| 7th Regiment of Foot Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge | |
| Active | 1685–1968 |
| Country |  Kingdom of England (1685–1707) Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1968) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Line infantry |
| Size | 1–4Regular battalions Up to 3Militia andSpecial Reserve battalions |
| Garrison/HQ | Tower of London |
| Nickname | The Elegant Extracts |
| Motto | Honi soit qui mal y pense |
| March | The Seventh Royal Fusiliers |
| Anniversaries | Albuhera Day (16 May) |
| Insignia | |
| Hackle | White |
TheRoyal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was aline infantryregiment of theBritish Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the7th Regiment of Foot until theChilders Reforms of 1881.[1]
The regiment served in many wars and conflicts throughout its long existence, including theSecond Boer War, theFirst World War and theSecond World War. In 1968, the regiment was amalgamated with the other regiments of theFusilier Brigade – theRoyal Northumberland Fusiliers, theRoyal Warwickshire Fusiliers and theLancashire Fusiliers – to form a newlarge regiment, theRoyal Regiment of Fusiliers.
TheRoyal Fusiliers War Memorial, a monument dedicated to the almost 22,000 Royal Fusiliers who died during the First World War, stands onHolborn in theCity of London.
It was formed as afusilier regiment in 1685 byGeorge Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth, from two companies of theTower of London guard, and was originally called theOrdnance Regiment, later theRoyal Regiment of Fuziliers[2] (a variety of spellings of the word "fusilier" persisted until the 1780s, when the modern spelling was formalised[3]). Most regiments were equipped withmatchlockmuskets at the time, but the Ordnance Regiment were armed withflintlockfusils. This was because their task was to be an escort for theartillery, for which matchlocks would have carried the risk of igniting the open-topped barrels ofgunpowder.[4] The regiment was also known by the names of its colonels until 1751.[2]
The regiment went toHolland in February 1689 for service in theNine Years' War and fought at theBattle of Walcourt in August 1689[5] before returning home in 1690.[6] It embarked forFlanders later that year and fought at theBattle of Steenkerque in August 1692[7] and theBattle of Landen in July 1693[8] and theSiege of Namur in summer 1695 before returning home.[9]
The regiment took part in an expedition which captured the town ofRota in Spain in spring 1702[10] and then saw action at theBattle of Vigo Bay in October 1702 during theWar of the Spanish Succession.[11] The regiment served asMarines aboardRoyal Navy ships in 1703 (and again in 1718–18, April 1742 (details only), and 1756–57).[2]
In 1747 the regiment was known as theRoyal English Fuziliers and was given the precedence of 7th in theInfantry of the Line. On 1 July 1751 it was redesignated as the7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers). When county titles were added in August 1782 the subtitle '(Derbyshire)' was added, but this was never used and was later given to a different regiment.[2]
The Royal Fusiliers were sent to Canada in April 1773.[12] The regiment was broken up into detachments that served atMontreal,Quebec,Fort Chambly and Fort St Johns (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu). In the face of the American invasion of Canada in 1775/76, the 80 man garrison of Fort Chambly attempted to resist a 400-man Rebel force but ultimately had to surrender, losing its regimental colours as a result. The bulk of the regiment was captured when St John's fell. A 70-man detachment under the command of Captain Humphrey Owens assisted with theBattle of Quebec in December 1775.[13]
The men taken prisoner during the defence of Canada were exchanged in British heldNew York City in December 1776. Here, the regiment was rebuilt and garrisoned New York and New Jersey. In October 1777, the 7th participated in the successful assaults onFort Clinton andFort Montgomery and the destruction of enemy stores at Continental Village. In late November, 1777 the regiment reinforced the garrison ofPhiladelphia. During the British evacuation back to New York City, the regiment participated in a diversionary raid in the days leading up to theBattle of Monmouth in June 1778.[14] The 7th participated inTryon's raid in July 1779.[15]
