A PHOTOGRAPHIC record of the Glorious Glosters has been created to remember and honour those who served in the county’s special regiment.

Former Glosters Lance Corporal Lawrence Whittle, 72, has created a website of 3,000 pictures, probably the largest collection of Glosters photos online in the world.

"The purpose of this website is to remember the personnel who served in The Gloucestershire Regiment and to help trace ex-Glosters," said Lawrence.

"At the present time it will concentrate on photographs collected from the 1950s until the 1960s. Other years will be covered in time.

"There are also other items of interest and other photos and information that will be added as I manage to catalogue and work on them."

Lawrence spent his two years' National Service with the Glosters in Cyprus and Germany 1957-59 and was promoted to Lance Corporal in motor transport.

He has spent two years and at least £1,000 of his own money on the webiste, which he calls his "labour of love". He has scanned in every picture and enhanced them where necessary using photo software, particularly on damaged photos with parts missing.

"I also have archives going back to 1919 and it will take some time to work through it all," he said.

Photos on the site can be bought from Lawrence, who will donate the profits to local branches of the Regimental Association.

Lawrence, who lives in Marshfield, South Gloucestershire, said the early response from other former soldiers in the regimment has been good. "I have had people from as far as Australia congratulating me on the website. If it causes a lot of interest, helps people to get in touch with their old comrades and raises some money for the Regimental Association as well, all the work will have been worthwhile," added Lawrence.

Visit the website at www.glostersregiment.co.uk