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The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers formed
in 1968 by the amalgamation of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London
Regiment), Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
and Lancashire Fusiliers. Regimental art prints of the Royal Regiment of
Fusiliers available from Cranston Fine Arts. |
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The Royal Fusiliers
In the British army in 1605 the
ordinary regiments of the Line were composed of musketeers, who carried a
heavy musket; pikemen, armed with 16 to24 feet pikes and swords, and
grenadiers, who carried hand-grenades as well.
But there were also regiments of “Ordnance,” trained “for the
care and protection of cannon,” and these carried, instead of the
musket, a “snap-hance” or “fusil,” with sword and bayonet.
They did not carry colours, and therefore, for the rank of ensign
was substituted that of lieutenant in the subaltern grade.
On the increase to the army consequent on Monmouth’s rebellion,
James 2nd. Ordered
the formation of an “ordnance regiment,” to be called the Royal
Regiment of Fusiliers. It was
the first that had been definitely equipped as such.
Lord Dartmouth, its first colonel, raised ten
companies of Fusiliers and one of Miners in and about London, and to these
were added two other independent companies which had long existed in the
Tower. The uniform was
scarlet with yellow “livery,” caps similar to those worn by the
Grenadiers, and grey breeches and stockings. The regiment joined the camp on Hounslow Heath, in charge of
the train of artillery.
On the threatened invasion of the Prince of
Orange some men served as marines on board the fleet, as they did later in
1703, and in 1756, under Byng, when they engaged the French fleet off
Minorca. After 1688 it ceased
to be an “ordnance regiment,” but retained its armament as a Fusilier
regiment without, as in the other “battaglia,” having a proportion of
pikemen. It embarked as an
ordinary infantry regiment for the campaign in Flanders in 1689, and first
saw fighting at Walcourt, shortly after which Marlborough became its
colonel; and after a short period of service in Ireland at the sieges of
Cork and Kinsale, it returned to Flanders to serve with King William at
Steenkirk, Landen, and Namur.
It formed part of Ormond’s expedition
against Cadiz in 1702, when, though failing to take it, it captured the
towns of Rota, Port St. Mary, and Fort St. Catherine, finishing by the
destruction of the Spanish ships under French convoy in Vigo Bay.
From that time until 1773, when it embarked for Canada, its history
was comparatively uneventful; but there it formed part of the garrison of
St. John’s Fort Chambly, and Quebec.
The two former, after a short siege, surrendered to Colonel
Montgomery, who commanded the American army; but the same force, in the
effort to storm Quebec, was roughly repulsed, and its leader slain.
Shortly after this defeat the garrison made a successful sortie,
the chief results of which was to compel the Americans to abandon Canada.
Transferred to New York, it saw much arduous
work and severe fighting in the South, being present at the actions at
Staten Island, Forts Montgomery, Clinton, and Constitution; at
Philadelphia, Newhaven, and Cornwallis says in his despatch, “two three-pounders
were taken, and I fear the colours of the 7th Regiment shared
the same fate.
Returning to England soon after, a second
battalion was added. The first joined in the attack on Copenhagen in 1807, and two
years later formed part of the expedition against Martinique.
This is the first name the regiment is authorised to wear on its
colours, and the honour was bestowed in consequence of its gallantry in
the capture of that island, where it was brigaded with the 23rd
Royal Welsh Fruiliers. Meanwhile
the 2nd battalion took part in the expulsion of the French from
Oporto, as well as the battle Talavera, which is the second name on its
colours; and in 1810 the 1st battalion was also transferred to
the Peninsula. The regiment
there took part in the following battles, which are not specifically
claimed among the honours, namely, Busaco, Olivenza, Ciudad, Rodrigo,
Aldea de Pont, Montevite, Pampeluna, and Bidassoa; but it bears on the
battle-roll the names of “Albuhera,” “Badajoz,” “Salamanca,”
“Vittoria,” “Pyrenees,” “Orthes,” “Toulouse,” and
“Peninsula.”