In April 1780, the Royal Fusiliers took part in thecapture of Charleston.[16] Once Charleston fell, the regiment helped garrison the city.[4] Three companies were sent to Ninety-Six to assist with the training of Loyalist militia companies. An 80-man detachment also sent toCamden, South Carolina to help build that town's defences. The detachments were recalled to Charleston for refitting in late August 1780. They were then mounted and sent to joinCharles Cornwallis's Army as it advanced towardsCharlotte, North Carolina in early September 1780. The 7th, mounted on horses, along with two regiments of Loyalist militia, cleared the region north ofGeorgetown, South Carolina of partisans while en route. The Royal Fusiliers turned the horses over to Lieutenant ColonelBanastre Tarleton's British Legion upon uniting with Cornwallis in late September and then served as the Army's rearguard.[17]
Between October 1780 and early January 1781, the regiment, having lost about one third of its officers and men to sickness and disease, protected the communication and supply lines between Camden andWinnsboro, South Carolina. On 7 January 7, 1781, a contingent of 171 men from the Royal Fusiliers was detached from Cornwallis's Army and fought under the command of Tarleton at theBattle of Cowpens in January 1781.[18] The Royal Fusiliers were on the left of the line of battle: Tarleton was defeated and the regiment's colours were once again captured, stored in the baggage wagons.[19] A 19-man detachment from the regiment fought through North Carolina participating in theBattle of Guilford Court House in March 1781 and ultimately the Siege of Yorktown, where it served with the regiment's Light Infantry Company.[20] There was another detachment, composed largely of men recovered from the hospital and recruits, which remained in the South under the command of Lt Col.Alured Clarke: these men remained in garrison in Charleston, until they were transferred toSavannah, Georgia in December 1781.[21] The regiment returned to England in 1783.[22]
The regiment embarked for Holland and saw action at theBattle of Copenhagen in August 1807 during theGunboat War.[23] It was then sent to theWest Indies and took part in the capture ofMartinique in 1809.[24] It embarked forPortugal later that year for service in thePeninsular War and fought at theBattle of Talavera in July 1809,[25] theBattle of Bussaco in September 1810.[26] and theBattle of Albuera in May 1811.[27][28]
The regiment then took part in theSiege of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812,[29] theSiege of Badajoz in spring 1812[30] and theBattle of Salamanca in July 1812[31] as well as theBattle of Vitoria in June 1813.[32] It then pursued the French Army into France and fought at theBattle of the Pyrenees in July 1813,[33] theBattle of Orthez in February 1814[34] and theBattle of Toulouse in April 1814.[35] It returned to England later that year[36] before embarking forCanada and seeing action at the capture ofFort Bowyer in February 1815 during theWar of 1812.[37]
A 2nd Battalion was formed in 1804 and also took part in the Peninsular Campaign from 1809 to 1811. Both battalions took part in the 1811 Battle of Albuera. The 2nd Battalion was disbanded after the war.[38]
_officers_in_Bermuda_1905.jpg)
The single-battalion Regiment embarked forScutari for service in theCrimean War on 5 April 1854 (with the Depot at Winchester), and saw action at theBattle of Alma in September 1854, theBattle of Inkerman in November 1854 and theSiege of Sebastopol in winter 1854.[4] It returned to Britain from the Crimea on 27 June 1856, embarked forIndia on 21 July 1857, and took part in theAmbela Campaign in 1863.[4] In 1865 it was atFerozepore. It returned to Britain from India on the 27 December 1870. It embarked forGibraltar in 1885, and in 1886 and 1887 was at Egypt. From 1888 until 1901, it was posted to various locations in India, includingPoona,Karachi (now inPakistan),Mhow,Nusseerabad,Bombay,Quetta,Bengal,Neemuch, andNusserabad.[39]
The newly re-formed 2nd battalion, which had been atPreston, embarked for Gibraltar on 27 May 1858 (the Depot at this point was atChatham, moving toWalmer). It was deployed fromMalta toUpper Canada in October 1866 and helped suppress theFenian raids and then embarked forIndia on 1 October 1873, and saw action at theBattle of Kandahar in September 1880 during theSecond Anglo-Afghan War.[4] It was subsequently stationed at various locations in India, includingCannanore,Madras,Wellington, before returning to Britain from India on 29 March 1889, when it was posted toDover. In 1892 it moved toWoolwich. In 1894 it was posted toGuernsey, and in 1896 toBelfast,Ireland. In 1898 it moved to theCurragh, Ireland.[39]
