The Royal Gibraltar Regiment

A unique tale of unbroken tradition and service documenting the Royal Gibraltar Regiment's evolution from the civilian volunteers that fought in the Great Siege to the professional light-infantry force we know today. In 2014 the Royal Gibraltar Regiment celebrated its 75th anniversary. This is the history of the regiment and its preceding formations, a history that shows how a locally raised volunteer unit developed into a modern, light-role infantry battalion, based in Gibraltar and operating all over the world. The book takes the reader back to the beginning of British rule in Gibraltar and the involvement of the local population in the Great Siege during the 18th century. From there it embarks on a journey that describes the history of the Volunteer Corps in the First World War and the Gibraltar Defence Force which was established in 1939, the Gibraltar Regiment during the Cold War and finally the Royal Gibraltar Regiment in its current form. The changing roles of the regiment and the internal developments are described and explained within the wider political and military context of Gibraltar. This journey is brought to life with the help of photographs, illustrations and the words of the regiment's soldiers.