17th–19th century Peyton's Regiment of Foot (1688–1740) By a commission dated 20November 1688, the regiment was formed in
Torbay, Devon under Sir Richard Peyton as '''Peyton's Regiment of Foot'''. (Until 1751 the regiment's name changed according to the name of the
colonel commanding.) The regiment served in the
Glorious Revolution under
King William III, and at the
Battle of the Boyne in July 1690 and the
Battle of Aughrim in 1691. During the
War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), it aided in the capture of Spanish galleons at
Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702.
Bligh's Regiment of Foot (1740–1746) Under the command of
Thomas Bligh, the regiment distinguished itself at the
Battle of Dettingen in June 1743 and at the
Battle of Fontenoy in May 1745. Under the command of
Edward Cornwallis, the regiment also served at the
Battle of Culloden in April 1746 during the
Jacobite rising of 1745. In December 1748, Cornwallis established a
Freemason's Lodge for the regiment, on the registry of the
Grand Lodge of Ireland.
20th Regiment of Foot (1751–1782) In 1751, the regiment became the
20th Regiment of Foot, often written in Roman numerals 'XX Foot', (hence the nickname
The Two Tens). 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 fast and broke a
French cavalry charge. During the
American Revolutionary War, the regiment was sent to
Quebec in April 1776 and assisted in the relief of Quebec in May 1776. Serving under General
John Burgoyne for the remainder of the Canadian campaign, they later surrendered along with General Burgoyne at
Saratoga.
20th (East Devonshire) Regiment of Foot (1782–1881) The 20th Regiment of Foot was designated the
20th (East Devonshire) Regiment of Foot in 1782. The regiment embarked for
Holland in August 1799 to take part in the
Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. It fought at the
Battle of Krabbendam in September 1799 and the
Battle of Alkmaar in October 1799. It departed for
Egypt in spring 1801 and saw action at the
Battle of Alexandria in March 1801, during the
French Revolutionary Wars. After moving to
Calabria, it took part in the
Battle of Maida in July 1806 during the
War of the Third Coalition. The regiment embarked for
Portugal in 1808 for service in the
Peninsular War. It saw action at the
Battle of Vimeiro in August 1808 and the
Battle of Corunna in January 1809 before being evacuated home later that month. The regiment returned to the Peninsula and fought at the
Battle of Vitoria in June 1813, where it formed part of the "backbone" of the
Duke of Wellington's forces. It then pursued the French Army into France and took part in the
Battle of the Pyrenees in July 1813, the
Battle of Nivelle in November 1813, and the
Battle of Orthez in February 1814, as well the
Battle of Toulouse in April 1814. During the
Crimean War, the regiment took part in the
Battle of Alma in September 1854 and the
Battle of Inkerman in November 1854. The 2nd Battalion was raised in 1858. Under the reforms the regiment became
The Lancashire Fusiliers on 1 July 1881. Under the new arrangements, each county regiment had two
Militia battalions attached to it: these were found by the
7th Royal Lancashire Militia (Rifles), raised in 1855 and recruited from
Bury,
Manchester and
Salford. This formed the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers. In addition,
Rifle Volunteer Corps were attached to their local regiments. In 1883 the 8th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers (raised at Bury on 22 August 1859) became the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, and the 12th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers (originally the 24th, raised at
Rochdale in February 1860) became the 2nd Volunteer Battalion. In 1886 the
56th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers (raised at Salford on 5 March 1860) was transferred from the
Manchester Regiment to become the
3rd Volunteer Battalion. In common with other regiments recruited from populous urban areas, the Lancashire Fusiliers raised two further regular battalions, the 3rd in 1898, and the 4th in March 1900. This necessitated adjustments to the numbers of the Militia battalions, which became the 5th and 6th battalions. However, the 3rd and 4th Regular battalions were disbanded in 1906. The 2nd Battalion was stationed in
British India from 1881 to 1898. It was sent to Africa to take part in Kitchener's campaign to reconquer the Sudan and fought at the
Battle of Omdurman. After a year at Malta, the battalion was posted to South Africa in December 1899, following the outbreak of the
Second Boer War two months earlier. The battalion served in South Africa throughout the war, which ended with the
Peace of Vereeniging in June 1902. About 570 officers and men left
Cape Town on the SS
Britannic in October that year. They were stationed at
Aldershot after their return to the United Kingdom. The 5th and 6th (Militia) Battalions also served in South Africa, the 6th leaving with 650 men on 10 February 1900, and later being involved in a sharp action at
Luckhoff. The 5th battalion served in the last year of the war. The battalions were awarded the battle honours
South Africa 1900–01 (for the 6th) and
South Africa 1901–02 (for the 5th). All three Volunteer Battalions also found 'service companies' of volunteers who served alongside the Regulars, and gained the battle honour
South Africa 1900–1902 for their battalions. These four battalions formed the
Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade, in the
East Lancashire Division of the TF, on the eve of the First World War.