The regiment was not fundamentally affected by theCardwell Reforms of the 1870s, which gave it a depot atHounslow Barracks from 1873, or by theChilders reforms of 1881 – as it already possessed two battalions, there was no need for it to amalgamate with another regiment.[40] Under the reforms, the regiment becameThe Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) on 1 July 1881.[2][41][42] The regiment was now organised into the following:[43][44][45]
Regulars
Militia
Volunteer Infantry
In 1901 the 1st Battalion moved from India toMandalay,Burma.[46]
The regiment's 2nd regular battalion took part in theSecond Boer War from 1899 to 1902.[47] The battalion, which had previously been stationed theCurragh inIreland, embarked for South Africa on the 22 October 1899, and served there throughout the war, which ended with thePeace of Vereeniging in June 1902. Four months later 350 officers and men of the 2nd battalion leftCape Town on the SSSalamis in late September 1902, arriving at Southampton in late October, when the battalion was posted toAldershot.[48]
A 3rd regular battalion was formed on 6 April 1898 atDover[2] and embarked for theImperial fortress ofMalta on 1 December 1898, then moved toCrete, the Imperial fortress ofGibraltar in 1900, andEgypt andSudan in 1901. It was subsequently posted to theBermuda Garrison, with 16 officers, 1 warrant officer, and 937 NCOs and men arriving at the Imperial fortress ofBermuda under Lieutenant-Colonel R. B. Gaisford, CMG, from Egypt aboard theSS Dunera, and Majors CJ Stanton, FMF Scoones, Lieutenant F. Moore, and Second-Lieutenant GE Hawes arriving aboard the SS Dominion, in the week ending Saturday, 5 December 1903. the battalion replaced theRoyal Warwickshire Regiment atBoaz Island, and departed Bermuda again for Cape Town, South Africa, aboard theHMT Soudan on the 18 December 1905 (minus Private David FW Dobson, absent without leave).[49][50][51][39] The battalion was in South Africa andMauritius until the First World War.[52]
A 4th regular battalion was formed on 31 February 1900 at Dover,[2][53] and receivedcolours from thePrince of Wales (Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment) in July 1902.[54] In 1903 it was at Woolwich.[39]
In 1908, the Volunteers and Militia were reorganised nationally, with the former becoming theTerritorial Force and the latter theSpecial Reserve. The Royal Fusiliers' 1st to 4th Volunteer Battalions were transferred to the new all-territorialLondon Regiment, with the Royal Fusiliers itself now consisting of:[2][43][44]
Regulars
Special Reserve
The 1st Battalion landed atSaint-Nazaire as part of the17th Brigade in the6th Division in September 1914 for service on theWestern Front;[55][56] major engagements involving the battalion included theBattle of the Somme in autumn 1916 and theBattle of Passchendaele in autumn 1917.[57]
The 2nd Battalion landed atGallipoli as part of the86th Brigade in the29th Division in April 1915; after being evacuated in December 1915, it moved to Egypt in March 1916 and then landed inMarseille in March 1916 for service on the Western Front;[55][56] major engagements involving the battalion included the Battle of the Somme in autumn 1916 and theBattle of Arras in spring 1917.[57]
The 3rd Battalion landed atLe Havre as part of the85th Brigade in the28th Division in January 1915;[55][56] major engagements involving the battalion included theSecond Battle of Ypres in April 1915 and theBattle of Loos in September 1915.[57] The battalion moved to Egypt in October 1915 and then toSalonika in July 1918, before returning to the Western Front.[55][56]
The 4th Battalion landed at Le Havre as part of the9th Brigade in the3rd Division in August 1914 for service on the Western Front;[55][56] major engagements involving the battalion included theBattle of Mons and theBattle of Le Cateau in August 1914, theFirst Battle of the Marne and theFirst Battle of the Aisne in September 1914 and theBattle of La Bassée, theBattle of Messines and theFirst Battle of Ypres in October 1914.[57] Members of the Battalion won the first twoVictoria Crosses of the war near Mons in August 1914 (LieutenantMaurice Dease[58] and PrivateSidney Godley).[59]
