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The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
Encyclopedia
The Royal Fusiliers was an infantry
regiment
of the British Army
until 1968 when it was amalgamated with other regiments to form The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until 1881.
regiment in 1685 by Lord Dartmouth, George Legge
, from two companies of the Tower of London
guard, and was originally called the Ordnance Regiment. Most regiments were equipped with matchlock
musket
s at the time, but the Ordnance Regiment were armed with flintlock
fusils. This was because their task was to be an escort for the artillery
, for which matchlocks would have carried the risk of igniting the open-topped barrels of gunpowder
.
when regimental numbers were abolished the regiment became The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).
during the autumn of 1775 and winter of 1776. Later, the regiment was sent to New York and participated in the occupation of Philadelphia, the Battle of Monmouth
(1778), Tryon's raid
(1779), the capture of Charleston
(1779), and the southern campaigns
under the command of General Cornwallis.
on 16 May 1811.
The Royal Fusiliers served with distinction in the First World War, raising 76 battalions who wore the regimental cap badge
. They served on the Western Front
, in Africa
, the Middle East
and Macedonia
. Members of the Royal Fusiliers won the first two Victoria Cross
es of the war near Mons
in August 1914, and the last two in North Russia
. Its war memorial
is on High Holborn
, near Chancery Lane tube station
, surmounted by the lifesize statue of a World War I soldier, and its regimental chapel is at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
.
The Stock Exchange Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers was formed in 1914 when 1,600 members of the Exchange
joined up: 400 were killed during the war . The 38th through 42nd Battalions of the regiment served as the Jewish Legion
in Palestine; many of its members went on to be part of the founding of the State of Israel
in 1948.
, or as it is now known, the Battle of Anzio. On 18 February 1944 Company Z was ordered to hold the bridgehead against a Tiger I
tank assault. There were many casualties, including Eric Fletcher Waters, father of Pink Floyd
band member Roger Waters
, who wrote the song "When the Tigers Broke Free
" about the attack. (A common misconception is that the company Eric Waters served was called "C" when in reality he was in company "Z", 8th Battalion. There is no Company C in the 8th Battalion. The 9th Battalion Company C saw no action that day.)
(5th Ft), The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers (6th Ft) and the Lancashire Fusiliers
(20th Ft) to form 3rd Bn. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
.
Battle honours
The Royal Fusiliers is also mentioned in Jeffrey Archer's bestseller novel,"As The Crow Flies". The protagonist of the book, Charlie Trumper, is part of the regiment which fights in the first world war.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
until 1968 when it was amalgamated with other regiments to form The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on April 23, 1968, as part of the reforms of the army that saw the creation of the first 'large infantry regiments', by the amalgamation of the four English fusilier...
. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until 1881.
History
Formation
It was formed as a fusilierFusilier
Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock musket called the fusil. The word was first used around 1680, and has later developed into a regimental designation.-History:...
regiment in 1685 by Lord Dartmouth, George Legge
George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth
Admiral George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth PC was an English naval commander who gave distinguished service to both Charles II and James II.-Biography:...
, from two companies of the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
guard, and was originally called the Ordnance Regiment. Most regiments were equipped with matchlock
Matchlock
The matchlock was the first mechanism, or "lock" invented to facilitate the firing of a hand-held firearm. This design removed the need to lower by hand a lit match into the weapon's flash pan and made it possible to have both hands free to keep a firm grip on the weapon at the moment of firing,...
musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
s at the time, but the Ordnance Regiment were armed with flintlock
Flintlock
Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The term may also apply to the mechanism itself. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the doglock, matchlock and wheellock...
fusils. This was because their task was to be an escort for the artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, for which matchlocks would have carried the risk of igniting the open-topped barrels of gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
.
Nomenclature
The regiment became the 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers) in 1751, although a variety of spellings of the word "fusilier" persisted until the 1780s, when the modern spelling was formalised. In 1881, under the Childers ReformsChilders Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
when regimental numbers were abolished the regiment became The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).