First World War Regular Army The 1st Battalion, which was based in
Karachi in the early months of the war, returned to the United Kingdom in January 1915. The 2/5th Battalion landed at Boulogne as part of the
3rd Highland Brigade in the
Highland Division in May 1915 for service on the Western Front.
New Army Battalions The 9th (Service) Battalion waded ashore in deep water and darkness at
Suvla Bay on the night of 6/7 August 1915, as part of
34th Brigade of
11th (Northern) Division, and were pinned down on the beach losing their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel H. M. Welstead, and a number of officers. Evacuated from Gallipoli in December 1915, it moved to Egypt and was then transferred to France in July 1916 for service on the Western Front. The 12th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne as part of the
65th Brigade in the
22nd Division in September 1915 but moved with the Division to
Salonika, arriving in November 1915 before moving to France for service on the Western Front in July 1918.
Second World War Regular Army battalions After recovering its numbers from the First World War, the 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers spent the
interwar period based in various garrisons around the
British Empire. In 1939, upon the outbreak of the
Second World War, the battalion was based in
British India. During the
Burma Campaign, the 1st Battalion fought with various units until 1943 when it became a
Chindits formation with the
77th Indian Infantry Brigade, which was commanded by
Brigadier Orde Wingate. The battalion was involved in both major Chindit operations, suffering many casualties before the war ended. from the 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers during the Second World War From the outbreak of war in 1939 to 1940, the 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers was deployed with the
11th Infantry Brigade, alongside the 1st
East Surreys and 1st
Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry (later replaced by the
5th Northants). The brigade was part of the
4th Infantry Division and was sent overseas in October 1939 to join the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF). The 2nd Battalion fought against the
German Army in the battles of
Belgium and
France, until being forced to
retreat to Dunkirk and were
evacuated back to the United Kingdom, where they stayed until late 1942, anticipating a
German invasion. In June 1942, the 11th Brigade, of whom the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers were a part, was transferred to the newly created
78th Infantry Division. They then served in the final stages of the
North African Campaign, the
Tunisian Campaign, where the 78th
Battleaxe Division gained an excellent reputation, Medjez El Bab,
Sicily, and the
Italian Campaign (as part of the
Gothic Line). During the fighting in Italy,
Fusilier Frank Jefferson was awarded the
Victoria Cross. A former member of the battalion, Wallace Jackson, died on Thursday, 12 November 2009 aged 89 years.
Territorial Army battalions The 1/5th Battalion was a 1st-Line
Territorial Army (TA) unit serving in the
42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division with the 1/6th and 1/8th battalions in the
125th Infantry brigade. They were sent to France in April 1940 to join the rest of the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and fought in the
Battle of Dunkirk and were
evacuated to Britain. In 1941, the battalion was converted to armour as the
108th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (Lancashire Fusiliers). Units converted in this way continued to wear their infantry cap badge on the black beret of the
Royal Armoured Corps. The 1/6th Battalion served alongside the 1/5th Battalion in France in April–June 1940 and were driven back to Dunkirk. In 1941, this 1st-Line TA Battalion was converted, like the 1/5th Battalion, to armour as
109th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps. In the summer of 1940, while serving in 53 Anti-Aircraft Brigade, covering the North Midlands, it was transferred as a Searchlight Regiment to the
Royal Artillery (the day of the actual transfer, 1 August (
Minden Day), was considered auspicious by the battalion). In May 1943, the regiment was reduced to a
cadre under its old title of 7th Bn LF and took no further part in the war, but several of its batteries continued an independent existence, continuing to wear the Lancashire Fusiliers badge and to celebrate Minden Day. The 1/8th Battalion began the war in 125th Brigade with the 1/5th and 1/6th Battalions, but while in France with the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) it exchanged with the 1st Battalion,
Border Regiment into the
4th Infantry Brigade part of the
2nd Infantry Division, as part of official BEF policy to mix the Regular and Territorial armies. During the
Battle of France, the 1/8th Lancashire Fusiliers, along with the 1st Battalion,
Royal Scots and the 2nd Battalion
