Dates: 1935 - 1968
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was one of England’s premier county regiments and can trace its ancestry back to the year 1674.When first raised it was part of the Dutch Service and known as the Irish Regiment, or Viscount Clare’s Regiment. Until 1751, like most other regiments, it was known successively by the names of the colonels who commanded them at the time. The Regiment was transferred to the British Service in 1689. From 5 June 1685 its order of precedence was the 5th Regiment of the Line. It was not until 1 July 1751 that it was designated by that number as the "5th Regiment of Foot" when the system of naming regiments after their Colonels was dropped. As a fusilier regiment, it wears a hackle, which in this case is red over white. This distinction was originally a white plume which His Majesty’s Fifth Regiment of Foot had taken from the head dress of fallen French troops at St. Lucia in December 1778. The Fifth Regiment of Foot became His Majesty’s Fifth (Northumberland) Regiment of Foot with the county affiliations of 1782. In 1829 King George IV ordered the white plume to be worn by all infantry regiments, and in order not to take away from the Fifth (Northumberland) Regiment of Foot’s battle honour, their plume was distinguished by being made red over white. This came from the legend that the men of the Fifth ( Northumberland) Regiment of Foot having dipped the white plumes in the blood of the French at St. Lucia.
On 4 May 1836 it became a fusilier regiment and was redesignated as the 5th (Northumberland Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot. With the Cardwell reforms of 1881, the regiment was linked with the county on 1 July 1881, as the Northumberland Fusiliers with the general loss of numbering.
Regular battalions continued for many years afterwards to refer to themselves as the "Fifth Fusiliers" unofficially .On 3 June 1935, the regiment was given the prefix "Royal". With the British Army reforms of the late 1960s forming large regiments that on the 23rd April 1968 (St George’s Day) the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was amalgamated with three other Fusilier regiments; Royal Fusiliers (City of London) Regiment, the Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers and the Lancashire Fusiliers to form The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
To this day, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers continues to wear some of the insignia of the four county regiments from which it was formed and to honour their traditions and carry their battle honours.
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
" I am posting this on behalf of my husband, the eldest son of Joseph (Barry) Noble who was born in 1900. Barry Noble enlisted in the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers in 1922. Appointed Lance Corporal 1924, promoted Corporal 1926. Lance Sergeant 1929, sergeant 1931. Service in India 1922 -1931. ..."
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" could anyone who served with the royal northumberland fusiliers between 1936/1946 and knew fusilier fred smith please contct me i am trying to find a photo and information of the dad i never knew for my own research for my book + my own need to see what he looked like .thakyou coral mcnulty my e mail is coralmcnulty@aol.com. "
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"royal northumberland fusiliers"
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"FRED BOLAM ROYAL NORTHUMBERLAND FUSILIERS 1961 /67"
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