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 . History . Formation and early history . The regiment was formed in 1688 in Devon under Sir Richard Peyton as Peyton ' s Regiment of Foot . The regiment ' s name changed according to the name of the colonel commanding until 1751 , when it became the 20th Regiment of Foot , often written in Roman numerals ' XX Foot ' , ( hence the nickname " The Two Tens " . The regiment served in the Glorious Revolution under King William III and at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690 and Aughrim in 1691 . During the War of Spanish Succession ( 1701 – 1714 ) , it aided in the capture of Spanish galleons at Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702 . The regiment distinguished itself at the Battle of Dettingen in June 1743 , and at Fontenoy in May 1745 , and served in the Battle of Culloden in April 1746 . During the Seven Years ' War the regiment earned honour at the Battle of Minden on 1 August 1759 , when , as an infantry formation , they stood up to and broke a French cavalry charge . The regiment was sent to Quebec in April 1776 and assisted in the relief of Quebec in May 1776 . Serving under General John Burgoyne for the remainder of the Canadian campaign , they later surrendered along with General Burgoyne at Saratoga . During the Napoleonic Wars the 20th Foot fought in several early campaigns before serving with distinction in the Peninsular War , their performance was particularly noted at the Battle of Vittoria where they formed part of the " backbone " of the Duke of Wellington ' s forces . During the Crimean War , in 1854 , they took part in the two major battles of Alma and Inkerman . Lancashire Fusiliers . The 20th Regiment of Foot was designated the East Devonshire Regiment in 1782 , and became the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1881 . By then it had two battalions , the 2nd Bn having been raised in 1858 . Under the 1881 Childers Reforms each county regiment had two Militia battalions attached to it : these were found by the 7th Royal Lancashire Militia , raised in 1855 and recruited from Bury , Manchester and Salford . This formed the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Lancashire Fusiliers . In addition , Rifle Volunteer Corps were attached to their local regiments . In 1883 the 8th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers ( raised at Bury on 22 August 1859 ) became the 1st Volunteer Battalion , Lancashire Fusiliers , and the 12th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers ( originally the 24th , raised at Rochdale in February 1860 ) became the 2nd VB . In 1886 the 56th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers ( raised at Salford on 5 March 1860 ) was transferred from the Manchester Regiment to become the 3rd VB . In common with other regiments recruited from populous urban areas , the Lancashire Fusiliers raised two further regular battalions , the 3rd in 1898 , and the 4th in 1900 . This necessitated adjustments to the numbers of the Militia battalions . However , the 3rd and 4th Regular battalions were disbanded in 1906 . Late Victorian campaignss . In 1885 the regiment fought in the siege of Khartoum in the first Anglo - Sudanese campaign . During the Second Boer War , in 1899 , the 2nd Battalion saw action at the Battle of Spion Kop and also the Fusiliers took part in the Relief of Ladysmith . Haldane Reforms . Under the Haldane Reforms of 1908 , the Militia were redesignated Special Reserve , with the dual wartime role of Home Defence and providing drafts for the Regular Battalions . The Lancashire Fusiliers ' militia became 3rd ( Reserve ) Bn and 4th ( Extra Reserve ) Bn , both based at Bury . The volunteers now became the Territorial Force ( TF ) , with battalions numbered in sequence after the militia . Thus the 1st VB at Bury became 5th Bn , 2nd VB at Rochdale became the 6th Bn , and the 3rd VB formed the 7th and 8th Bns both based in Salford . These four battalions formed the Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade in the East Lancashire Division of the TF on the eve of World War I . World War I . The Lancashire Fusiliers raised thirty battalions for World War I and was represented in every campaign of the war . Gallipoli . At the initial landings of the Gallipoli Campaign at Cape Helles on 25 April 1915 , six Victoria Cross es were awarded to 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers – ' the six VCs before breakfast ' . The landing spot was later known as ' Lancashire Landing ' . Shortly afterwards , the four Territorial battalions from the regiment in 125th ( Lancashire Fusiliers ) Brigade landed at Helles and took part in the Second Battle of Krithia ( 6 – 8 May ) under command of the 29th Division . The brigade later rejoined the 42nd ( East Lancashire ) Division for the Third Battle of Krithia and Battle of Krithia Vineyard . A subsequent landing further north at Suvla Bay took place on the night of 6 / 7 August . The Kitchener volunteers of 