Gold medals were awarded to the colonels for
many of these fights, and between 1809and 1814, inclusive, nine
non-commissioned officers are recorded as receiving commission. During
most of this time they had formed part of the Fusilier Brigade, consisting
of the 2nd battalion of the 7th and the 1st
battalion of the 23rd, and the bravery of their charge in line
against the heavy column at Albuhera, where they lost two-thirds of their
strength, is graphically told in Napier’s history of the war.
“The Fusiliers”, says Sir Henry Hardinge, “exceeded anything
that the usual word ‘gallantry’ can convey.
They recaptured, too, a gun, and a colour belonging to the Buffs,
which had been lost during a convoy charge earlier in the day.”
There is a curious difference between what
was considered indiscipline among men, and not among officers apparently,
at this time; for in April, 1809, the sergeants of the regiment presented
their adjutant with an address (no promotion) “expressive of their
regard and gratitude for the manner in which he had performed the duty of
adjutant.” This brought the
men a serious reprimand in general orders as having, “however
unintentionally, been guilty of an act of great insubordination” in thus
bestowing commendation on their superior officer. Later in the same year however, on the retirement of
Lieutenant-Colonel Pakenham, the officers presented him with his portrait,
and a sword valued at two hundred guineas, “as a mark of their sincere
regard for him as an officer and a gentleman, of their admiration of his
manly virtues and zeal for the service.”
It is difficult to see in what the distinction between the two
cases lies, save the mere phraseology; but it is evident here that “what
in the officer is but a choleric word, in the soldier is rank
blasphemy.”
The uniform had followed the usual
alterations. The yellow-faced
coat of 1685 had given place in1751 to the tall grenadier cap, bearing the
rose and garter crowned and the white horse with “Nec aspera terrent,”
a scarlet coat with royal blue facings, and extremely broad yellow belts,
carrying French sword and bayonet. This
in 1846 had been replaced by the scarlet coatee, with scales, the white
cross-belt supporting the bayonet in a frog, and the fusilier “cap”.
So dressed, the “City of London Regiment “ next saw service in
the Crimea; and for its good work at the Alma, Inkerman, and notably in
the repulse of the great sortie of the 26th of October, 1854,
it added these battles and “Sevastopol” to its roll.
Five Victoria Crosses were won in the campaign-by Privates Hughes
and Norman, Lieutenant Hope, Captain Jones, and Assistant-Surgeon Hale.
Though in India during the Mutiny, its
operations were confined to Scinde; but it took part in the frontier
fighting of 1863, and later on a second battalion, raised in 1858, shared
in the Afghan campaign , where it assisted in the defence of Kandahar, and
the battle which raised the siege. For this the titles “Kandahar, 1880,” and “Afghanistan,
1879-80” closes, at present, a record of gallant duty well done. The present uniform is scarlet, with blue
facings. The grenade, with
the rose on the ball, is worn on the buttons and the collar, and on the
caps is the same badge, with, in addition, the crowned garter and the
White Horse. The Militia battalions are the (3rd)
Royal Westminster, the (4th) Royal London, and the (5th)
Royal South Middlesex. Of
these the 3rd battalion bears on its colours
“Mediterranean,” because of its services during the Russian War.
The 1st Volunteer Battalion is the 16th
Middlesex, the 2nd the 23rd Middlesex; the 3rd
the 11th Middlesex. All
are clothed in scarlet with blue facings.
The Royal Fusiliers has borne the name of the “Hanoverian White
Horse,” from bearing this badge as a decoration; and at another period
that of the “Elegant Extracts,” from the officers having been selected
from other regiments.
The regimental district has its headquarters was in Hounslow.
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The Fusiliers at the Battle of Albuera by David Rowlands
Reconnaissance Group Action, 3rd Fusiliers Battle Group
by David Rowlands Objective Brass, 26th February 1991.
