The Gloucestershire Regiment (The Glosters)
Roll call for Gloucester survivors of the Battle of Imjin, 1951. NAM 1989-01-19-3
‘We shall be all right, sir, ‘twill be like the Rock of Gibraltar up here.’ - Support Company responding to Colonel Fred Carne, the Gloucesters’ C.O.
Chinese bugle found by members of 1st Battalion, The Glocestershire Regiment, 1951. NAM 1997-07-44
This picture shows a roll call being taken of the survivors of the Gloucestershire Regiment after Battle of Imjin River during the Korean War (1950-1953).
From 22 to 25 of April 1951 around 750 men of the Regiment fought a force of over 10,000 Chinese regular troops. Towards the end of the Battle the Glosters were completely surrounded and running out of ammunition. Some men were reduced to fighting with bayonets and fists. Against overwhelming odds the Glosters held the line against the Chinese for four days.
When they were finally given the order to break out only forty men managed to reach safety. The Chinese captured or killed the rest. The Glosters’ actions in delaying the Chinese allowed the rest of the United Nations forces time to regroup and block the advance of the enemy towards the South Korean capital Seoul.
