Gloucester Cup

The Gloucester Cup is the common name for three awards of the Australian Defence Force. Formally referred to as the Duke of Gloucester Cup, the three awards are presented to the most efficient infantry battalion of the Australian Army, ship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the previous year. The awards were created by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester in 1946, while he was serving as the Governor-General of Australia, and were first presented in 1947.

Australian Army

To compete for the Gloucester Cup, infantry battalions from the Army's Royal Australian Regiment each send a team to the Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton.^[1] These teams participate in a five-day competition demonstrating their training and endurance, from which the winning battalion is determined.^[1]

Royal Australian Navy

The RAN Gloucester Cup is assessed on the criteria of:

• operational efficiency;
• husbandry and seamanship;
• supply and administration;
• officer and sailor training;
• divisional systems, morale and discipline; and
• equipment reliability, maintenance and resourcefulness.^[2]

Winning ships

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Royal Australian Navy recipients of the Gloucester Cup
Year presented	Winner	Class and type	Reference
1947	-	-	-
1948	HMAS Shoalhaven	River-class frigate	[3]
1949	-	-	-
1950	HMAS Arunta	Tribal-class destroyer	[4]
1951	HMAS Sydney	Majestic-class aircraft carrier	[4]
1952	HMAS Murchison	River-class frigate	[5]
1953	HMAS Hawkesbury	River-class frigate	[6]
1954	HMAS Australia	County-class cruiser	[7]
1955	-	-	-
1956	-	-	-
1957	-	-	-
1958	-	-	-
1959	-	-	-
1960	HMAS Vampire	Daring-class destroyer	[8]
1961	HMAS Vampire	Daring-class destroyer	[8]
1962	-	-	-
1963	-	-	-
1964	-	-	-
1965	-	-	-
1966	HMAS Sydney	Majestic-class fast troop transport	[9]
1967	-	-	-
1968	-	-	-
1969	-	-	-
1970	-	-	-
1971	-	-	-
1972	-	-	-
1973	-	-	-
1974	HMAS Stuart	River-class destroyer escort	[10]
1975	-	-	-
1976	HMAS Hobart	Perth-class destroyer	[11]
1977	HMAS Stuart	River-class destroyer escort	[10]
1978	HMAS Onslow	Oberon-class submarine	[12]
1979	-	-	-
1980	-	-	-
1981	HMAS Perth	Perth-class destroyer	[13]
1982	HMAS Hobart	Perth-class destroyer	[citation needed]
1983	-	-	-
1984	-	-	-
1985	-	-	-
1986	-	-	-
1987	HMAS Orion	Oberon-class submarine	[14]
1988	-	-	-
1989	HMAS Hobart	Perth-class destroyer	[citation needed]
1990	-	-	-
1991	HMAS Success	Durance-class tanker	[15][clarification needed]
1992	-	-	-
1993	HMAS Tobruk	Round Table-class landing ship logistics	[16]
1994	-	-	-
1995	HMAS Hobart	Perth-class destroyer	[17]
1996	-	-	-
1997	HMAS Canberra	Adelaide-class frigate	[citation needed]
1998	-	-	-
1999	HMAS Adelaide	Adelaide-class frigate	[18]
2000	HMAS Success	Durance-class tanker	[15]
2001	HMAS Tobruk	Round Table-class landing ship logistics	[citation needed]
2002	HMAS Anzac	Anzac-class frigate	[19]
2003	-	-	-
2004	HMAS Kanimbla	Kanimbla-class landing platform amphibious	[20]
2005	HMAS Rankin	Collins-class submarine	[14]
2006	HMAS Sheean	Collins-class submarine	[2]
2007	HMAS Stuart	Anzac-class frigate	[10]
2008	HMAS Rankin	Collins-class submarine	[2]
2009	HMAS Parramatta	Anzac-class frigate	[21]
2010	HMAS Newcastle	Adelaide-class frigate	[22]

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.