Royal Norfolk Regiment, were overrun on 26–27 May 1940 around the village of Locon, 2 kilometres north of
Bethune, by advancing German troops. Several massacres of Allied prisoners took place shortly thereafter, such as the
Le Paradis massacre, primarily by the German
SS Totenkopf Division. Later, the battalion fought in the
Burma Campaign and participated in many famous battles, such as the
Battle of Kohima, serving in the
British Fourteenth Army under
Bill Slim. The 2/5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers was formed in 1939 as a duplicate of the 1/5th. It was part of the
197th Infantry Brigade, the 2nd-Line duplicate of the 1st-Line
125th Infantry Brigade. It served with the
66th Infantry Division until 23 June 1940, when the division disbanded. The brigade was then transferred to the
59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division. They
landed in Normandy as part of
Operation Overlord on 29 June 1944 and first saw action in early July at Malon on the North West outskirts of
Caen as part of
Operation Charnwood, where they suffered 121 casualties. They also took part in
Operation Pomegranate and the battles on the Orne River. Of all the companies in this battalion, B Company stood out for the highest number of officers killed (in just two months, B Company lost three commanding officers, and
all officers on a company attack just outside Vendes). On 21 August 1944, the divisional commander,
Major-General Lewis Lyne, late of the regiment, visited the battalion and informed them that the 59th Division was to be disbanded, due to a severe shortage of infantryman at the time, in order to provide replacements for other infantry units, and most had been battered during the recent heavy fighting. As a result, on 26 August, the battalion was officially disbanded and the companies were dispatched to different British battalions and divisions in the
21st Army Group. A Company was sent to 7th
Royal Welch Fusiliers (
53rd (Welsh) Division), B Company to 2nd
Gordon Highlanders (
15th (Scottish) Division), C Company to 2nd
Glasgow Highlanders (15th (Scottish) Division) and D Company to 1st
East Lancashire Regiment (53rd (Welsh) Division). The 59th Division was considered by
General Sir Bernard Montgomery to be one of the best and most reliable divisions in his
21st Army Group; it was only chosen for disbandment because it was the youngest British division in France. The Battalion War Diary claimed it to be "
A sad day. 5 years of training for 8 weeks fighting, and unfortunately the break up of the battalion leaves the Regiment without representative in this Theatre of War". The 2/6th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers came into being as a 2nd Line duplicate of the 1/6th Battalion. Like the 2/5th Battalion, the 2/6th Battalion was also part of
197th Infantry Brigade in the 66th Infantry Division and was also transferred to
59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division after 66th Division disbanded. However, in October 1942, the battalion was transferred elsewhere when it was replaced in the 197th Brigade by the 1/7th Battalion,
Royal Warwickshire Regiment. The 2/6th Battalion remained in the United Kingdom throughout the war, serving with many different brigades, including the
211th infantry Brigade (part of the
80th Infantry (Reserve) Division) from October 1942 to October 1943. The 10th (Service) Battalion was also raised in 1940 The 11th (Service) Battalion was a hostilities-only battalion raised in 1940, originally as the 50th (Holding) Battalion, whose role was to temporarily 'hold' men who were medically unfit, awaiting orders, on courses or returning from abroad. The battalion served in
East Africa in 1952 during the
Mau Mau rebellion.
Territorial Battalions The 5th Battalion was reformed but disbanded when the TA was reduced into the
TAVR in 1967. The battalion's lineage was continued by retaining a
company in the 4th Battalion
Queen's Lancashire Regiment and subsequently the
Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers on its formation in 1999. The other TA battalions were all reconstituted as anti-aircraft (AA) units in
Anti-Aircraft Command: • 633 (6th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers) Light AA Regiment, Royal Artillery •
574th (7th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers) (Mixed) Heavy AA Regiment, RA, ('mixed' indicating that members of the
Women's Royal Army Corps were integrated into the unit) • 634 (8th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers) Heavy AA Regiment, RA, later renumbered 310 HAA Rgt AA Command was disbanded in 1955, and a number of disbandments and mergers took place among TA air defence units: 633 LAA Regiment was disbanded, On 1 May 1961, Q Battery transferred to
253 Field Regiment (The Bolton Artillery). Since the reduction of the TA in 1967, the Bolton Artillery has existed as a battery of
103 (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment RA, but it no longer has a presence in Salford. ==Regimental museum==