The Gloucester Cup is the common name for three awards of the
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Forc ...
officially called the Duke of Gloucester's Cup, the three awards are presented to the most proficient ship of the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
(RAN), infantry battalion of the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
, and squadron of the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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(RAAF) during the previous year. The awards were created by
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, (Henry William Frederick Albert; 31 March 1900 – 10 June 1974) was the third son and fourth child of King George V and Queen Mary. He served as Governor-General of Australia from 1945 to 1947, the only memb ...
in 1946, while he was serving as the
Governor-General of Australia
The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.sleeve targets hit as a proportion of shells fired. This was quickly found to be impractical, and the criteria for the award was changed to "overall proficiency", based on each ship's level of operational efficiency during a calendar year; husbandry and seamanship; supply and administration; officer and sailor training; divisional systems, morale and discipline; and equipment reliability, maintenance and resourcefulness. As well as the silver trophy, a winning ship is allowed to paint a yellow star on the superstructure of the ship, which remains until the Cup is passed to a new winner.
Winning ships
Australian Army
The regular infantry battalions of the
Royal Australian Regiment
The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) is the parent administrative regiment for regular infantry battalions of the Australian Army and is the senior infantry regiment of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. It was originally formed in 1948 as a t ...
compete against each other for the Duke of Gloucester's Cup in an annual military skills competition. To compete for the Cup, each infantry battalion sends a team to the
Lone Pine Barracks
Lone Pine Barracks is an Australian Army base located in New South Wales, south of Singleton. The barracks is home to the Australian Army School of Infantry, Special Forces Training Centre, Defence Support Group Singleton and other regular suppo ...
at Singleton. These teams participate in a five-day competition demonstrating their training and endurance, from which the winning battalion is determined. First held in 1947 between the Australian battalions then in Japan as part of the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth taskforce consisting of Australian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952.
At its peak, ...
, the inaugural cup was awarded to 67th Australian Infantry Battalion (now the
3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Kapyong Lines, Townsville as part of the 3rd Brigade. 3 RAR traces its lineage to 1945 and has seen operational serv ...
). Between 1951 and 1971 the competition was not held due to operational commitments. Competition recommenced on a regular basis between 1972 and 1998; however, was again ceased as a result of operations in East Timor. The competition recommenced in 2003.
Winning Battalions
Royal Australian Air Force
The RAAF's Gloucester Cup recognises the most proficient flying squadron during a calendar year. The winner is announced at the Air Force Awards night, held in April or May annually. Originally awarded for the most proficient squadron, the basis for the award changed in 1989 and again in 1993 and the Cup is now awarded annually to the most proficient Wing, Squadron or Operational Unit within the RAAF's Air Command.
The selection process considers the unit's achievement of objectives set for the year, initiatives taken to develop proficiency in operations, administration, dress and bearing, and morale.
The most-awarded unit is No. 36 Squadron, with seven Cups. In 1991, No. 2 Airfield Defence Squadron became the first non-flying unit awarded the Cup.
Winning squadrons
Citations
References
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*{{cite book, author=RAAF Historical Section, year=1995, title=Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 4: Maritime and Transport Units, location=Canberra, publisher=
Australian Government Publishing Service
The Australian Government Publishing Service (AGPS) was an Australian Government publishing service that operated from 1970 to 1997 and was the sole centralised Australian Government publishing and printing service. It also had retail outlets for ...