Medals of the Lancashire Fusiliers

	The Lancashire Fusiliers.
	1688 - 1968


Titles
pre 1881		post 1881
1st and 2nd Battalions, 20th (East Devonshire) Regiment of Foot		1st and 2nd Battalions, The Lancashire Fusiliers


Earliest recognised formation:	1688 when raised as Peyton's Regiment of Foot (XX Foot in 1751)

Motto:	Omnia Audax = Daring in all things.

Regimental Journal:	The Lancashire Fusiliers Annual (1891 - 1928) and The Gallipoli Gazette (1928-1968)

WWI:	Battle Honours; 63	Victoria Crosses; 17+1	Died; 13640
WWII:	Battle Honours; 26	Victoria Crosses; 1	Died;

Amalgamated:	1968, with the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, Royal Fusiliers, and the Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers to form The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Two Battalions operational 1799-1802.

Egypt 1801, Maida & The Peninsula War 1808 - 1814 1st and 2nd Battalions.**

Military General Service Medal. 1793 - 1814 clasps:

Total Medals

Max clasps

Egypt

Maida

Roleia

Vimiera

Corunna

Talavera

Vittoria

103**

164

269

11*

Pyrenees

St. Sebastian

Nivelle

Nive

Orthes

Toulouse

124

110

* Only one 11 clasp medal for the regiment, awarded to Private Charles Stainsby: Egypt, Maida, Vimiera, Talavera, Vittoria, Pyrenees, St. Sebastian, Nivelle, Nive, Orthes, Toulouse.

**Both battalions served in Egypt, but as the 2nd disbanded shortly after this campaign, the remaining clasps are applicable to the 1st battalion only.

Battle Honours: Maida, Vimiera, Corunna, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Orthes, Toulouse, Peninsula.

Crimean War 1854 - 1856

Crimea Medal 1854 -56

Clasp: →

..none...

Alma

Balaklava

Inkermann

Sebastopol

Total Medals

Number: →

740

1183

Regiment part of 1st Brigade, 4th Division.

Battle Casualties;

Action.

Killed

DOW

"Wounded"

Dangerously
Wounded

Severely
Wounded

Slightly
Wounded

Missing

Battle of Alma

First bombardment of Sebastopol, first battle of Inkermann and minor actions

The Battle of Inkermann

119

The Assault on the Quarries

1**

The First Attack on the Redan

2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and final bombardments of Sebastopol and minor actions

Grand Total: 244

* "mortally wounded."

** this was Lieut & Adj. F. Padfield who was present at the assault as an observer.

Men who served in the Crimea also eligible for:

Turkish Crimea Medal 1855

Battle Honours: Alma; Inkermann; Sevastopol.

2nd Battalion reformed 1858

India Mutiny 1857-59 1st Battalion.

India Mutiny Medal. 1857 -59

clasp:

...none...

Lucknow

number:

298

714

Battle Honour: Lucknow

Titled "The Lancashire Fusiliers " in 1881.

Reconquest of the Sudan 1896 - 98 2nd Battalion

Queen's Sudan Medal 1896 - 98

numbers:

? full battalion ?

Khedive's Sudan Medal 1896 - 1908

clasp :

.....none....

Khartoum

number:

Battle Honour: Khartoum

A 3rd battalion of regulars existed 1898-1906 and a 4th battalion 1900-1906. A small number of 3rd battalion men served in the Boer war.

South African War 1899 - 1902 or "Boer War". 2nd Battalion, with elements of the 2nd? and 3rd operating as Mounted Infantry. ^N Drafts from the 5th and 6th Battalions also served.(2nd Battalion served December 1899-end of the war)

Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, with or without the King's South Africa Medal 1901 - 1902

Common clasps: Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902; also encountered:

3rd Btn (MI)

clasp:

Relief of Ladysmith

Tugela Heights

Wepener

Laing's Nek

Johannesburg

Wittebergen

number:

(scarce)

* 2nd Battalion fought at the battle of Spion Kop and took the heaviest casualties of the regiments involved..

Casualties:

Officers

NCOs and Men

KIA & DOW

Wounded

Missing / POW

KIA & DOW

Death from disease

Wounded

Missing / POW

2nd Battalion, December 1899 - end of war

110

266

143

total 544

Battle Honour: Relief of Ladysmith; South Africa 1899-1902

"It is impossible to exalt too highly the service rendered by the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers
in the storming of the beach; the dash and gallantry displayed was superb"

Vice-Admiral de Robeck, Official dispatch 1/7/15, referring to the 1st Battalion's assault on 'W' Beach..

The Great War 1914 - 1918 (raised 31 battalions; 22 served overseas:- )

Generally awarded the British War Medal & Victory Medal, men overseas prior to 1/1/1916 also a 1914 or 1914-15 Star.

Battalion →

1/5

1/6

1/7

1/8

2/5

2/6

2/7

2/8

3/5

date of first overseas service.
(first theatre red x )

29/3
1915

20/8
1914

25/9
1914

4/5
1915

26/2
1917

28/2
1917

1/3
1917

France & Flanders

Gallipoli

x
25/4/15

x
5/5/15

Egypt & Palestine

Star
possible ?

1914 or 1914-15

or 1914-15 only

VCs at a glance:

died
Extracted from : "Soldiers / Officers Died in the Great War" (consider approximate - in addition at least 159 officers are recorded with 'battalion not shown' or with battalions not shown here )

1427

1518

614

508

583

577

839

208

328

273

179

VCs: 18, see separate Lancashire Fusiliers VC page for full details

* The 1st battalion were in India when war broke out and returned to the UK. (via 2 month stay in Aden.)

Regular

Territorial Force

New Armies

Garrison.

The Great War 1914 - 1918

continued.........

Battalion →

23**

1st & 2nd Salford

1st & 2nd South-East Lancashire

3rd & 4th Salford

date of first overseas service.
(first theatre red x )

?/7
1915

15/7
1915

29/9
1915

5/9
1915

22/11
1915

29/1
1916

22/11
1915

30/1
1916

/5
1918

France & Flanders

Gallipoli

x
6/8/15

Egypt & Palestine

Macedonia

Star
possible ?

1914 or 1914-15

or 1914-15 only

VCs at a glance:

668

910

917

170

817

754

484

642

385

258

** Formed in France from the 23rd (Service) Battalion, becoming 23rd Garrison Battalion 25/5/18. Garrison omitted from the title July 1918.

Territorial Force War Medal 1914-19
74 officers and men of the Lancashire Fusiliers also qualified for this medal.

Battle Honours: Retreat from Mons; Aisne 1914, 1918; Ypres 1915, 1917, 1918; Somme 1916, 1918; Arras1917, 1918; Passchendaele; Cambrai 1917, 1918; Hindenburg Line; Macedonia 1915-18; Landing at Helles. Le Cateau; Marne 1914; Armentières 1914; St Julien; Bellewaarde; Albert 1916, 1918; Bazentin; Delville Wood; Pozières; Ginchy; Flers Courcelette; Morval; Thiepval; Le Transloy; Ancre Heights; Ancre 1916, 1918; Scarpe 1917, 1918; Arleux; Messines 1917; Pilckem; Langemarck 1917; Menin Road; Polygon Wood; Broodseinde; Poelcapelle; St Quentin; Bapaume 1918; Rosières; Lys; Estaires; Hazebrouck; Bailleul; Kemmel; Béthune; Scherpenberg; Amiens; DrocourtQuéant; Epéhy; Canal du Nord; St Quentin Canal; Courtrai; Selle; Sambre; France and Flanders 1914-18; Doiran 1917; Helles; Krithia; Suvla; Landing at Suvla; Scimitar Hill; Gallipoli 1915; Rumani; Egypt 1915-17.

WW2 1939 - 1945 8 Battalions served overseas
Battalion →	1st	2nd	1/5th	1/6th	1/8th	2/5th	10th	11th
campaign ↓
France and Belgium 1940. (Dunkirk )		x	x	x	x
North Africa & Middle East		x						x (Malta)
Burma	x				x		x
Sicily / Italy		x						x
N.W. Europe						x

Notes.
	77th Indian Inf. Bde. 29/8/43 - 15/10/44 (Evacuated 7/44)	Jefferson, Italy. 16/5/44	125th Inf. Bde. France & Belgium 1940		125th Inf. Bde to 4/5/40 then 4th Inf. Bde 5/5/40-31/8/45	Landed NW Europe 29/6/44 197th Inf. Bde.	123 Ind Inf Bde for Arakan 13/7/42--7/5/43	233rd Inf Bde Malta 27/7/41 - 20/5/44 66th Inf Bde 28/8/44 - 28/8/45
	77th Indian Inf. Bde. 29/8/43 - 15/10/44 (Evacuated 7/44)	11th Inf Bde. for the duration.	125th Inf. Bde. France & Belgium 1940		125th Inf. Bde to 4/5/40 then 4th Inf. Bde 5/5/40-31/8/45	Landed NW Europe 29/6/44 197th Inf. Bde.	123 Ind Inf Bde for Arakan 13/7/42--7/5/43


WW2 Stars common to the Battalion. (excluding 39-45 star ) Key: A = Africa, P = Pacific, B = Burma, I = Italy, F&G = France and Germany
	B	A, I			B	F&G	B	A, I



Most also entitled to the 1939-45 War Medal and many the Defence Medal

Battle Honours: Defence of Escaut; Caen; Medjez el Bab; Sangro; Cassino II; Argenta Gap; Malta 1941-2; Kohima; Chindits 1944; Burma 1943-5St Omer-La Bassée; North-West Europe 1940, 1944; Oued Zarga; North Africa 1942-3; Adrano; Sicily 1943; Termoli; Trigno; Trasimene Line; Monte Ceco; Monte Spadura; Senio; Italy 1943-5; Rathedaung; Htizwe; Naga Village.

1948: regulars reduced to a single battalion (the 1st)

Mau Mau Rebellion, Kenya. 1953 1st Battalion

Africa General Service Medal 1902 - 56

clasp:

Kenya

number:

The Cyprus Emergency 1955 - 1960 1st Battalion (February 1957- January 1960)

General Service Medal 1918-62

clasp:

Cyprus

number:

COs: Lt. Col. J.E.L Corbyn & Lt. Col. T. Lash

Selected Links
The Regimental Museum. (Located in )



Selected Bibliography;


Author	Title	Publisher
Richard Cannon, Esq. Adjutant-General's Office, Horse Guards.	Historical Record of The Twentieth, or The East Devonshire Regiment of Foot; containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1688, and of its subsequent Services to 1848. 79 pp. Abe	London: Parker, Furnivall, & Parker, 1848
Compiled by B. Smyth, Lieut., Quartermaster.	History of the XX Regiment, 1688-1888. 427 pp. (and a later edition covering the period 1688-1903) Abe	London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 1889.
Major-Gen. J. C. Latter	The History of the Lancashire Fusiliers, 1914-1918. 2 vols. Abe (scarce)	Aldershot: Gale & Polden Ltd., 1949.
Cyril Ray	Regiment of the Line. The Story of XX The Lancashire Fusiliers. 194 pp. Abe	London: B. T. Batsford Ltd., 1963
Major-Gen. G. Surtees	A Short History of the XX Lancashire Fusiliers 245pp Abe	London. Malcolm Page. 1955
Anon.	A Militia Unit in the Field, being a brief account of the Doings of the Sixth Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers in the South African War during the Years 1900 and 1901, 188 pp.	printed for private circulation by Woodfall & Kinder, London, 1902.
T. H. Hayhurst.	A History and Some Records of the Volunteer Movement in Bury, Heywood, Rossendale, and Ramsbottom. 1887. 332 pp. [Afterwards 5th Battn. Lancashire Fusiliers].
Thomas Hope Floyd.	At Ypres with Best Dunkley. 245 pp. [2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers]. Abe	London: John Lane, 1920. (and modern reprints)
Capt. C. H. Potter and Capt. A. S. C. Fothergill. With Appreciations by Gen. Sir H. A. Lawrence, Gen. Sir Hubert Gough, Gen. Sir Alexander J. Godley, Major-Gen. Sir Neill Malcolm.	The History of the 2/6th Lancashire Fusiliers (which amalgamated successively with the 1/6th and the 12th Battalion of the same Regiment. The Story of a 2nd Line Territorial Battalion, 1914-1919 232 pp. Abe	Rochdale: "Observer" General Printing Works, 1927.
John Hallam	The History of the Lancashire Fusiliers 1939-1945 232pp Abe	Gloucestershire: Alan Sutton Publishing, Phoenix Mill, Far Thrupp, Stroud. 1993


Additional Bibliography for this Page.

Author/Compiler	Title	Publisher
Officers of the Regiment.	Unpublished rolls in the care of the National Archives; WO 100/ etc.	-
Stiles, Richard G.M.L.	Mayhem in the Med (Cyprus Emergency)	Savannah Pub. London. 2005

	Additional bibliography same as Northumberland Fusiliers page