The origins of the vessel Glala are unclear. Records from Lloyd's List indicate that she was designed by A. R. Luke, with construction commencing in 1915 at Luke & Sons' yard on the River Hamble. For reasons unknown, she and a sister ship were left unfinished and remained incomplete until 1919, when both vessels were sold to Camper & Nicholson in Gosport. There, they were completed and fitted out as motor yachts.

Glala was launched in 1920. Initially named Pampa II and later Doris, she appears to have spent much of the 1920s operating on the Scottish lochs. In 1935, she was purchased by Lord Brockett of Mallaig, who renamed her Cupid and kept her on the west coast of Scotland.

By 1936, the vessel was moored in Greenock, where she was acquired by the aviation pioneer Sir Alan Cobham, or more precisely, by his wife, Lady Gladys. Purchased for £900—a bargain at the time—Glala underwent a refit costing £140. The vessel was renamed by combining the names of Sir Alan and Lady Gladys Cobham.

In 1938, the engineering company AEC took ownership of Glala. The Admiralty requisitioned her in October 1939, commissioning her as a Harbour Defence Patrol Yacht stationed at Sheerness on the Thames Estuary. A 1940 photograph shows Glala equipped with a machine gun on the foredeck and depth charges on the stern.

Naval records from 13 January 1940 document Glala's involvement in mine clearance operations: "Sloop BITTERN found a German mine which she towed towards Sheerness. It was secured to the Nord Buoy and harbour defence patrol yacht GLALA beached the mine from there."

Glala played a significant role during Operation Dynamo. Commanded by Sub-Lieutenant John Alexander Dow, RNVR, she departed for Dunkirk at 0800 on 31 May 1940, in company with the yachts Amulree and Caleta. Arriving in Dunkirk Roads at 1130, Glala operated under continuous air raids, towing two whalers filled with soldiers to the paddle steamer HMS Golden Eagle. She subsequently towed boats for the destroyers HMS Venomous and HMS Vivacious.

The Naval Staff History recounts that around 2000 hours, while standing by to tow boats from HMS Vivacious, Glala's tiller wire was reduced to a single strand due to intense bombing and shelling. Following orders from Captain Howson, RN, in the yacht Ankh, all small craft, including Glala, withdrew to the open sea. Glala returned to Ramsgate for repairs on 2 June 1940, arriving at 1845, before proceeding to Sheerness with her port engine out of action.

In June 1941, Glala was repurposed as a hospital tender in Belfast, operated by a civilian crew, possibly ferrying injured personnel from incoming Atlantic convoys. By October 1943, she had joined the Naval Fire Service in Liverpool.

Glala is believed to have cruised the Mediterranean throughout the 1950s and 1960s. She returned to England in the 1970s in poor condition but was renovated in 1978 and subsequently used as a houseboat in Southampton. In 1985, she participated in a commemorative return to Dunkirk.

In 1989, Glala underwent substantial restoration, including replacement of her aging AEC engines with a pair of Gardner 6LXB engines. By 2005, she was seaworthy enough to take part in another return to Dunkirk.

In 2007, Glala acquired a new owner who provided the resources for a full restoration. Despite considerable progress by October 2016, the vessel was once again on the market, seeking a sympathetic owner.