The unit to have been recognised the greatest number of times is No. 38 Squadron, with 6 awards (1947, 1954, 1974, 1975, 1987 and 2003), followed by No. 1 Squadron and No. 36 Squadron with 5 awards each. In 1991, No. 2 Airfield Defence Squadron became the first non-flying unit awarded the Cup.

Winning squadrons

Royal Australian Air Force recipients of the Gloucester Cup
Year earned	Winner	Reference
1947	No. 38 Squadron	-
1948	No. 87 Squadron	-
1949	No. 30 Squadron	-
1950	No. 77 Squadron	-
1951	No. 1 Squadron	-
1952	No. 3 Squadron	-
1953	No. 23 Squadron	-
1954	No. 38 Squadron	-
1955	No. 1 Squadron	-
1956	No. 10 Squadron	-
1957	No. 11 Squadron	-
1958	No. 11 Squadron	-
1959	No. 1 Squadron	-
1960	No. 1 Squadron	-
1961	No. 2 Squadron	-
1962	No. 36 Squadron	-
1963	No. 79 Squadron	-
1964	No. 79 Squadron	-
1965	No. 5 Squadron	-
1966	No. 2 Squadron	-
1967	No. 35 Squadron	-
1968	No. 9 Squadron	[23]
1969	No. 9 Squadron	[23]
1970	No. 9 Squadron	[23]
1971	No. 2 Squadron	-
1972	No. 75 Squadron	[24]
1973	No. 3 Squadron	[24]
1974	No. 38 Squadron	-
1975	No. 38 Squadron	-
1976	No. 37 Squadron	-
1977	No. 11 Squadron	-
1978	No. 12 Squadron	-
1979	No. 6 Squadron	-
1980	No.5 Squadron	-
1981	No.2 Squadron	-
1982	No. 35 Squadron	-
1983	No. 34 Squadron	-
1984	Australian Contingent to the Multinational Force and Observers (Egypt)	-
1985	No. 36 Squadron	-
1986	No. 9 Squadron	-
1987	No. 38 Squadron	-
1988	No. 10 Squadron	-
1989	No. 36 Squadron	-
1990	No. 76 Squadron	-
1991	No. 2 Airfield Defence Squadron	-
1992	No. 492 Squadron	-
1993	No. 486 Squadron	-
1994	No. 82 Wing	-
1995	Air Transportable Telecommunications Unit	-
1996	No. 1 Radar Surveillance Unit	-
1997	No. 86 Wing	-
1998	No. 1 Squadron	-
1999	No. 395 Expeditionary Combat Support Wing	-
2000	No. 36 Squadron	-
2001	No. 37 Squadron	[25]
2002	No. 92 Wing	[26]
2003	No. 38 Squadron	-
2004	No. 86 Wing	-
2005	No. 92 Wing	[27]
2006	No. 37 Squadron	-
2007	No. 36 Squadron	[28]
2008	-	-
2009	-	-
2010	-	-