Assault on Iraqi Artillery Positions, 3rd Fusiliers
Battle Group by David Rowlands Objective Steel, 26th February 1991.
Mons Canal Railway Bridge,
23rd August 1914 by David Rowlands Lieutenant Maurice Dease and Fusilier Frank Godley, 4th Battalion Royal
Fusiliers, in the action that won them the first two Victoria Crosses to
be awarded in the Great War.
Royal Fusiliers by Richard Simkin The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) raised
in 1685 as the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers became the 7th of Foot in 1751.
Amalgamating to become the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. 19 members of the
regiment were awarded the Victoria Cross, five during the Crimean War, one
in the 2nd Afghan War, one in the Boer War, 10 during the First World War
and two in North Russia 1919. Lance-Sergeant F. L. Hastings Bombing Seven Of
The Enemy Who Were Attempting To Seize The Lip Of A Mine Crater.
After the enemy had exploded a mine, Lance-Sergeant F. L.
Hastings, of the Royal Fusiliers, rushed off with two men, through a
heavy barrage of shrapnel, telling the rest of his party to follow as
quickly as possible. On
reaching the lip of the crafter he met seven of the enemy creeping round
to seize the lip. He
attacked them and bombed them off.
For his conspicuous gallantry he was subsequently awarded the
D.C.M.
Temporary
Lieutenant Wilbur Dartnell Sacrifices His Life In Staying With
His Wounded Men. during a mounted infantry engagement near Maktau in East Africa,
on September 3rd 1915, the enemy pressed forward to within a
few yards of the British force, and it became impossible to get the more
severely wounded men away. Temporary
Lieutenant Wilbur Dartnell, of the late 25th (Service)
Battalion (Frontiersmen) The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment),
who was himself being carried away wounded in the leg, seeing what was
happening and knowing that the enemys black troops would murder the
wounded, insisted on being left behind in the hope of saving the lives
of the other wounded men. His
gallant attempt to save others, however, resulted in his losing his
life. For his most
conspicuous bravery a posthumous award of the V.C. was made.
Captain (Temporary Lieutenant- Colonel) R. B.
Barker Organizing The Defences Of A Wood.
During operations Captain (Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel) Randle
Barnett Barker, of the Royal Fusiliers, took over and organised the
defences of a wood great skill, after making a personal reconnaissance
of the whole wood under shell and machine gun fire.
He had done other fine work, displaying great bravery, and has
been awarded the D.S.O.
Sergeant Tuersley running to
assist a wounded Corporal half of whose leg had been blown off by a
shell. On working his way out of the debris of a parapet at
Fleurbaix in which he had been buried on the afternoon of November 9th
1914, Sergeant Charles Leonard Tuersley, of the 1st Royal
Fusiliers, heard a man calling from a trench near by.
On running round he found that a section commander, Corporal
Tanner, had had half of his leg blown off.
Sergeant Tuersley at once applied an improvised tourniquet, but
while he was bending over the wounded man a shell burst near by.
Two pieces struck the Sergeant in the back, but though bleeding
freely he continued to attend to his comrade.
He refused to retire for treatment until the wounded Corporal had
been removed. For his
conspicuous gallantry Sergeant Tuersley was awarded the D.C.M.
Sergeant-Major
Sharpington Rescuing An Old Woman From A Burning Farm. On November 6th 1914, a German set fire, near the
village of Fleurbaix, to a farm which belonged to an old woman who had
refused to leave it though it was always in danger of destruction.
The old womans existence was known to Sergeant-Major Sharpington,
who was with his company of 1st Royal Fusiliers in a trench near by.
The building was in a blaze, but without hesitation he entered it
through a window, found its occupant unconscious on the floor, and
carried her to safety through a hole in the wall made by a shell.
For this action he received the D.C.M.
