Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
Encyclopedia
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (RRF) is an infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

, part of the Queen's Division
Queen's Division
The Queen's Division is a British Army command, training and administrative apparatus designated for has the regiments from the east of England and the remaining regiment of Fusiliers. The Queen's Division was formed in 1968 with the regimentation of the Home Counties Brigade, Fusilier Brigade and...

.

The regiment was formed on April 23, 1968, as part of the reforms of the army that saw the creation of the first 'large infantry regiments
Large regiment
A large regiment is a multi-battalion infantry formation of the British Army. First formed in the 1960s, large regiments are the result of the amalgamation of three or more existing single-battalion regiments, and perpetuate the traditions of each of the predecessor units.-Origins:Following the...

', by the amalgamation of the four English fusilier regiments.
  • The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
  • The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers
    The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers
    The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot and The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. In 1968, it was absorbed, with the other Fusilier regiments, into the four-battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.-History:The regiment...

  • The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
    The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
    The Royal Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army until 1968 when it was amalgamated with other regiments to form The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers...

  • The Lancashire Fusiliers

Formation

On 23 April 1968 the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was formed from the four English fusilier regiments. Each of these regiments were steeped in history and traditions which have been retained by the regiment today.

On formation, the regiment consisted of four Regular battalions, one Volunteer battalion covering the four Regimental areas and the Depot. Due to a series of Government Defence Reviews, 'Options for Change
Options for Change
Options for Change was a restructuring of the British Armed Forces in 1990, aimed at cutting defence spending following the end of the Cold War....

' and the recent 'Strategic Defence Review
Strategic Defence Review
The Strategic Defence Review was a British policy document produced by the Labour Government that came to power in 1997. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of the new government, with a series of key decisions designed to enhance the United...

' the regiment now comprises two Regular battalions and a number of Territorial Army companies located in the four Regimental Areas.

The Regular battalions are:
  • 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
  • 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers


As one of the existing large infantry regiments, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is unaffected by the reforms of the infantry that were announced in December 2004 although the regiment received a TA battalion, the 5th Battalion RRF, through the redesignation of Tyne-Tees Regiment
Tyne-Tees Regiment
The Tyne-Tees Regiment was a regiment of the British Territorial Army.-History:The regiment was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of the 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers , 4th/5th Battalion The Green Howards and 7th Battalion, The Light Infantry due to the implementation of the...

, on 1 April 2006. The TA battalion will however retain a multi-badged identity, with C (Durham Light Infantry
Durham Light Infantry
The Durham Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1968. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 68th Regiment of Foot and the 106th Regiment of Foot along with the militia and rifle volunteers of County Durham...

) Company remaining one of the three rifle companies.

As of 1 February 2007, with the formation of The Rifles
The Rifles
The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...

, the 5th Battalion RRF consists of two Fusilier companies, designated X Company and Z Company, and one Rifles company - D (Rifles) Company which is a redesignation of C (Durham Light Infantry) Company. D (Rifles) Company also now includes Y (Rifles) Platoon which is a redesignation of Minden (Light Infantry) Company from the East and West Riding Regiment
East and West Riding Regiment
The East and West Riding Regiment was a regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1999 to 2006.-History:The regiment was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of the 3rd Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire , the 3rd Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment and the...

. The 'D' and 'Y' designations were chosen to help continue the Rifles' county links to both Durham and Yorkshire.

From 2009, the regular battalions will remain in fixed locations. The 1st Battalion will be stationed at Tidworth, with the 2nd Battalion serving in London. The 2nd Bn will rotate this posting with a resident posting to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

 with two other light infantry battalions.

The RRF serves as the county regiment of the following counties:
  • Greater London
    Greater London
    Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...

  • Lancashire
    Lancashire
    Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

     (Central)
  • Northumberland
    Northumberland
    Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

  • Warwickshire
    Warwickshire
    Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...



The regiment's mascot is an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n Blackbuck
Blackbuck
Blackbuck is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Their range decreased sharply during the 20th century. Since 2003, the IUCN lists the species as near threatened....

 Antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...

. It is a tradition inherited from the Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers. The current mascot's name is Bobby and he holds the rank of Corporal. Bobby attends all major parades held by the regiment.

Hackle

As a fusilier
Fusilier
Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock musket called the fusil. The word was first used around 1680, and has later developed into a regimental designation.-History:...

 regiment, the RRF wears a hackle
Hackle
The hackle is a clipped feather plume that is attached to a military headdress.In the British Army and the armies of some Commonwealth countries the hackle is worn by some infantry regiments, especially those designated as fusilier regiments and those with Scottish and Northern Irish origins. The...

, which in this case is the hackle of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, 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
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...

 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. The Fifth (Northumberland) Regiment of Foot did not become the Fifth Regiment of Foot (Northumberland Fusiliers) until 1836, later in 1881 they became The (Fifth) Northumberland Fusiliers and finally in 1935 The (Fifth) Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.

Battle honours

  • combined battle honour
    Battle honour
    A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....

    s of The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers, The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) and The Lancashire Fusiliers, plus:
  • Wadi al Batin, Gulf 1991
    Gulf War
    The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

    , Al Basrah
    Battle of Basra (2003)
    The Battle of Basra was one of the first battles of the invasion of Iraq. The British 7 Armoured Brigade fought their way into Iraq's second-largest city, Basra, on 6 April coming under constant attack by regulars and Fedayeen. While elements of the Parachute Regiment cleared the 'old quarter' of...

    , Iraq 2003
    2003 invasion of Iraq
    The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...


Order of precedence

Lineage

|-style="text-align: center; background: #F08080;"
| align="center" colspan="2"|Lineage
|-
| width="25%" rowspan="20" align="center" | The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
| width="25%" align="center"| The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally raised in 1674, the regiment was amalgamated with three other fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.-Origins:...


|-
| width="25%" align="center"| The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers
|-
| width="25%" align="center"| The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
|-
| width="25%" align="center"| The Lancashire Fusiliers
Lancashire Fusiliers
The Lancashire Fusiliers was a British infantry regiment that was amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.- Formation and early history:...



Alliances

- The Royal Canadian Regiment
The Royal Canadian Regiment
The Royal Canadian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. The regiment consists of four battalions, three in the Regular Force and one in the Primary Reserve...

 - The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)
The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment)
The Lorne Scots is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It is part of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group.The sub-units of the Lorne Scots are situated in the following armouries:...

 - 31st Combat Engineer Regiment (The Elgins) - The Royal Westminster Regiment
The Royal Westminster Regiment
The Royal Westminster Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces Primary Reserve. It is based in New Westminster, British Columbia at The Armouries, located at the corner of 6th and Queens....

 - Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent
Les Fusiliers du St-Laurent
Les Fusiliers du Saint-Laurent is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. It was first raised in 1869. From 1954 to 1968, as a reserve regiment, it also was given a subsidiary title as the 5th Battalion of the Van Doos. This association was ended in 1968.The regiment is based in...

 - The Royal Victoria Regiment
Royal Victoria Regiment
The Royal Victoria Regiment is an Infantry Regiment of the Australian Army, consisting of two battalions, the 5th/6th Battalion and the 8th/7th Battalion.-History:...

 - The Hauraki Regiment
Hauraki Regiment
The Hauraki Regiment is a Territorial Force unit of the New Zealand Army. The regiment is unique among the TF units in that it has never been amalgamated, and thus can trace its history directly back to its formation in 1898. The regiment was formed as the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Rifle Volunteers...

 - HMS Northumberland
HMS Northumberland (F238)
HMS Northumberland is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is named after the Duke of Northumberland. She is based at Devonport.-Construction:...


See also

  • The Royal Highland Fusiliers
    Royal Highland Fusiliers
    The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....

  • The Royal Welch Fusiliers
  • The King's Own Fusiliers

External links

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