9th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers , part of 34th Brigade of 11th ( Northern ) Division , waded ashore in deep water and darkness and were pinned down on the beach losing their CO and a number of officers . A service of commemoration has been held in the regimental town , Bury , every Gallipoli Sunday , the nearest Sunday to 25 April , since 1916 . It has recently been decided that this commemoration will continue despite the death of the last survivor of the Lancashire Fusiliers who was present at Gallipoli . Western Front . The regiment , like most British regiments in the war , sent the majority of its battalions to the Western Front . During the Battle of the Somme there were eleven battalions of the regiment that saw action in the campaign including three Pals battalions ( The Salford Pals ) and three Bantam battalions . < br > The famous fantasy author J . R . R . Tolkien served in this regiment from 1915 until contracting " trench fever " during the Battle of the Somme in October 1916 . World War II . The Lancashire Fusiliers raised seventeen battalions for service in the Second World War . 1st Battalion . After recovering its numbers from the First World War the battalion spent the interwar years based in various garrisons around the British Empire . In 1939 the battalion was based in India . During the Burma Campaign the 1st Battalion fought with various units until 1943 when it became a Chindit formation with the 77th Indian Brigade under Brig . Orde Wingate . The battalion was involved in both major Chindit operations suffering many casualties before the war ended . 1st / 5th Battalion . In 1941 this Territorial Army ( TA ) Battalion was converted to armour as 108th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps ( Lancashire Fusiliers ) . Units converted in this way continued to wear their infantry cap badge on the black beret of the RAC . 1st / 6th Battalion . In 1941 this TA Battalion was converted to armour as 109th Regiment Royal Armoured Corps . 1st / 8th Battalion . This TA battalion began the war in 125th Brigade , but while in France with the British Expeditionary Force it exchanged into the Regular 2nd Infantry Division . During Battle of France , the 1 / 8th Lancashire Fusiliers , along with battalions of the Royal Norfolks and the Royal Scots , were overrun on 26 – 27 May 1940 around the village of Locon , 2 kilometres north of Bethune by advancing German troops . Several massacres of Allied prisoners took place shortly thereafter , primarily by the German SS Totenkopf Division . Later the battalion served in the Burma Campaign . 2nd Battalion . The last surviving member of the 2nd Battalion , Wallace Jackson , died on Thursday 12 November 2009 aged 89 years . 2nd / 5th Battalion . This Second - Line TA Battalion was part of the 197th Brigade , once again the Second - Line duplicate of 125th ( Lancashire Fusilier ) Brigade . It served in 59th ( Staffordshire ) Infantry Division ( also known as the Pit - head Division ) which was formed in 1939 . They first saw action in early July 1944 at Malon on North West outskirts of Caen as part of Operation Charnwood . They also took part in Operation Pomegranate and the battles on the Orne River . Of all the Companies in this Battalion B Company stood out for the most Officers killed ( in just two months B Company lost three Commanding Officers , and ALL Officers on a company attack just outside of Vendes ) . However , by the 26th of August 1944 , the 59th division was disbanded in order to provide replacements for other Regiments , and the Companies of the Battalion were dispatched to different Divisions in France . 2nd / 6th Battalion . This Second - Line TA Battalion was part of 197th Brigade in 59th ( Staffordshire ) Division until 1942 . 2nd / 8th Battalion . This Second - Line TA Battalion began the war in 66th ( 2nd East Lancashire ) Division and later transferred to 55th ( West Lancashire ) Infantry Division . It did not eave the UK . 7th Battalion . In 1936 this TA battalion was converted into 39th ( The Lancashire Fusiliers ) Searchlight Regiment , Royal Engineers , based in Salford . In the summer of 1940 , while serving in 53 Anti - Aircraft Brigade , covering the North Midlands , it was transferred to the Royal Artillery . In May 1943 it converted back to infantry as 7th Lancashire Fusiliers 9th Battalion . This battalion was raised in 1940 and in 1941 was converted to armour as 143rd Regiment Royal Armoured Corps . 10th Battalion . This battalion was raised in 1940 and served for a year in 208th Independent Infantry Brigade ( Home ) . In 1942 it was shipped to India and fought in the Arakan Campaign 1942 - 1943 as part of 7th Indian Infantry Division . 11th Battalion . This battalion was raised in 1940 and served in the garrison of Malta during the Siege . In August 1944 it transferred to 1st Division in Italy , where it took part in the fighting on the Gothic Line . Early in 1945 it was transferred to Palestine . Victoria Crosses . The following members of the Regiment were awarded the Victoria Cross :