The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is part of

British Forces Gibraltar British Forces Gibraltar constitute those elements of the British Armed Forces stationed in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is used primarily as a training area, thanks to its good climate and rocky terrain, and as a stopov ...

for the

British overseas territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

, which historically, along with

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

(prior to the 1867

Confederation of Canada Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Dominion of Canada, on July 1, 1867. This process ...

), and

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, had been designated an

Imperial fortress Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, Lord Salisbury described Malta, Gibraltar, Bermuda, and Halifax as Imperial fortresses at the 1887 Colonial Conference, though by that point they had been so designated for decades. Later histor ...

rather than a colony. It was formed in 1958 from the Gibraltar Defence Force as an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

unit, with an integrated

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

. The regiment is included in the British Army as a defence engagement force.

History

18th century

The earliest verifiable historical evidence of local civilians enrolled to defend Gibraltar dates to 24 June 1720 and, by 1755, an armed organisation of local men were mounting guard on the picket line from Bayside to Devil's Tower to prevent soldiers from the garrison deserting across to the enemy. These men were known as the Genoese Guard and were disbanded at the end of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. During the

Great Siege of Gibraltar The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Enlightenment in Spain, Spain and Kingdom of France, France to capture Gibraltar from the Kingdom of Great Britain, British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the largest ba ...

, 160 local labourers volunteered to take part in the action during the night of 26/27 November 1781. They were tasked with following the advancing troops and assisting in the dismantling and demolition of the Spanish batteries, magazines and trenches.

19th century

During the Sudan Campaign 100 local men were deployed by the commissariat as transport drivers, known as '' Los Carreteros Del Rey (The King's Cart Drivers)''. The expedition was involved in several battles with the Dervishes. During a parade held in Gibraltar, the cart drivers were awarded the Egyptian War Medal with a clasp bearing the title 'Suakin 1885'.

20th century

During the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

, in 1900, a group of Gibraltarians offered to form a ''Local Corps of Volunteers''. The suggestion was made that some of the Volunteers might be organised as a Rifle Corps. However, the war was over before the Corps was formed.

World War I

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, a group of local rowing club members volunteered to take up arms. Such was the interest that soon some 400 Gibraltarians joined. One of their tasks was to act as stretcher bearers for the many casualties arriving on

hospital ships A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating healthcare, medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navy, navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or ...

from

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

. The wounded were taken to the Royal Naval Hospital Gibraltar and a number of temporary hospitals. The volunteers obtained recognition from the governor, General Sir

Herbert Miles Sir Herbert Scott Gould Miles (31 July 1850 – 6 May 1926) was a senior British Army officer. He was Quartermaster-General to the Forces from 1908 to 1912, and Governor of Gibraltar from 1913 until 1918 during the First World War. Military care ...

, on 3 July 1915. Addressing the volunteers at

Wellington Front Wellington Front is a fortification in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It was built in 1840 on a site established by the Spanish in 1618. History Wellington Front is a long stretch of curtain wall that forms part of the Line Wall ...

, the governor said that the Corps had "come into being not because of any official demand but as a result of their patriotic fervour and of their love and respect for the Crown". The Corps was based at Orange Bastion, with its headquarters on the ground floor of what is now

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. Later, the group moved to Wellington Front. The volunteers were divided into four rifle companies, A, B, C and D: each was commanded by a captain, with two subalterns, one sergeant major, four sergeants, eight corporals, two buglers and about 80 men. The first commanding officer was Major G B Roberts of the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

. During the war, the Corps provided reinforcement to assist in the defence of the Rock. The Corps was disbanded on 1 February 1920.

World War II

In 1938, the Governor, General Sir Edmund Ironside, formed a Territorial Artillery unit to help man the anti-aircraft guns on Gibraltar. The Volunteers paraded for the first time on 28 April 1939. Just before the outbreak of the war, more volunteers were called for and men were allocated to the 4th and 27th Coast Batteries of the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

as well as to the

Royal Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

and

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

. On 2 September 1939, the Gibraltar Defence Force was mobilised. The Heavy Anti Aircraft section was attached to 19 AA Battery Royal Artillery and deployed with two 3 inch guns to the Admiralty oil tanks, on the east side of the Rock. They fired their first shots in anger on 7 July 1940 and from then on they were often in action against

Vichy French Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against G ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

planes, engaging

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

planes later in the war. They shot down their first enemy aircraft on the night of 20 August 1940. The entry in the unit's War Diary reads as follows: Early in 1944, the force was reconstituted under the Defence Force Ordinance 1943. The majority of volunteers were placed on the reserve list, with other sections disbanded.