The 8th and 9th (Service) Battalions landed in France; they both saw action on the Western Front as part of the36th Brigade of the12th (Eastern) Division.[56]
The10th (Service) Battalion, better known as the Stockbrokers' Battalion, was formed in August 1914 when 1,600 members of theLondon Stock Exchange and others from the area joined up: 742 were killed ormissing in action on the Western Front.[60] The battalion was originally part of the54th Brigade of the18th (Eastern) Division, transferring to the111th Brigade,37th Division.[56]
The 11th, 12th, 13th and 17th (Service) battalions landed in France; all four battalions saw action on the Western Front: the 11th Battalion being part of the 54th Brigade, 18th (Eastern) Division, the 12th with the73rd Brigade, later the17th Brigade,24th Division, the 13th with the 111th Brigade, 37th Division and the 17th with the99th Brigade,33rd Division, later transferring to the5th and6th Brigades of the2nd Division.[56]
The18th–21st (Service) Battalions (1st–4th Public Schools) of the regiment were recruited frompublic schools; all four battalions saw action on the Western Front, all originally serving with the98th Brigade in the33rd Division, the 18th and 20th Battalions transferring to the19th Brigade in the same division.[56]
The 22nd (Service) Battalion, which was recruited from the citizens ofKensington, also landed in France and saw action on the Western Front.[56]
The 23rd and 24th (Service) Battalion, better known as theSportsmen's Battalions, also landed in France and saw action on the Western Front:[56] they were among thePals battalions and were both part of the 99th Brigade of the 33rd Division, later transferring to command of the 2nd Division, with the 24th Battalion joining the 5th Brigade in the same division.[61]
The25th (Frontiersmen) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, formed in February 1915, served in East Africa.[56]
The26th (Service) Battalion was recruited from the banking community; it saw action on the Western Front as part of the124th Brigade of the41st Division.[56]
The 32nd (Service) Battalion, which was recruited from the citizens ofEast Ham, also landed in France and saw action on the Western Front as part of the 124th Brigade of the 41st Division.[56]
The 38th through 42nd Battalions of the regiment served as theJewish Legion[62] in Palestine; many of its surviving members went on to be part of the founding of the State of Israel in 1948.[56]
TheRoyal Fusiliers War Memorial, stands onHigh Holborn, nearChancery Lane Underground station, surmounted by the lifesize statue of a First World War soldier, and its regimental chapel is atSt Sepulchre-without-Newgate.[63]
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The 45th and 46th Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers were part of the North Russia Relief Force, which landed in early 1919 to support the withdrawal ofinternational forces assisting "White" (anti-Bolshevik) Russian forces during theRussian Civil War. The understrength 45th Battalion was composed mainly of former members of theAustralian Imperial Force – many of them veterans of the Western Front – who had volunteered for service in Russia.[64]
The 3rd and 4th Battalions were disbanded at Aldershot on 15 July 1922. The London Regiment having fallen into abeyance, the 1st–4th Londons reverted to their Royal Fusiluers affiliation. When the London Regiment was formally abolished they became the 8th (1st City of London), 9th (2nd City of London) and 10th (3rd City of London) Battalions (the 4th Londons had already been converted into60th (City of London) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery). In the period of rearmament before the outbreak ofWorld War II, the 8th and 9th Battalions each formed a duplicate battalion (11th and 12th respectively) while 10th Battalion was converted into69th (3rd City of London) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery.[2][65]
For most of theSecond World War, the 1st Battalion was part of the17th Indian Infantry Brigade,8th Indian Infantry Division. It served with them in theItalian Campaign.[66]
The 2nd Battalion was attached to the12th Infantry Brigade,4th Infantry Division and was sent to France in 1939 after the outbreak of war to join theBritish Expeditionary Force (BEF). In May 1940, it fought in theBattle of France and was forced toretreat to Dunkirk, where it was thenevacuated from France. With the brigade and division, the battalion spent the next two years in the United Kingdom, before being sent overseas to fight in theTunisia Campaign, part of the final stages of theNorth African Campaign. Alongside the 1st, 8th and 9th battalions, the 2nd Battalion also saw active service in theItalian Campaign from March 1944, in particular during theBattle of Monte Cassino, fighting later on theGothic Line before being airlifted to fight in theGreek Civil War.[67]
The8th and9th Battalions, the twoTerritorial Army (TA) units, were part of the1st London Infantry Brigade, attached to1st London Infantry Division. These later became the167th (London) Infantry Brigade and56th (London) Infantry Division. Both battalions saw service in the final stages of the Tunisian campaign, where each suffered over 100 casualties in their first battle. In September 1943, both battalions were heavily involved in thelandings at Salerno, as part of theAllied invasion of Italy, later crossing theVolturno Line, before, in December, being held up at theWinter Line.[68] Both battalions then fought in theBattle of Monte Cassino and were sent to theAnzio beachhead in February 1944.[69]
The duplicate TA battalions, the 11th and 12th, were both assigned to4th London Infantry Brigade, part of2nd London Infantry Division, later140th (London) Infantry Brigade and47th (London) Infantry Division respectively.[70] Both battalions remained in the United Kingdom on home defence duties. In 1943, the 12th Battalion was transferred to the80th Infantry (Reserve) Division and later to the 47th Infantry (Reserve) Division.[71]
The regiment raised many other battalions during the war, although none of them saw active service overseas in their original roles, instead some were converted. The 20th Battalion, for example, formed soon after theDunkirk evacuation, was sent toIndia in the summer of 1942 and later became part of the52nd Infantry Brigade, acting in a training capacity to train British troops injungle warfare for service in theBurma Campaign. The 21st and 23rd Battalions, also created in June/July 1940, were later converted into54th and46th Battalions,Reconnaissance Corps, assigned to the54th (East Anglian) and46th Infantry Divisions respectively; the 54th later formed the bulk of15th Scottish Reconnaissance Regiment, while the 46th servied with its parent division for the rest of the war. 14th (Overseas Defence) and 22nd Battalions became107th Light Anti-Aircraft and 94th Anti-Tank Regiments respectively of theRoyal Artillery.[2][72][73]
In August 1952, the regiment, now reduced to a single Regular battalion, served in theKorean War as part of the28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade. A 19-year-oldMichael Caine served with the battalion during the conflict; on several occasions his unit had to defend itself from Chinesehuman wave attacks.[74]
On 23 April 1968, the regiment was merged with theRoyal Northumberland Fusiliers (5th Foot), theRoyal Warwickshire Fusiliers (6th Foot) and theLancashire Fusiliers (20th Foot) to form the 3rd Battalion,Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.[2][65][75]
TheFusilier Museum is located in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Headquarters at HMTower of London. It also represents World War One soldiers of sixLondon Regiment battalions (1st,2nd,3rd,4th,29th and30th) which had been attached to the Royal Fusiliers prior to 1908.[76]
The regiment's battle honours included:[65]
Colonels-in-Chief have included:[65]
The colonels of the regiment included:[2][77]
Victoria Crosses awarded to members of the regiment were:
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Orders are given for a camp to be formed on Ashford-Common, near Winsor, for the 7th regiment of foot, who are to be employed in making new roads, and repairing others; the private men are to have 1s. per day extra for their labour.
cowpens.
Lord Wellington has also sent two divisions of his army, the 3d and 7th, that way... Intelligence is just received that the battle is fought, and we are again victorious. The affair took place at Albuhera, on the 16th: Soult attacked, and was defeated with immense loss on both sides.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) The depot was the 49th Brigade Depot from 1873 to 1881, and the 7th Regimental District depot thereafter{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, a new regiment, with national rather than regional loyalties, is to be formed on St. George's Day, April 23, the Ministry of Defence announced yesterday.
