| Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment) Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Royal Berkshire Regiment. | |
| Active | 1881–1959 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Line infantry |
| Size | 2Regular battalions 1Militia battalion (Royal Berkshire Regiment) 1 – 2Territorial andVolunteer battalions Up to 12 hostilities-only battalions |
| Garrison/HQ | Brock Barracks,Reading |
| Nickname(s) | "The Biscuit Boys" |
| Anniversaries | Maiwand (27 July) |
| Engagements | Second Boer War World War I World War II |
TheRoyal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was aline infantryregiment of theBritish Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was created in 1881, as thePrincess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment), by the amalgamation of the49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot and the66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot.[1] In 1921, it was renamed theRoyal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's).
The regiment saw active service in theSecond Boer War,World War I andWorld War II. On 9 June 1959, the Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) was amalgamated with theWiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's) to form theDuke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire) which was again amalgamated, on 27 July 1994, with theGloucestershire Regiment to create theRoyal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment. Like its predecessor regiment, however, this was on 1 February 2007 merged with theDevonshire and Dorset Regiment, theRoyal Green Jackets andThe Light Infantry to form a newlarge regiment,The Rifles.
The Berkshire Regiment was formed as part of the reforms carried out byEdward Cardwell andHugh Childers,Secretaries of State for War in the late nineteenth century. The first stage, under Cardwell in 1873, introduced a "localisation scheme". This saw the United Kingdom divided into "Brigade Districts" consisting of acounty or counties. Each district was assigned two regular infantry battalions, one of which would be on foreign service while the other was on home service. The home-based battalion was to provide drafts to the battalion on foreign duty as required. Countymilitia regiments were also to be linked with the regular battalions, with all sharing a single depot in the brigade district. It was announced that a depot was to be built atReading, Berkshire, which would serve a district comprising the County ofBerkshire. The two line battalions which were to be linked were the 49th and 66th Regiments of Foot, along with theRoyal Berkshire Militia.[2] On 1 July 1881, the reforms were completed under Childers, with the formation ofThe Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Berkshire Regiment), consisting of the following battalions:
In 1885, following its service at theBattle of Tofrek, the regiment was granted "Royal" status, to becomeThe Princess Charlotte of Wales's (Royal Berkshire Regiment).[6]
The 1st Battalion formed part of thegarrison of theImperial fortresscolony ofBermuda from 1893 through 1895.[7] On 19 March 1896 the regiment, under Major Massard, was called in by thePenzance Borough Police andCornwall County Constabulary to help quell disorder during theNewlyn riots. They arrived by train inPenzance at around 4pm and took temporary barracks in the town. Two hours later their assistance was requested by the Superintendent in charge and they assisted police in occupying the pier atNewlyn long enough to see in the arrival ofHMSFerret.[8]
The 1st Battalion was posted atGibraltar from February 1900[9] to November 1902, when they joined the 2nd battalion in Egypt.[10] The 2nd Battalion was posted toSouth Africa in February 1898 and stayed there throughout theSecond Boer War (1899–1902), leaving forEgypt in November 1902.[11]
In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming theTerritorial Force and the latter theSpecial Reserve;[12] the regiment now had one Reserve and one Territorial battalion.[13][14]
The regiment, in common with the rest of the British Army, saw a huge expansion during theFirst World War and many service battalions, for war service only, were created from volunteers forKitchener's New Armies. Most battalions would see active service in thetrenches of theWestern Front in Belgium and France.
The 1st Battalion was aRegular Army unit and was serving with the6th Brigade, part of the2nd Division and served with theBritish Expeditionary Force when it was sent to Belgium in 1914.[15] They fought in theBattle of Mons, theMarne and theFirst Battle of Ypres, where the old regular British army was virtually wiped out and could have been said to have found its grave there. In 1915 during theBattle of Loos,2nd LieutenantAlexander Buller Turner of the 3rd Battalion, attached to the 1st, was posthumously awarded theVictoria Cross.[16] In 1916Lance corporalJames Welch, also of the 1st Battalion, was awarded the Victoria Cross as well.[17]
The 2nd Battalion was also a Regular Army unit and was serving inIndia on the outbreak of war and was recalled to Britain, where, with other Regular units also stationed abroad, it helped form the25th Brigade and was attached to the8th Division. They came to the Western Front in late 1914 and served there for the rest of the war.[15]
TheTerritorial Force saw a considerable expansion and raised the 1/4th, 2/4th and 3/4th battalions. The 1/4th Battalion was part of the South Midland Brigade of the South Midland Division. In 1915 it was designated the145th Brigade,48th (South Midland) Division. They served on the Western Front until 1917 when they were transferred toItaly.[15]
The 2/4th Battalion was formed at Reading, Berkshire, as a duplicate of the 1/4th Battalion and served in the184th Brigade, part of the61st (2nd South Midland) Division and, like the majority of the British Army, served on the Western Front during the war.[15]
