A number of new units were formed at the time, including the 3rd Volunteer Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, raised at Bristol from February 1900 and officially accepted on 24 July 1900.

The new battalion consisted of eight companies based at St Michael's Hill, Bristol, and was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Greville McLellan, a retired Major in the 3rd Dragoon Guards.

Among the officers was the Rt Hon Charles Hobhouse, MP for Bristol East, a former Militia Captain in the King's Royal Rifle Corps, who was appointed major in the new battalion and succeeded to its command three years later.

[2][5][3][4][6][7][8][9][10] The battalion also had two cadet companies attached to it[3] The units of the South Midland Division had just set out for annual training when war broke out in August 1914.

The South Midland Division began concentrating at Swindon in Wiltshire, shortly afterwards moving to Essex as part of Central Force.

On 15 August 1914, the War Office (WO) issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form them into reserve units.

[14][15] The South Midland Division underwent progressive training in Essex, and on 13 March 1915 received orders to embark to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France.

The main body moved up to Z Hedge, then two raiding parties went out slowly under the moonlight and got within 70 yards (64 m) of the German trenches just before midnight.

Captain Young waited until a cloud obscured the moon, then the artillery Forward Observation Officer called down a Box barrage, isolating the sector to be attacked.

[20][21][22][b] 1/6th Gloucesters were themselves raided on the night of 18/19 March 1916, but managed to defend their outposts for the loss of 12 men killed, 29 wounded or gassed, and three missing.

[9][10][25][26] On 19 July the division went into the line north-east of Ovillers-la-Boiselle and began 'softening' the German strongpoints in front of the Pozières Ridge by sending out bombing parties.

He knelt on the parapet in full view of the enemy and shot three of the German machine gunners, preventing the gun being opened on his company.

[32][33] The battalion spent the winter on the Ancre Heights, and then participated in following the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line (Operation Alberich) in the spring of 1917.

Although met by brisk rifle fire from the outskirts, the battalion pushed through the village, meeting no serious resistance until it reached the objective, a railway embankment beyond, at about 06.30.

[9][10][34][35][36] Although the pursuit was over by 5 April along most of the line, fighting continued on 48th (SM) Division's front as it advanced its outposts towards the main Hindenburg position.

1/6th Gloucesters established battalion HQ in a cellar at Villers-Faucon, but early in the morning of 18 April this was destroyed by explosives left on a delayed-action fuse by the retreating Germans.

C Company made another attempt to get forward with fighting patrols but these were subjected to heavy small arms fire as soon as they showed themselves on the skyline and were forced to return to the starting line.

Little is known about this confused action, where Vancouver was temporarily occupied with the help of two tanks, but at the end of the day the battalion was only half-way between its starting position and the objectives.

A Company ran into considerable opposition but two platoons that had lost their officers forced their way into a trench, taking prisoners and capturing four machine guns.

[9][10][11][50][51] Early in the morning of 15 June the Austro-Hungarian Army made what proved to be its last attack, known to the British participants as the Battle of Asiago.

1/6th Gloucesters had been waiting at Mount Serona to go into the line; the men were issued with extra ammunition and marched up to discover the situation in front.

Determined resistance was encountered, and the battalion was driven back, but a second attack next day ended with 1/6th Gloucesters atop Monte Catz, and the Valle d'Assa position was forced.

Although the advance was continued on 3 November, 1/6th Gloucesters were left behind, and were in billets at Cire when the Armistice of Villa Giusti was signed, ending the war on the Italian Front.

The company at Taranto never rejoined and was demobilised in September, but the rest of the battalion continued to grow as men with remaining service were transferred in from disbanded units.

[11][17][63][64][65] In February and March 1916 the units of 61st (2nd SM) Division moved to Salisbury Plain to begin final training for overseas service.

[63][64][69][70] After the Ypres offensive ended, 61st (2nd SM) Division moved south to relieve British formations exhausted by German counter-attacks after the Battle of Cambrai.

At dawn on 3 December the enemy continued the attack under an intense barrage; the battalion held on, but the nearby village of La Vacquerie was taken and the brigade was pushed back to the slopes of Welsh Ridge.

[2][11][15] The TF was reconstituted on 7 February 1920 (reorganising as the Territorial Army (TA) in 1921) and 6th Gloucesters reformed at the St Michael's Hill drill hall.

[2][4][3] On the outbreak of war the regiment formed part of 21st Army Tank Brigade, a First Line TA formation in the UK.

On 10 December 1940 it transferred to 1st Army Tank Brigade and served with it in the North African campaign, including the Second Battle of El Alamein.