Post war

On 30 August 1958, the permanent cadre and the reserve of the Gibraltar Defence Force was formed into the Gibraltar Regiment. The regiment then had a dual role, being organised as an infantry battalion with four rifle companies and an artillery troop manning the coastal guns. This organisation was to remain in force until 1971. With the departure of the last gunner unit in 1958, the regiment was issued with four 25 pounder (88 mm) guns and took over the responsibilities of firing Royal Gun

Salute A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Sc ...

s. On 25 September 1971, the regiment was presented with its first colours. At a ceremony held at the Grand Parade, the Governor, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Varyl Begg, presented the regiment with its colours on behalf of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. On the same day, the regiment was granted the Freedom of the City of Gibraltar by the

Mayor of Gibraltar The Mayor of Gibraltar is the ceremonial official of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The mayor is appointed by the elected Members of ParliamentAlfred Vazquez, during a ceremony outside the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

. The artillery battery was named Thomson's Battery on 15 September 1973 in honour of the late Sir Willie Thomson OBE JP; and, in December 1975, Thomson's Battery was issued with three 105mm L5 Pack Howitzers. Following

Operation Corporate The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial dependency, South Georgia and the South ...

, the Ministry of Defence decided, in line with its policy of modernisation and commonality of equipment, to re-equip the regiment with new weapons. In late 1982, six 105mm

L118 light gun The L118 light gun is a 105 mm towed howitzer. It was originally designed and produced in the United Kingdom for the British Army in the 1970s. It has since been widely exported. The L119 and the United States Army's M119 are variants that use a ...

s guns replaced the three howitzers and eight Blowpipe surface-to-air missile units replaced the four L40/70 AA Guns. On 1 April 1991, the regiment was reorganised into an all-infantry unit and took over the duties of the resident infantry battalion. The re-roled regiment consisted of a headquarters company (Thomson's Bty), a

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

and three rifle companies of which G and I companies were regular and B Company (and the band) consisted of TA soldiers. On 1 July 1998, the

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edwa ...

presented the regiment with its new colours.

21st century

The regiment has supplied officers and men for the conflicts in Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Kosovo,

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. It is in these theatres that members of the regiment have been decorated with two

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

s and a

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment signed up to the

Armed Forces Act 2011 The Armed Forces Act 2011 (c. 18) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It part of a series of acts to provide a legislative framework for the UK Armed Forces. Apart from giving the armed forces the legal authority to exist for an ...

to bring it in line with

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

. It was signed by

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territories, British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of ...

Ed Davis (Royal Marines officer) on board in 2018 along with

Fabian Picardo Fabian Raymond Picardo (born 18 February 1972) is a Gibraltarian politician and barrister, serving as Chief Minister of Gibraltar and Leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party since 2011. At the 2015 and 2019 Gibraltar general elections, ...

and Armed Forces Minister Mark Lancaster. On 31 March 2022 the Royal Gibraltar Regiment was presented with

New Colours ''New Colours'' is a 1971 album by UK pop group The New Seekers. It was their first album released on the Polydor Records, Polydor label. Overview In the UK, The New Seekers had failed to gain mainstream success until mid-1971 when the single ...

by HRH Earl of Wessex at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

Structure

Initially a reserve force, on the withdrawal of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

garrison from the territory in 1991, the regiment was reorganised into an all-infantry unit and took over the duties of the resident battalion. The re-roled regiment consisted of a headquarters company (Thompson's Battery) and three rifle companies of which B Company is the reserve element with the others being made up of regular soldiers. As of 2023, the regiment was reported to have a strength of 235 personnel, meaning that most component companies and platoons were understrength. Component elements of the regiment consisted of: * HQ Company (Thomson's Battery, Regular) - made up currently of the Artillery Troop ( L118 105mm light guns), Motor Transport Platoon, Signals Wing, Catering Platoon and Clothing Stores. * G Company (Regular) – comprises three regular rifle platoons. * I Company (Regular) – a regular rifle company, but also holds the regiment's specialists when fully manned. These are: ** 2 × recce sections, ** 5 × sniper pairs, ** 2 × machine gun sections, ** 2 × assault pioneer/soldier sections, ** 2 × high-assurance search teams, ** 2 × low-risk search teams, ** The regiment's explosive ordnance disposal teams (EOD) * B Company (Reserves) consists of three rifle platoons. It also provides two sharpshooter pairs, two machine gun sections and one low-risk search team.