The 3/4th Battalion was raised in 1915 as a 3rd-Line duplicate of the 1/4th Battalion. The 3/4th remained in Britain for the war supplying drafts and replacements to the other Territorial Force battalions.[15]
The regiment also raised many service battalions during the war, specifically for war service only. The 5th (Service) Battalion was part of the First New Army, part ofKitchener's Army, and joined the35th Brigade attached to the12th (Eastern) Division. They saw their first action in 1915 atLoos. Then, in 1916, the battalion fought at theBattle of Albert andPozières in 1917. In 1918 the 5th Battalion was transferred to the36th Brigade, still with 12th Division.[15]
The 6th (Service) Battalion was formed as part of Kitchener's Second New Army and joined the53rd Brigade,18th (Eastern) Division and fought at the 1916 Albert battle,Delville Wood and theBattle of Thiepval Ridge. Then, in early 1918, the 6th (Service) Battalion was disbanded in France due to a manpower shortage where all infantry brigades were reduced from four to three infantry battalions to make up for the shortage and the men of the disbanded 6th were sent to the 1st, 2nd and 5th battalions.[15]
The 7th and 8th (Service) battalions were both formed in September 1914 as part of Kitchener's Third New Army and both joined the26th Division.[15] The 7th Battalion joined the78th Brigade and moved to Salonika to fight the Bulgarian Army on theMacedonian front in the battles ofHorseshoe Hill andDoiran in 1917 and ended the war in Macedonia. The 8th Battalion transferred in 1916 to the1st Brigade,1st Division, a Regular Army formation, where they fought in many of the terrible slaughterhouse battles of the war such as theBattle of Aubers RidgeLoos andPasschendaele, the epitome of trench slaughter. They ended the war in Le Cateau, France. 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.2nd Lieutenant Lawrence was awarded theMilitary Cross for his exploits.[1]
The9th (Reserve) Battalion was originally a service battalion of Kitchener's Fourth New Army formed in 1914 until 1915 when it became the 37th Training Reserve Battalion and supplied the service battalions overseas with replacements.[15]
The 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th battalions were all formed in 1916, serving in France and were transferred to theLabour Corps and remained there for the rest of the war.[15]
Throughout the war, the regiment lost 6,688 men killed and many thousands more wounded. After theGreat War, as it was and still is known, was over the 3rd Battalion was disembodied and all the service battalions were disbanded as well as the Territorial Force which was reformed in 1920 as theTerritorial Army.Miles Dempsey served with the regiment after being commissioned as a2nd Lieutenant in 1915, where he was awarded theMilitary Cross for bravery. He would serve with distinction in the Second World War inFrance,North Africa,Sicily,Italy andNorth-Western Europe and became the Commander of theBritish Second Army fromD-Day onwards. In 1921 the titles switched to become theRoyal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales's).[1]
TheSecond World War also saw an expansion for the regiment but not quite to the extent of the Great War. However, casualties were still heavy and the Royal Berkshire Regiment lost 1067 men killed including 974 other ranks and 93 officers killed in action with many hundreds more wounded.[18]
The 1st Battalion, commanded byLieutenant ColonelMiles Dempsey, was still assigned to the6th Infantry Brigade in the2nd Infantry Division, part of theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF) that was sent to France in 1939 after war was declared. They took part in theBattle of France in 1940 and wereevacuated during theBattle of Dunkirk.[1]
However, the 2nd Division, 1st Royal Berkshires included, was sent toIndia in 1942, after theImperial Japanese Armyconquered much of Burma in early 1942. The battalion and division became part of theFourteenth Army under the command ofLieutenant GeneralWilliam "Bill" Slim. The battalion fought in theArakan Campaign in late 1942 until June 1943 and later were destined to play a crucial role in theBattle of Kohima the following year, with B Company leading the battalion in relieving the4th Royal West Kents during the siege. The often savage fighting in Kohima, nicknamedStalingrad of the East, turned the tide of thecampaign in Burma. Entering the Battle around 20 April 1944, the 1st Royal Berkshires continued to fight the Japanese for a further three weeks in horrendous conditions, and suffered just over 50% casualties. From 15 April 1944 to 24 June 1944 the battalion had 52 killed, 290 wounded and 15 missing (357 casualties overall) from an initial fighting strength of 691.[19] The battalion continued to fight in the Burma Campaign, seeing action in theBattle of Meiktila and Mandalay until being withdrawn to India in April 1945.[20]
As in the First World War, the 2nd Battalion was stationed inIndia at the outbreak of war and remained there for the duration. From the outbreak of war until August 1940, the battalion served with the6th Indian Infantry Brigade. In January 1943 the battalion was assigned to98th Indian Infantry Brigade, part of19th Indian Infantry Division and, like the 1st Battalion, also served in the Burma Campaign under the command of Fourteenth Army. A memorial plaque stands at the entrance to a pagoda near the top ofMandalay Hill. It was erected in honour of the men of the 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment who fought and died there and reads;
Erected to commemorate the fierce fighting in the clearance and final capture of Mandalay Hill by the 2nd Bn. The Royal Berkshire Regiment, March 10th to 12th 1945.[21]
The battalion continued to fight the Japanese until the war against Japan ended onVictory over Japan Day.[1]