Surgeon Major Thomas Egerton Hale by Hussaly
Winning his VC while serving with the 7th Regiment, Royal Fusiliers, at
the Siege of Sebastopol. Under heavy fire, he carried several wounded men
across open ground to safety, 8th September 1855. Thomas Egerton Hale was born
on 24th September 1832 at Faddiley, near Nantwich, the son of G.P. Hale of
Faddiley. His education was at Grove Park School. Wrexham, and Kings
College London. He qualified MRCS England 1854 and MD St Andrews in 1855.
The same year he entered the army after basic training as Assistant
Surgeon to the 7th Foot (1st Battalion The Royal Fusiliers) and won the
Victoria Cross in the first three months of his new appointment, at the
Siege of Sebastopol during the attack on the Redan.
"Dates of Acts of Bravery: 8 September 1855. One
for remaining with an officer who was dangerously wounded (Capt H. M.
Jones 5th Regiment) in the fifth parallel on 8 Sept 1855, when all the men
in the immediate neighbourhood retreated, excepting Lieut W. Hope and Dr
Hale; and for endeavouring to rally the men, in conjunction with Lieut. W.
Hope 7th Regt, The Royal Fusiliers. Two for having on 8 Sept 1855, after
the regiment had retired into the trenches, cleared the most advanced sap
of the wounded, and carried into the sap, under heavy firs, several
wounded men from the open ground, being assisted by Sgt. Charles Fisher,
7th Regt, The Royal Fusiliers."
At the time of winning the Victoria Cross, Assistant
Surgeon Hale was aged 23 years. He served in Turkey and the Crimea from
1854 to 1856 and was also present at the Bombardment of Sebastopol. In
addition he gained the Crimean Medal and clasp, and the Turkish Crimean
Medal. In 1857 Surgeon Hale was present during the latter
part of the Indian Mutiny being in medical charge of a field force
detached to the Trans-India Frontier. Thereafter he was in medical charge
at Cherat in the Peshawar Hills in 1860 and Civil Surgeon at Ferozepore in
1863. From 1864-66 he was medical officer for the Punjab Infantry and for
the European detachments on the Punjab Frontier. In 1867 he was promoted
Surgeon Major, being placed in charge of Naini Tal Hill Sanatorium.
Surgeon Major Hale was appointed medical officer to
the 43rd Regiment of Foot in 1869, and to the 94th Foot four years later.
He retired in 1876. On the Jubilee of the Crimea (1905) he was created a
Companion of the Order of the Bath.
Surgeon Major Hale was a man of wide interests: a
Justice of the Peace, a keen cricketer, an accomplished rider and a
skilful shot. His publications included aspects of Irish history, and he
was a fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal
Historical Society. He died in 1909, on Christmas day at his home at
Faddiley Lodge, Nantwich, Cheshire aged 77 years. A memorial tablet can be
seen in Acton church, Cheshire. Text supplied by Royal Army Medical Corps Historical
Museum. |
| Regimental
Books Available: |
Historical
Records of the Seventh or Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. by W Wheater
(1875)
Year by year record of the regiment from formation to
1875 with service records of officers. (69 page list of officers)
Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).
For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per
total shipment)
Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee
per total shipment)
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To order your copy: secure
order form
Paperback Book serial number NMP2387.
232 pages. Price £24.95. |
A
History of the 22nd (Service) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (Kensington).
by Major Christopher Stone DSO MC (1923)
Short history of 22nd Royal Fusiliers in the Great
War. Served on Western FrontNov 1915 to Feb 1918 when
disbanded. One VC.
Post: UK- £3.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).
For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per
total shipment)
Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee
per total shipment)
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To order your copy: secure
order form
Paperback Book serial number NMP1062. 79 pages. Price
£7.95 |
The
History of the Old 2/4th (City of London) Battalion the London Regiment
Royal Fusiliers. by Anon (1919)
Battalion service on Malta and at Gallipoli.
Disbanded June 1916. Records of service of all officers and men.
Paperback Book serial number
NMP7457.
193
pages. Price £12.50 |
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