by the Gloucestershire Sphinx and EGYPT distinction.
Why is there a red backing?
The Brandywine Flash was inherited through DERR from the Royal Berkshire Regiment.
Why did RGBW wear a badge at the back of the headdress?
The tradition came from The Gloucestershire Regiment and commemorated the 28th Foot’s action at Alexandria in 1801.
How many Victoria Crosses are associated with RGBW?
The regiment was described in Parliament in 2004 as inheriting 16 Victoria Crosses. None was awarded under the RGBW title itself.
Did RGBW inherit a George Cross?
Yes. The inherited record included the posthumous George Cross of Lieutenant Terence Edward Waters, West Yorkshire Regiment, attached to The Gloucestershire Regiment.
How many battle honours did RGBW inherit?
The regiment was described in Parliament in 2004 as inheriting 209 battle honours.
When did RGBW become Light Infantry?
22 July 2005, when it became The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry.
What happened in 2007?
Its Regular battalion combined with the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry to form 1st Battalion, The Rifles.
Legacy
Although the RGBW title lasted only from 1994 until the regiment became RGBWLI in 2005, the traditions of Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire remained deliberately visible in its dress, Colours and customs. Several of those distinctions passed in turn to The Rifles in 2007.
Its Regular lineage passed into 1 RIFLES, while the EGYPT back badge remains part of the wider identity of The Rifles.
Museums & Archives
- The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum — The Wardrobe, Salisbury preserves the Berkshire, Wiltshire, DERR and RGBW collections.
- Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, Gloucester preserves the Gloucestershire side of the regiment’s history, including the 28th and 61st Foot, the back badge and the Imjin tradition.
- National Army Museum, London holds RGBW and antecedent-regiment material, including documented RGBW insignia.
Further Reading
Selected authoritative sources used for this article:
- The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum — RGBW
- National Army Museum — The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment
- National Army Museum — The Gloucestershire Regiment
- National Army Museum — The Duke of Edinburgh’s Royal Regiment
- UK Parliament — RGBW debate, 29 November 2004
- The London Gazette — Terence Edward Waters GC
View full research source list
Officially Licensed RGBW Emblems and Heritage Displays
Precision Military Emblems produces officially MOD-licensed Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment display pieces from approved artwork.
- Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Cap Badge
- Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Cap Badge Display Frame
These are modern commemorative display pieces rather than original service-issued insignia. Intellectual Property of the Secretary of State for Defence is used under licence.
About Precision Military Emblems
Precision Military Emblems produces officially MOD-licensed 3D-printed British military badge display pieces and framed heritage displays in Leicestershire. The Military Heritage series is researched from regimental, museum, government and institutional sources.