The Lancashire Fusiliers was a British infantry regiment that was amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock Musket called the fusil. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. In the Battle of Minden, a Prussian - Hanoverian - British army under Prince Ferdinand defeated a French army under the Marquis Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman The Battle of Inkerman, a battle of the Crimean War, was fought on November 5, 1854 and resulted in a British and French victory under General Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock Musket called the fusil. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (RRF is an Infantry Regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.

History

Formation and early history

The Regiment was formed in 1688 in Devon under Sir Richard Peyton as Peyton's Regiment of Foot. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name The regiment's name changed according to the name of the colonel commanding until 1751, when it became the 20th Regiment of Foot. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Year 1751 ( MDCCLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Lancashire Fusiliers was a British Infantry Regiment that was amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal

The Regiment served in the Glorious Revolution under King William III and at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690 and Aughrim in 1691. The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (VII of Scotland in 1688 by a union William III or William of Orange (14 November 1650 &ndash 8 March 1702 He is informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy" The Battle of the Boyne (Cath na Bóinne was a turning point in the Williamite claim on the English throne During the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714), it aided in the capture of Spanish galleons at Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702. In the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714 several European powers combined to stop French succession to the Spanish throne and what would likely have been a resulting The Battle of Vigo Bay was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The regiment distinguished itself at the Battle of Dettingen in June 1743, and at Fontenoy in May 1745, and served in the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. The Battle of Dettingen ( Schlacht bei Dettingen) took place on June 27 1743 at Dettingen in Bavaria during the War of the Austrian Succession The Battle of Culloden (Blàr Chùil Lodair (16 April 1746 was the final clash between the French-supported Jacobites and the Hanoverian

During the Seven Years' War the regiment earned honour at the Battle of Minden on 1 August 1759, when, as an infantry formation, they stood up to and broke a French, cavalry charge. The Seven Years' War (1756&ndash1763 involved all of the major European powers of the period causing 900000 to 1400000 deaths In the Battle of Minden, a Prussian - Hanoverian - British army under Prince Ferdinand defeated a French army under the Marquis Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1759 ( MDCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Regiment was sent to Quebec in April 1776 and assisted in the relief of Quebec in May 1776. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Serving under General John Burgoyne for the remainder of the Canadian Campaign, they later surrendered along with General Burgoyne at Saratoga. General John Burgoyne ( February 24, 1722 &ndash August 4, 1792) was a British army officer Politician Background See also Saratoga campaign The British plan and Howe's blunder The original conception of the campaign had been for Burgoyne with some eight

Lancashire Fusiliers

The 20th Regiment of Foot was designated the East Devonshire Regiment in 1782, and the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1881.

World War I

The Lancashire Fusiliers raised thirty battalions for World War I and was represented in every campaign of the war. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

Gallipoli

A boat carrying Lancashire Fusiliers, bound for Gallipoli. Gallipoli peninsula (Gelibolu Yarımadası is located in Turkish Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles

At the main landings at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, six Victoria Crosses were awarded to 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year See below the section "Separate Commonwealth awards" Note that since This is sometimes referred to as 'the six VCs before breakfast'.

The landing in Gallipoli involved a brigade from the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division that had four territorial battalions from the regiment. The British 42nd (East Lancashire Division was a Territorial Force division. The Territorial Army ( TA) is the principal and Volunteer reserve force of the British Army, the land armed forces branch of the United Kingdom The landings also involved the 1st Battalion.

A service of commemoration has been held in the regimental town, Bury in Lancashire every Gallipoli Sunday, the nearest Sunday to 25 April, since 1916. Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, north-northwest of the city of Manchester, west-southwest of Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. It has recently been decided that this commemoration will continue despite the death of the last survivor of the Lancashire Fusiliers who were present at Gallipoli.