Role

The regiment undertakes army ceremonial tasks in Gibraltar as it is the only major unit based there. It is responsible for the ceremonial guard of the Governor at his residence the Convent, and performing the ceremony of the keys twice a year and the King's Birthday Parade in Casemates Square, as well as any other Guards of Honour. In March 2001, for the first time, the regiment mounted the

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

. In addition to this, the regiment has fired three 62 Gun Royal salutes at the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

on the occasion of the Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, a duty normally carried out by the

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

. The regiment resumed both roles in April 2012 and returned to London once again in March 2022 for public duties. Changing of the Guard sentry box - Royal Gib Regiment

Changing of the Guard sentry box - Royal Gib Regiment

Honorary Regimental Colonels

Source: *1953–: Col. Sir William Thomson *1958–: Gen. Sir Charles Frederic Keightley *1980–1985: Col. John Joseph Porral *1985–1989: Col. Arthur John Ferrary *1989–1998: Col. Domingo Louis Collado *1993–1999: Col. Sir Robert John Peliza *1998–2003: Col. John Joseph Porral *2003–2008: Lt-Col. Eddie A. Guerrero *2008–2014: Lt-Col. Dennis Duarte *2014–2017: Col. The Hon Ernest Michael Britto *2017–2025: Col. Francis Brancato *2025–present: Gen. Sir Patrick Sanders, KCB, CBE, DSO

Uniforms

For reasons both of climate and ceremonial responsibilities, the regiment is issued with a wider range of uniforms than most other British infantry units. These include: *full dress ( scarlet) *No 1 Temperate Ceremonial (dark blue) *No 2 Service Dress (

khaki The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan (color), tan with a slight yellowish tinge. Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage rela ...

) *No 3 Warm Weather Ceremonial (white) *No 6 Warm Weather Parade (bush jacket)

Image gallery

File:Alfred Holmes.jpg, Sgt. Alfred Holmes of the Gibraltar Regiment (1931–1994). File:Gib Reg pipes.JPG, Royal Gibraltar Regiment Band along with pipers from the

London Regiment (1993) The London Guards is an administrative formation within the British Army comprising the reserve companies of the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots and Irish Guards. On formation, these companies drew their personnel from the London Regiment, which ...

perform at the Ceremony of the Keys. File:Queens birthday 21 gun.jpg, Royal Gibraltar Regiment firing a 21 gun salute on the occasion of the Queen's birthday parade in June 2008. File:Queens birthday.JPG, Royal Gibraltar Regiment on parade on the occasion of the Queen's birthday parade in June 2007. File:Royal Gibraltar Regiment.jpg, Royal Gibraltar Regiment in London, April 2012. File:Royal Gibraltar Regiment drummers.jpg, Drummers in London, April 2012. File:Changing of the Guard - Royal Gibraltar Regiment colours.jpg, Regimental Colours in London, 2012. File:21 Gun Salute in Gibraltar marking the birth of Prince George of Cambridge 02.jpg, 21 Gun Salute in Gibraltar marking the birth of

Prince George of Cambridge Prince George of Wales (George Alexander Louis; born 22 July 2013) is a member of the British royal family. He is the eldest child of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. George is the eldest grandchild of King Charl ...

, 2013. File:Devils Tower Camp, Gibraltar.jpg, Devil's Tower Camp.

Order of precedence

Alliances

* –

The Royal Anglian Regiment The Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the line regiments now operating in the Bri ...

* –

Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

* –

Corps of Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

* –

The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment) The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd, 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment) (R IRISH) is a light infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was founded in 1992 through the amalgamation of the Royal Irish Rangers and the ...

References

External links

* * {{Coord, 36.149028, -5.3419, region:GI_type:landmark, display=title British Forces Gibraltar British colonial regiments Military units and formations established in 1958 1958 establishments in Gibraltar Military of Gibraltar