American Revolution
The Royal Fusiliers played an active part in saving Canada from invasion by the army of the American Continental CongressContinental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
during the autumn of 1775 and winter of 1776. Later, the regiment was sent to New York and participated in the occupation of Philadelphia, the Battle of Monmouth
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
(1778), Tryon's raid
Tryon's raid
In July 1779, British Major General William Tryon and 2,600 men embarked onto a Royal Navy fleet led by Admiral George Collier, and raided the Connecticut ports of New Haven, Fairfield, and Norwalk. Military and public stores, supply houses, and ships were destroyed, as were private homes,...
(1779), the capture of Charleston
Siege of Charleston
The Siege of Charleston was one of the major battles which took place towards the end of the American Revolutionary War, after the British began to shift their strategic focus towards the American Southern Colonies. After about six weeks of siege, Continental Army Major General Benjamin Lincoln...
(1779), and the southern campaigns
Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War
The Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War was the central area of operations in North America in the second half of the American Revolutionary War. During the first three years of the conflict, the primary military encounters had been in the north, focused on campaigns around the...
under the command of General Cornwallis.
French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars
The Royal Fusiliers formed part of the famed Fusilier Brigade in Wellington's Peninsular Army along with the 23rd Regiment of Foot (The Royal Welch Fusiliers) at the Battle of AlbuheraBattle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...
on 16 May 1811.
 |
 |
| Vladimir Jabotinsky (L) as an Officer and David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946... (R) as a Private of the Royal Fusiliers uniform. |
First World War
Cap badge
A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as well as uniformed civilian groups such as the Boy...
. They served on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, in Africa
African theatre of World War I
The African Theatre of World War I comprises geographically distinct campaigns around the German colonies of Kamerun, the Volta Region of Ghana, Togo, South-West Africa, and German East Africa.-Overview:...
, the Middle East
Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
The Middle Eastern theatre of World War I was the scene of action between 29 October 1914, and 30 October 1918. The combatants were the Ottoman Empire, with some assistance from the other Central Powers, and primarily the British and the Russians among the Allies of World War I...
and Macedonia
Macedonian front (World War I)
The Macedonian Front resulted from an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. The expedition came too late and in insufficient force to prevent the fall of Serbia, and was complicated by the internal...
. Members of the Royal Fusiliers won the first two Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
es of the war near Mons
Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
in August 1914, and the last two in North Russia
North Russia Campaign
The North Russia Intervention, also known as the Northern Russian Expedition, was part of the Allied Intervention in Russia after the October Revolution. The intervention brought about the involvement of foreign troops in the Russian Civil War on the side of the White movement...
. Its war memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
is on High Holborn
High Holborn
High Holborn is a road in Holborn in central London, England. It starts in the west near St Giles Circus, then goes east, past the Kingsway and Southampton Row, and continues east. The road becomes Holborn at the junction with Gray's Inn Road....
, near Chancery Lane tube station
Chancery Lane tube station
Chancery Lane is a London Underground station in central London. It is on the Central Line between St. Paul's and Holborn stations. The station is located at the junction of High Holborn, Hatton Garden and Gray's Inn Road with subway entrances giving access to the ticket office under the roadway...
, surmounted by the lifesize statue of a World War I soldier, and its regimental chapel is at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, also known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , is an Anglican church in the City of London. It is located on Holborn Viaduct, almost opposite the Old Bailey...
.
The Stock Exchange Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers was formed in 1914 when 1,600 members of the Exchange
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
joined up: 400 were killed during the war . The 38th through 42nd Battalions of the regiment served as the Jewish Legion
Jewish Legion
The Jewish Legion was the name for five battalions of Jewish volunteers established as the British Army's 38th through 42nd Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers...
in Palestine; many of its members went on to be part of the founding of the State of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1948.
Second World War
The Royal Fusiliers were involved in many notable battles of the war, including Operation ShingleOperation Shingle
Operation Shingle , during the Italian Campaign of World War II, was an Allied amphibious landing against Axis forces in the area of Anzio and Nettuno, Italy. The operation was commanded by Major General John P. Lucas and was intended to outflank German forces of the Winter Line and enable an...
, or as it is now known, the Battle of Anzio. On 18 February 1944 Company Z was ordered to hold the bridgehead against a Tiger I
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
tank assault. There were many casualties, including Eric Fletcher Waters, father of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
band member Roger Waters
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
, who wrote the song "When the Tigers Broke Free
When the Tigers Broke Free
"When the Tigers Broke Free" is a Pink Floyd song by Roger Waters, describing the death of his father, Eric Fletcher Waters, during the Second World War's Operation Shingle...