Western Front

1st Lancashire Fusiliers in a communication trench near Beaumont Hamel, 1916

Tolkien in 1916, wearing his British Army uniform in a photograph from Carpenter's Biography

The regiment, like most British regiments in the war, sent the majority of its battalions to the Western Front. See Western Front (disambiguation for other meanings Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World During the Battle of the Somme there were eleven battalions of the regiment that saw action in the campaign including three Pals battalions (The Salford Pals) and three Bantam battalions. The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, fought from July to November 1916 was among the largest battles of the First World War The Pals battalions of World War I were units of the British Army that consisted of men who had enlisted together at special local recruiting drives with the promise A bantam, in British army usage was a soldier of less-than-average height
The famous fantasy author J.R.R Tolkien served in this regiment from 1915 until contracting "trench fever" during the Battle of the Somme in October 1916. Trench fever is a moderately serious Disease transmitted by body lice. The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, fought from July to November 1916 was among the largest battles of the First World War

World War II

The Lancashire Fusiliers raised seventeen battalions for service in the Second World War. During Battle of France , the 1/8 Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, along with battalions of the Royal Norfolks and the Royal Scots, were overrun on 26 May–27 May 1940 around the village of Locon, 2 kilometres north of Bethune by advancing German troops. In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries The Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry Regiment of the British Army. The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment, once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest and therefore most senior Infantry Regiment of the line Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Béthune (Betun is a city and commune of northern France, sous-préfecture of the Pas-de-Calais département Several massacres of Allied prisoners took place shortly thereafter, primarily by the German SS Totenkopf Division. SS Division Totenkopf ("Death's Head" or "Skull" is also known as 3

1st Battalion

After recovering its numbers from the First World War the battalion spent the interwar years based in various garrisons around the British Empire . The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. In 1939 the battalion was based in India . India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country During the Burma Campaign the 1st Battalion fought with various units until 1943 when it became a Chindit formation with the 77th Brigade under Brig. The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United The Chindits (Officially in 1942 77th Indian Infantry Brigade and in 1943 Indian 3rd Infantry Division) were a British Indian Army "Special Force" that served Orde Wingate . Major-General Orde Charles Wingate, DSO and two bars ( February 26, 1903 &ndash March 24, 1944) was a The battalion was involved in both major Chindit operations suffering many casualties before the war ended.

2nd Battalion

Post 1945

Battle Honours

Dettingen, Minden, Egmont-op-Zee, Egypt, Maida, Vimiera, Corunna, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula, Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol, Lucknow, Khartoum, Relief of Ladysmith, South Africa 1899-1902

World War I (30 battalions): Le Cateau, Retreat from Mons, Marne 1914, Aisne 1914 '18, Armentières 1914, Ypres 1915 '17 '18, St. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The Siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 30 October 1899 and 28 February 1900 World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Julien, Bellewaarde, Somme 1916 '18, Albert 1916 '18, Bazentin, Delville Wood, Pozières, Ginchy, Flers-Courcelette, Morval, Thiepval, Le Transloy, Ancre Heights, Ancre 1916 '18, Arras 1917 '18, Scarpe 1917 '18, Arleux, Messines 1917, Pilckem, Langemarck 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Cambrai 1917 '18, St. Quentin, Bapaume 1918, Rosières, Lys, Estaires, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Kemmel, Béthune, Scherpenberg, Amiens, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Épéhy, Canal du Nord, St. Quentin Canal, Courtrai, Selle, Sambre, France and Flanders 1914-18, Doiran 1917, Macedonia 1915-18, Helles, Landing at Helles, Krithia, Suvla, Landing at Suvla, Scimitar Hill, Gallipoli 1915, Rumani, Egypt 1915-17

Second World War: Defence of Escaut, St. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Omer-La Bassée, Caen, North-West Europe 1940 '44, Medjez el Bab, Oued Zarga, North Africa 1942-43, Adrano, Sicily 1943, Termoli, Trigno, Sangro, Cassino II, Trasimene Line, Monte Ceco, Monte Spaduro, Senio, Argenta Gap, Italy 1943-45, Malta 1941-42, Rathedaung, Htizwe, Kohima, Naga Village, Chindits 1944, Burma 1943-45

Further reading

Moorhouse, G. (1992). Hells Foundation's : A Town, its Myths and Gallipoli, London: Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-43044-3

External links

• Regimental museum
• Website for ex-members of the regiment
• The British Army– The Twentieth of Foot
• British Regimental Drums & Colours