The Glosters in The Korean War

HILL 235 – “GLOSTER HILL”


25th June 2010, marked the 60th anniversary of North Korean dictator’s Kim Il-Sung’s invasion of South Korea.

Kim’s aggression ignited an apocalypse. As international forces deployed to defend the South, the conflict rapidly escalated into the first hot war of the Cold War and marks the only time that two superpowers – China and the United States – actually clashed in battle.

Though almost unknown in the United Kingdom today, the 1950-1953 struggle was a dramatic and savage war in which more British soldiers were killed in action than have been lost in the Falklands, Iraq and Afghan conflicts combined. Central to this war was its greatest offensive, when, on the night of 22nd April 1951, 300,000 Chinese and North Koreans stormed south. At the epicentre of this massive attack stood the UK’s 29th Infantry Brigade, deployed on hills overlooking the strategic Imjin River. For three nights, desperate battle raged. On the morning of 25th April, United Nations Command ordered a strategic withdrawal of the entire front. In a death ride down a valley swarming with enemy, the bulk of the brigade broke free.

But for one battalion, it was too late. 1st Glosters – cut off and surrounded on a smoking hilltop above the Imjin River and three miles deep inside enemy territory – fought back to back in a last stand that has since entered military legend.

The Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum is raising money for a new display to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of Imjin River. All donations, however small, are greatly appreciated.

Please donate online here: JustGiving Imjin 60

Items from our collection

Chief of Imperial General Staff Field Marshal Sir William Slim, Lieutenant-Colonel J.P. Carne, Captain A. H. Farrar-Hockley and Major P.W. Weller. Chief of Imperial General Staff Field Marshal Sir William Slim, Lieutenant-Colonel J.P. Carne, Captain A. H. Farrar-Hockley and Major P.W. Weller.
Two soldiers with Korean children. 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment. 1950-1951. Two soldiers with Korean children. 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment. 1950-1951.
Lieutenant-Colonel J. P. Carne, V.C. 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment. Korea, 1951. Lieutenant-Colonel J. P. Carne, V.C. 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment. Korea, 1951.
"The Long Reveille: Gloster Hill, Korea, 25th April 1951" painted by Ken Howard.
"Crossing the Imjin" by Gordon Nicoll.
Presentation of the Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation to the Gloucestershire Regiment. Presentation of the Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation to the Gloucestershire Regiment.
.303 Lee Enfield rifle No. 4 MkI. Ser. no. 3311184. Retrieved from the River Imjin at Gloster Crossing by Captain Martin, during the autumn of 1951. The rifle had obviously been in the river for some time, and had possibly been crushed by a tank. .303 Lee Enfield rifle No. 4 MkI. Ser. no. 3311184. Retrieved from the River Imjin at Gloster Crossing by Captain Martin, during the autumn of 1951. The rifle had obviously been in the river for some time, and had possibly been crushed by a tank.
Wreckage of Chinese artillery and other materiel. Gloster Crossing, Imjin River. Korea. 1951. Wreckage of Chinese artillery and other materiel. Gloster Crossing, Imjin River. Korea. 1951.
Handkerchief painted by 5773226 Private Norman E.S. Godden in Korean P.O.W. camp Chung Sung. Handkerchief painted by 5773226 Private Norman E.S. Godden in Korean P.O.W. camp Chung Sung. "In Memory of Those Who Fell on the Imjin River". Gloucestershire Regiment. Korea, 1951-1953.