Citations

1. ^ ^{a b} Sheridan, Greg (11 November 2007). "Slain hero deserves the gratitude of the entire nation". The Australian: p. 14. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Jeffery, Michael (8 April 2008). Presentation of the 2007 Gloucester Cup to HMAS Rankin (Speech). HMAS Stirling, WA. http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/speech.php?id=407. Retrieved 26 May 2009. 
3. ^ "Gloucester Cup Won By Frigate". The Canberra Times. 15 December 1948. http://ndpbeta.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/2780802. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Column 8". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 April 1951. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pfgQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EpMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3436,6856700. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
5. ^ "Honour for warship". The Sydney Morning Herald: p. 3. 6 August 1952. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=16UUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5bADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5386,3939113. Retrieved 27 May 2009. 
6. ^ "Cup awarded to H.M.A.S. Hawkesbury". The Sydney Morning Herald: p. 2. 28 August 1953. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6LAUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hboDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4842,413871. Retrieved 27 May 2009. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ "H.M.A.S. Australia Wins Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald: p. 7. 25 March 1954. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=B6cTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TrMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5721,5461680. Retrieved 27 May 2009. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "Fleet Awards to Destroyer". The Age: p. 3. 19 May 1962. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9aATAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G6wDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4883,2815560. Retrieved 27 May 2009. 
9. ^ Nott, Rodney; Payne, Noel (2008) [1994]. The Vung Tau Ferry: HMAS Sydney and Escort Ships (4th ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. p. 56. ISBN 9781877058721. OCLC 254773862. 
10. ^ ^{a b c} Smith, Nigel (8 March 2007). "Tartan Terror Wins". Navy News. http://www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS/EDITIONS/5003/topstories/story2.htm. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
11. ^ "Yo, ho, Hobart is Navy's top ship". The Age: pp. 3. 3 January 1976. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VrUQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QZIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5985,236948. Retrieved 27 May 2009. 
12. ^ Shaw, Lindsey (2005). HMAS Onslow: cold war warrior. Sydney, NSW: Australian National Maritime Museum. p. 6. ISBN 0975148244. 
13. ^ "Vice Regal - Federal". The Age: p. 12. 14 January 1982. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dEwQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZpQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2860,4270086. Retrieved 27 May 2009. 
14. ^ ^{a b} Davidson, Jon; Allibone, Tom (2005). Beneath Southern Seas. Crawley, WA: University of Western Australia Press. p. 204. ISBN 1920694625. OCLC 69242056. 
15. ^ ^{a b} Farynski, Jerzy. "Cup winners praised". Navy News. http://www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews/editions/2000/02_21_00/story03.htm. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
16. ^ Doolan, Ken (2007). HMAS Tobruk: Warship for Every Crisis. Queanbeyan: Grinkle Press. pp. 89–101. ISBN 9780980282108. OCLC 225713122. ^{[page needed]}
17. ^ Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 41
18. ^ "Adelaide's pair of cups". Navy News. 22 February 1999. http://www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews/editions/1999/02_22_99/story10.htm. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
19. ^ Delaney, Chris (18 March 2002). "Gloucester cup tops off Anzac's awards". Navy News. http://www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews/editions/03_18_02/story02.htm. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
20. ^ Gibbs, Stephen (4 April 2005). "For the Governor-General, a personal pain". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/For-the-GovernorGeneral-a-personal-pain/2005/04/03/1112489350304.html. Retrieved 29 July 2009. 
21. ^ Paver, Chris (14 March 2009). "Hello sailor: the navy fleet's in town". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25184419-5006784,00.html. Retrieved 27 May 2009. 
22. ^ "Navy crew set sail on top gongs". The Daily Telegraph. 7 April 2010. p. 20. 
23. ^ ^{a b c} "No. 9 Squadron RAAF awarded Duke of Gloucester Cup 1969-70". AWM Collection. 1971-04-23. http://cas.awm.gov.au/photograph/F02801. Retrieved 2009-10-20. 
24. ^ ^{a b} "Presentation of Gloucester Cup 1973". AWM Collection. 1973-12-14. http://cas.awm.gov.au/photograph/F10454. Retrieved 2009-10-20. 
25. ^ "BEST OF THE BEST: 2001 AIR FORCE AWARDS". Minister for Defence Media Release. 2002-05-21. http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/2002/239210502.doc. Retrieved 2008-10-24. 
26. ^ "Prize performances". Air Force News. 2003-05-22. http://www.defence.gov.au/news/raafnews/editions/4508/features/feature01.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-24. 
27. ^ "Oh, what a night". Air Force News. 2006-06-01. http://www.defence.gov.au/news/raafnews/editions/4809/features/feature02.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-24. 
28. ^ "87th Night of Nights". Page 5, Air Force News. 2008-04-17. http://digital.realviewtechnologies.com/default.aspx?xml=defencenews_airforce.xml&iid=7464. Retrieved 2008-10-24. 

References

• Cassells, Vic (2000). The Destroyers: their battles and their badges. East Roseville, NSW: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0731808932. OCLC 46829686.