" about the attack. (A common misconception is that the company Eric Waters served was called "C" when in reality he was in company "Z", 8th Battalion. There is no Company C in the 8th Battalion. The 9th Battalion Company C saw no action that day.)
Post 1945
On 23 April 1968 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Northumberland FusiliersRoyal Northumberland Fusiliers
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally raised in 1674, the regiment was amalgamated with three other fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.-Origins:...
(5th Ft), The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers (6th Ft) and the Lancashire Fusiliers
Lancashire Fusiliers
The Lancashire Fusiliers was a British infantry regiment that was amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.- Formation and early history:...
(20th Ft) to form 3rd Bn. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on April 23, 1968, as part of the reforms of the army that saw the creation of the first 'large infantry regiments', by the amalgamation of the four English fusilier...
.
Battle honoursBattle honours of the British and Imperial ArmiesThe following battle honours were awarded to units of the British Army and the armies of British India and the Dominions of the British Empire. From their institution until the end of the Second World War, awards were made by, or in consultation with, the British government, but, since 1945, the...
- Namur 1695, Martinique 1809, Talavera, Busaco, Albuhera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol, Kandahar 1880, Afghanistan 1879-80, Relief of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899-1902
- The Great War (47 battalions): Mons, Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914, La Bassée 1914, Messines 1914 '17, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1914 '15 '17 '18, Nonne Bosschen, Gravenstafel, St. Julien, Frezenberg, Bellewaarde, Hooge 1915, Loos, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916 '18, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Thiepval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916 '18, Arras 1917 '18, Vimy 1917, Scarpe 1917, Arleux, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Rosières, Avre, Villers Bretonneux, Lys, Estaires, Hazebrouck, Béthune, Amiens, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Havrincourt, Épéhy, Canal du Nord, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Courtrai, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Italy 1917-18, Struma, Macedonia 1915-18, Helles, Landing at Helles, Krithia, Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915-16, Egypt 1916, Megiddo, Nablus, Palestine 1918, Troitsa, Archangel 1919, Kilimanjaro, Behobeho, Nyangao, East Africa 1915-17
- The Second World War: Dunkirk 1940, North-West Europe 1940, Agordat, Keren, Syria 1941, Sidi Barrani, Djebel Tebaga, Peter's Corner, North Africa 1940 '43, Sangro, Mozzagrogna, Caldari, Salerno, St. Lucia, Battipaglia, Teano, Monte Camino, Garigliano Crossing, Damiano, Anzio, Cassino II, Ripa Ridge, Gabbiano, Advance to Florence, Monte Scalari, Gothic Line, Coriano, Croce, Casa Fortis, Savio Bridgehead, Valli di Commacchio, Senio, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943-45, Athens, Greece 1944-45
- Korea 1952-53
Colonels
- 1832–1854: Sir Edward BlakeneyEdward BlakeneyField Marshal Sir Edward Blakeney PC GCB GCH was a British Army Field Marshal.-Background:Born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Blakeney, was the fourth son of Colonel William Blakeney, who sat in the Parliament of Ireland, and his wife Sarah née Shields...
- 1854–1855 George Brown
- 1855–1868 Samuel Benjamin AuchmutySamuel Benjamin AuchmutySir Samuel Benjamin Auchmuty GCB was an Anglo-Irish soldier.He was the second son of Samuel Auchmuty and his wife Elizabeth, only daughter of Francis Savage. Auchmuty entered the British Army as ensign in 1797 and served first in the French Revolutionary Wars and subsequently in the Napoleonic Wars...
- 1868–: Sir Richard AireyRichard Airey, 1st Baron AireyGeneral Richard Airey, 1st Baron Airey GCB , known as Sir Richard Airey between 1855 and 1876, was a British general.-Background:...
See also
The Royal Fusiliers Company "C" was also mentioned in Pink Floyd's movie "The Wall". It was the company that the character "Pinks" father died in.The Royal Fusiliers is also mentioned in Jeffrey Archer's bestseller novel,"As The Crow Flies". The protagonist of the book, Charlie Trumper, is part of the regiment which fights in the first world war.