The 4th Battalion was a 1st LineTerritorial Army unit serving in145th Infantry Brigade,48th (South Midland) Infantry Division. It was sent overseas to France in early January 1940 with the rest of 48th Division and, in February, it was exchanged for the 2nd Battalion,Gloucestershire Regiment to the8th Infantry Brigade, part of3rd Infantry Division underMajor-GeneralBernard Montgomery before, with the rest of the BEF, being evacuated to Dunkirk. After Dunkirk the battalion was posted away and was not part of a field unit but trained intensively for future combat operations, gaining a high standard of fitness and morale. However, in December 1940 the battalion transferred to the148th Independent Infantry Brigade and served with it inNorthern Ireland, and remained with the brigade for the rest of the war. In mid-1942 the battalion moved toWrotham inKent and then became anofficer cadet training unit for the rest of the war.[1]
The 5th (Hackney) Battalion had previously been10th,London Regiment before being re-attached to theRifle Brigade in 1916. It played an important part onJuno Beach during theNormandy Landings, before being disbanded in 1945, re-raised the following year as 648th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery (Royal Berkshire) then disbanded finally in 1955.[1]
The 6th Battalion was raised in 1939 as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 4th Battalion, and served in the184th Infantry Brigade,61st Infantry Division. The battalion remained with the 61st Division throughout the war. By the time ofVictory in Europe Day the battalion was based inSussex and were re-training several hundred men of theRoyal Artillery into infantrymen. Soon afterwards, the battalion were preparing for a move to the Far East to join the 1st and 2nd battalions but the Japanese surrendered before the battalion arrived.[1]
The 7th (Stoke Newington) Battalion was raised in 1939 as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 5th (Hackney) Battalion and joined its parent battalion in the 161st Infantry Brigade, 54th (East Anglian) Division. The battalion spent most of its existence moving around the United Kingdom, mainly inEast Anglia, on guard duties and training and preparing for a possibleGerman invasion of England. The battalion never served overseas and was disbanded in September 1942.[1]
The 8th (Home Defence) Battalion was formed in November 1939 from No. 84 Group,National Defence Companies. The battalion was created specifically for home defence purposes and consisted mainly of men mainly in a lower medical category and younger soldiers unable to beconscripted and eventually it grew to 2,000 strong. In 1940 the younger soldiers of the battalion were split and formed a new 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion and in 1941 the 8th Battalion was re-designated as the 30th Battalion.[1]
The 9th Battalion, nicknamedThe Farmer's Boys, was formed in June 1940 at Reading and joined the213th Infantry Brigade (Home) and spent the war in the United Kingdom. The battalion was disbanded in December 1943 due to an increasing shortage of manpower in the Army.[1]
The 50th (Holding) Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment was another war-formed unit of the regiment raised in May 1940 in Reading, Berkshire. The 50th (Holding) Battalion's job was to 'hold' men who were homeless, medically unfit or those awaiting orders, on courses or returning from abroad. In late 1940 it was renumbered the 10th Battalion and, in early 1941, joined the168th (London) Infantry Brigade,56th (London) Infantry Division. In late 1942 the division was sent to theMiddle East. The 168th Brigade was detached to fight with the50th Division which was understrength after heavy fighting and casualties atGazala inNorth Africa. The 168th Brigade took part inOperation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, and then fought in theItalian Campaign back with the 56th Division. The division came under the command of theUS Fifth Army underMark W. Clark for thelandings at Anzio, where the battalion endured some of the bitterest fighting of the war so far. Fighting at Anzio was similar to thetrench warfare of theGreat War. However, due to the severe shortage of manpower in the British Army at the time, and the battalion being the most junior in 56th Division, the battalion was broken up in March 1944 and the men were used as replacements for other infantry units of 56th Division.[1]
The 70th (Young Soldiers) Battalion was raised in 1940 from the younger personnel of the 8th (Home Service) Battalion and mainly consisted of soldiers around the age of 18-19 who had volunteered for the British Army. The battalion spent most of its time guarding areas of the United Kingdom against German invasion and grew to a size of well over 1,000 officers and men, with the hope that they would be able to see action overseas. However, the unit was disbanded in July 1943, as with all such units of other regiments, due to theBritish government lowering the age of conscription to 18 earlier in the year, and the young soldiers were sent to the front-line battalions of the regiment.[1]
The 2nd Royal Berkshire Battalion were based in Burma and paraded at the Independence Day ceremony on the 3 January 1948, leaving that day.[22]
After the Second World War, all hostilities-only battalions were disbanded, and the 4th and 6th battalions were amalgamated. In 1959 the regiment was amalgamated withThe Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's) intoThe Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire).[23]
The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum is based inSalisbury.[24]
The colonels of the regiment were as follows:[14]
The regiment's selected battle honours were as follows:[36]
The regiment has received theFreedom of several locations throughout its history; these include:
