List of Royal Northumberland Fusiliers battalions in World War II facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was a famous British Army regiment. During World War II, which started in September 1939, this regiment had seven different groups, called battalions. Three more battalions were created during the war.

Before the war, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers were chosen to change their role. Instead of being regular infantry (foot soldiers), they became a support regiment. This meant they would use powerful Vickers machine guns. Most of their battalions became machine gun or support units for larger divisions. However, some battalions took on different jobs, like using motorcycles, operating searchlights, driving tanks, or even acting as regular infantry or special deception units.

The regiment fought in many important battles. They were part of the British Army in France during the Battle of France and the Battle of Dunkirk. They also helped defend the United Kingdom from invasion. Later, they fought in the North African Campaign, the Battle of Singapore, and the Italian Campaign. Finally, they were part of the 21st Army Group fighting across Western Europe.

Before the War
World War II Battalions
After the War
See also

Before the War

After World War I ended in 1918, most of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers' wartime battalions were closed down. Only the 3rd Battalion, which was a special reserve unit, remained for a while.

In 1920, the Territorial Army (T.A.) was formed. The regiment's T.A. battalions were brought back together. They formed the Northumberland Brigade, which was part of the Northumbrian Division.

In 1935, the regiment was given the special title "Royal" by King George V. This was to honor their brave service in World War I. From then on, they were known as the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers.

In 1922, the Machine Gun Corps was closed to save money. Machine guns were then given to each infantry battalion. But in 1936, this changed again. Heavy machine guns were gathered into special "Divisional Machine Gun" or "Support" Battalions. Instead of bringing back the Machine Gun Corps, some infantry regiments were chosen for this new role. The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was one of these regiments.

Modern warfare, with its tanks and vehicles, also changed the T.A. battalions. The Northumbrian Division became a "Motor Division," which meant it used more vehicles. This led to some battalions changing their roles:

The 4th Battalion became a motorcycle unit in 1938.
The 5th Battalion became a searchlight unit, helping to spot enemy aircraft at night.
The 6th Battalion became an armored unit and joined the Royal Tank Regiment, which uses tanks.
The 7th Battalion became a machine gun battalion.

By 1939, it was clear that another big war was coming. The War Office decided to double the size of the T.A. This meant each unit created a copy of itself. The 4th and 7th Battalions formed new copies, which became the 8th and 9th Battalions.

Just before World War II began, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers had these battalions:

1st Battalion (Machine Gun unit)
2nd Battalion (Machine Gun unit)
4th Battalion (Motorcycle unit)
5th Battalion (Searchlight unit)
7th Battalion (Machine Gun unit)
8th Battalion (Motorcycle unit)
9th Battalion (Machine Gun unit)

World War II Battalions

1st Battalion: Fighting in North Africa and Italy

When World War II started, the 1st Battalion was a machine gun unit. It was in Egypt and then moved to the Libyan Desert. It joined the 7th Infantry Division and later the 4th Indian Infantry Division.

The battalion fought in Operation Compass, helping to push Italian forces out of Egypt. From 1941, it was part of XIII Corps and defended Tobruk Fortress. It then joined the Eighth Army for the rest of the North African Campaign.

Its most famous battle was the Second Battle of El Alamein. Here, its companies (smaller groups of soldiers) fought alongside different armored divisions. For example, W Company was with the 10th Armoured Division.

In 1943, the battalion moved to Syria and then to Italy in March 1944. It stayed on the Italian Front for the rest of the war. They fought at the Gothic Line and in the Spring 1945 offensive. During the war, Captain James Jackman was given the Victoria Cross, the highest award for bravery, after he died in battle.

2nd Battalion: From France to Greece

At the start of the war, the 2nd Battalion was in Dover, England. It was the machine gun unit for the 4th Infantry Division. In October 1939, it joined the British Army in France. Even though it was a "divisional" machine gun battalion, it was often sent to help different divisions as needed.

After the Dunkirk rescue, the battalion returned to the UK. It rejoined the 4th Division in 1941. In 1943, it moved to North Africa with the 46th Infantry Division as a support battalion.

The battalion then went to Italy with the division. They took part in the Salerno landings, helped capture Naples, and fought at the Volturno Line and Bernhardt Line. In March 1944, it rejoined the 4th Division and became a machine gun battalion again. They fought at Cassino, the Trasimene Line, and the Gothic Line. In December 1944, the battalion moved to Greece and stayed there until the war ended.

4th Battalion: Motorcycle and Reconnaissance Unit

The 4th Battalion became a motorcycle unit in 1938. It was part of the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division when the war began. They served with this division in France and Belgium from January to June 1940, fighting at the Ypres-Comines Canal.

Motorcycle combinations of the 4th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers in France, 20 March 1940.

After returning from Dunkirk, the battalion was transferred to the Reconnaissance Corps in April 1941. It was renamed "50th Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps" and rejoined the 50th Division. They were sent to North Africa in June 1941, with short stays in Cyprus and Iraq.

In June 1942, the battalion returned to the UK. In March 1943, it became the "4th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers" again. On April 25, 1944, the battalion was split up. Its soldiers formed three separate machine gun companies for British armored divisions in the 21st Army Group:

1st Independent Machine Gun Company (for the Guards Armoured Division)
2nd Independent Machine Gun Company (for the 11th Armoured Division)
3rd Independent Machine Gun Company (for the 7th Armoured Division)

All three companies fought throughout the North-West Europe Campaign. They saw action in battles like Odon, Bourguébus Ridge, and the Rhineland.

5th Battalion (53rd Searchlight Regiment): Spotting Enemy Planes

The 5th Battalion changed to a searchlight battalion in November 1938. It was called "5th Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (53rd Searchlight Regiment)." When the war started, it was part of the anti-aircraft defences for North East England.

In August 1940, it officially joined the Royal Artillery as the "53rd (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery." It stayed in the UK as a searchlight regiment until January 1945.

By 1945, the threat from the German air force was much smaller. Also, the army needed more infantry soldiers. So, many anti-aircraft regiments in the UK were changed into infantry units. The 53rd Searchlight Regiment was one of them. It became the "638th (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Regiment, Royal Artillery" in January 1945. It joined an infantry brigade and served in Norway from June 1945.

7th Battalion: Trapped in France and Fighting in Normandy

When the war began, the 7th Battalion was a machine gun unit in Northern England. In October 1939, it joined the British Army in France. It was attached to the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division.

This division was stationed at the Maginot Line and managed to avoid being surrounded with the rest of the British Army at Dunkirk. It was then pulled back to western France. The 51st Division had to defend a very long front line. Part of the division was able to retreat safely, but two brigades were trapped at Saint-Valery-en-Caux and surrendered on June 12.

Men of the 7th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers charge ashore during invasion exercises at Greencastle, County Down in Northern Ireland, 8 May 1942.

The battalion was reformed in the UK. In November 1941, it joined the 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division. It trained in the UK for a long time, getting ready for the invasion of Europe. The battalion landed in Normandy with the division on June 27, 1944. They fought in the Battle for Caen and Mont Pinçon.

Because the British Army had a serious shortage of soldiers, the 59th Division was disbanded in October 1944. The 7th Battalion was also closed down.

8th Battalion: Reconnaissance in Normandy and Germany

The 8th Battalion was created in June 1939 as a copy of the 4th Battalion. It was a motorcycle unit. In October 1939, it joined the 23rd (Northumbrian) Division. This division was sent to France in April 1940 for labor and training duties.

On May 20, 1940, the division suffered heavy losses trying to slow down the German advance at Arras. The remaining soldiers had to be rescued during the Dunkirk operation. After returning to the UK, the 23rd Division was disbanded because of its heavy losses.

After Dunkirk, the 8th Battalion left the 23rd Division. In November 1940, it joined the 3rd Infantry Division, a regular army unit, as a motorcycle battalion. In April 1941, it was transferred to the Reconnaissance Corps and renamed "3rd Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps." Later, in January 1944, it joined the Royal Armoured Corps as the "3rd (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Reconnaissance Regiment." It stayed with the 3rd Infantry Division until August 1945.

The 3rd Infantry Division trained in the UK for many years. It finally landed on Sword Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The battalion fought through the Battle of Normandy (including Caen and Mont Pinçon), the Netherlands (at The Nederrijn), and later the invasion of Germany (the Rhineland and the Rhine). It ended the war in Bremen.

9th Battalion: Captured in Singapore

The 9th Battalion was formed in July 1939 as a copy of the 7th Battalion. It was a machine gun battalion. When the war started, it was in Northern England. In October 1939, it was attached to the 23rd Northumbrian Division and went to France with them in April 1940.

After Dunkirk, the battalion left the 23rd Division as it was disbanded. It stayed in the UK until January 1942. Then, it was sent to Malaya Command, landing in Singapore just a few days before the island fell to Japanese forces. The soldiers of the 9th Battalion were captured by Japanese forces after the brief but intense week-long Battle of Singapore. They became prisoners of war for the rest of the war.

10th, 1/10th, and 30th Battalions: Home Defence and Deception

The 10th (Home Defence) Battalion was formed in December 1939. It was made up of older soldiers who defended the UK. In September 1940, it was split into two: the 1/10th (Home Defence) Battalion and the 2/10th (Home Defence) Battalion. Both were renamed in November to the 10th (Home Defence) Battalion and the 11th (Home Defence) Battalion. The 10th Battalion then absorbed the 11th Battalion in June 1941.

In December 1941, the battalion changed to a regular infantry unit and was renamed the 30th Battalion. In August 1943, it moved to North Africa. There, it joined a brigade that was part of a "deception" division. This division was created to trick the enemy about where British forces were. The 30th Battalion became "170th Brigade" as part of this trick. In May 1944, it moved to Malta and stayed there until the end of the war. It was disbanded in Malta in 1945.

2/10th (Home Defence) and 11th (Home Defence) Battalions

The 2/10th (Home Defence) Battalion was formed in September 1940 from soldiers of the 10th (Home Defence) Battalion. In November, it was renamed the 11th (Home Defence) Battalion. It was then absorbed back into the 10th (Home Defence) Battalion in June 1941.

70th (Young Soldier) Battalion: Training Young Soldiers

The 70th (Young Soldier) Battalion was formed in Newcastle in September 1940. It was made up of young soldiers from different battalions. Its job was to train these young recruits. In November 1942, it was renamed "No. 98 Primary Training Centre."

After the War

After the war, the British Empire became smaller, and countries like India gained independence. This meant the British Army needed fewer battalions. Like many other regiments, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was reduced to just one battalion. The 1st Battalion was reduced, and the 2nd Battalion was renamed the 1st Battalion in August 1948.

The Territorial Army battalions were reformed in January 1947:

The 4th Battalion became an infantry unit again.
The 638th Regiment, Royal Artillery, which was the old 5th Battalion, was reformed as an anti-aircraft regiment. Later, it became the 5th Battalion again and joined the 4th Battalion.
The 43rd Royal Tank Regiment, which was the old 6th Battalion, became an armored regiment again. In 1956, it changed back to infantry as the 6th (City) Battalion.
The 7th Battalion became an infantry unit again and absorbed the 9th Battalion.
The 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment, which was the old 8th Battalion, became an infantry unit but was immediately disbanded.
The 9th Battalion was reformed but then immediately absorbed into its parent 7th Battalion.