Northumberland Fusiliers
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Northumberland Military_and_War
Previous names: 5th Regiment of Foot
Currently known as: Royal Regiment of Fusiliers After the 1881 Childers Reforms, it adopted the title Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, then Royal Northumberland Fusiliers on 3 June 1935. In 1968, it was amalgamated with the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), the Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers and Lancashire Fusiliers to form the present Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Accordingly, on 1 July 1881 the 5th (Northumberland Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot 1836–1881 adopted the name of Northumberland Fusiliers and became the county regiment of Northumberland, (including the Counties of the towns of Newcastle upon Tyne and Berwick upon Tweed).
Second Boer War
The 1st Battalion formed part of the 9th Brigade together with the 2nd Northamptonshire Regiment, 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry, and part of the 1st Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. The 2nd Battalion sailed as corps troops, and was then brigaded with the 1st Royal Scots, and 1st Sherwood Foresters, under General Sir William Gatacre.
During the First World War, the Northumberland Fusiliers expanded to 52 battalions. 29 of which served overseas. It was the second largest infantry regiment of the British Army during the war, surpassed only by the 88 battalions of the London Regiment.
The increase in strength was done partly by forming duplicates of existing Territorial battalions, and partly by the creation of new "Service" battalions. An example of the first instance was the 4th Battalion which was renumbered as the 1/4th in August 1914 on forming a duplicate 2/4th Battalion. A 3/4th Battalion followed in June 1915.
Among the Service Battalions were the Tyneside Scottish (20th - 23rd Battalions) and the Tyneside Irish (24th - 27th Battalions), while the 17th (Service) Battalion was formed by staff of the North Eastern Railway, and was involved in railway construction.
They earned 67 battle honours and won five Victoria Crosses, but at the cost of over 16,000 dead. The battalions mostly saw action on the Western Front, but also in Macedonia, Gallipoli, Egypt and Italy. The regiment was awarded the following 67 battle honours.
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