British Army, Northumberland Fusiliers 1881-1920

Did your ancestor serve with the ‘Fighting Fifth’ during the Boer War or the First World War? Discover your ancestor through this index taken from over 70 sources. You will find their military history, enlistment date and place, medals received and if they were wounded in battle.

The transcripts were created by Graham Stewart. The information comes from over 70 sources including medal rolls, service records, medal index cards, battalion histories and St George’s Gazette, the regimental paper.

This infantry regiment was first formed in 1674 and in order of regimental precedence was the 5th Regiment of Foot. In 1782 it received regional distinction and became the 5th (the Northumberland) Regiment of Foot. On St George’s Day 1836 the Fusiliers title - 5th Regiment of Foot (Northumberland Fusiliers) – was added and from 1 July 1881, as a result of changes introduced by Lord Cardwell and latterly Secretary of War, Hugh Childers, the regimental number was lost and the regiment became simply The Northumberland Fusiliers.

The names in these records include men who fought in the Fourth Ashanti War (1895-1896), Sudan, Boer War, North West Frontier and First World War. The regiment received battle honours for Modder River and South Africa during the second Boer War. By the First World War, the Northumberland Fusiliers was the second largest infantry regiment in the British Army – the London Regiment was the largest. During the Great War, the regiment received 67 battle honours with 5 Victoria Crosses awarded for gallantry. Over 16,000 infantrymen lost their lives during the conflict. During the interwar years, the regiment was given a ‘royal’ prefix and became the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. Today, a Fusiliers Museum of Northumberland is located in Abbot’s Tower, part of Alnwick Castle.

Nicknames for the regiment include: Fighting Fifth, The Shiners, Wellington's Bodyguards and Old and the bold. Their motto is ‘Quo Fata Vocant,’ which means ‘Whither the Fates call.’

Abbreviations - Rank

Rank
a-; a/; T/	Acting or Temporary Rank - i.e. a/SGT
AB	Able Bodied Seaman
CLR/SGT	Colour Sergeant
CPL	Corporal
CQMS	Company Quartermaster Sergeant
CSM	Company Sergeant Major
L/CPL	Lance Corporal
L/SGT	Lance Sergeant
LS	Leading Seaman
OS	Ordinary Seaman
PO	Petty Officer
PTE	Private
RSM	Regimental Sergeant Major
SGT	Sergeant
WOI or WOII	Warrant Officer 1st Class or 2nd Class

Abbreviations - Battalion

Battalion
(H.S.)GSN	(Home Service) Garrison - Battalion or Company
(Y.S.)	(Young Soldier) Battalion
BN or Bn	Battalion

Abbreviations - Birthplace

Birthplace
I.O.M.	Isle of Man

Abbreviations - Source

Source
(S.T.H.)	"Sick to Hospital" (from 1/6th Battalion War Diary)
1/4th BOOK	Book-"When Lantern of Hope, Burned Low"
16H	16th Battalion History
17H	17th Battalion History
18H	18th Battalion History
19H	19th Battalion History
7H	7th Battalion History
7RB	'D' Company 1/7th Roll Book
9H	9th Battalion History
14/15SR	1914-15 Star Medal Roll
ACG	Alnwick & County Gazette
AL	Army List of Officers
APM	Assistant Provost Marshall Reports
AUSTA	Australian Archive Records
AVL	Absent Voters List
AWOL	Absent Without Leave
B108D	Section 'D' Discharge Certificate
B2079	Discharge Certificate 1920s
BJB	British Jewry Book
BO	Battalion Part II Orders
CIVS	Book - "Civilian Soldier" by George Harbottle formerly 1/6th Battalion
CRB	Company Roll Book
DA	Durham Advertiser
DYCH	Newcastle Daily Chronicle
EL	Red Cross 'Enquiry Lists'
EBAY	Medals seen on Ebay
FAMILY	Details from Family
GWF	Great War Forum
IC	Illustrated Chronicle
IH	Book - 'Irish Heroes in the War'
JIM	Jim Parker - M.G.C. Researcher
JSC	John Sheen collection (researched named post cards)
L.G.	Lewis Gun
LG	London Gazette
M/CARD	Memorial Card (Bromilow Collection)
M/L	Dealers Medal List
MH106	Public Record Office Medical Health Records (MH106)
MIC	Medal Index Cards
MR	British War Medal & Victory Medal Roll Books
NC	Newcastle Chronicle
NDJ	Newcastle Daily Journal
NE	Northern Echo
NER/ROH	North Eastern Railways Roll of Honour
NERM	North Eastern Railway Magazine
NJ	Newcastle Journal
NROH	National Roll of Honour
OCA FORM	Old Comrades Association Form
OCAF	Old Contemptible Application Form
ODGW	Officers Died in the Great War
PC	Post Card in Collection
PG	Police Gazette
PHOTO	Photograph in my collection
PHOTO (ALG)	Photo (Alnwick Gazette)
PMFL	Princess Mary’s Fund List
POEM	Wrote Poem
PSR	Petty Sessions Register (Letter indicates court-e.g. PSRN = Newcastle)
PWR	Pre-War Regular
QM	Quaysider Magazine
RB	Roll Book
RDCMR	Royal Defence Corps Medal Rolls
RECORDS	Burnt & Unburnt Attestation Papers
RGSRB	Royal Grammar School, Newcastle - Roll Book
RNDR	Royal Naval Division Records
SAD	Book-"Shot at Dawn"
SDGW	Soldiers Died in the Great War
SDRH	Smith's Dock Roll of Honour
SGG	St George’s Gazette
SGG(PHOTO)	Photo in St George’s Gazette
SHROH	Sheffield Roll of Honour
SR	Service Records
SRB	Section Roll Book
SWB	Silver War Badge Rolls
TCMR	Tank Corps Medal Rolls
WGR	Commonwealth War Graves Register

Abbreviations - Discharge

Discharge
KIA	Killed in Action
POW	Prisoner of War
WD	War Diary (Number indicates the battalion - 9WD etc)

Abbreviations - Notes

Notes
A.C.E.	Army Certificate of Education
Att'd	Attached
C.C.S.	Casualty Clearing Station
C.o.E.	Certificate of Education
Coy	Company
D.C.M.	Distinguished Conduct Medal
F.G.C.M.	Field General Court Martial
F.P.No.1	Field Punishment and the number
G.C.B.	Good Conduct Badge
G.C.P.	Good Conduct Pay
GSW	Gun Shot Wound
I.B.D.	Infantry Base Depot
I.G.S.M.	Indian General Service Medal
L.S.G.C.	Long Service Good Conduct Medal
L.T.M.B.	Light Trench Mortar Battery
M.C.	Military Cross
M.G.Coy	Machine Gun Company
M.I.D.	Mentioned in Despatches
M.M.	Military Medal
M.M.(France)	French Medal Militaire - also awarded by Belgium & Italy
M.S.M.	Meritorious Service Medal
MIA	Missing in Action
N.W.F.	Medal Clasp - North West Frontier
O.O.M.	Order of Merit - a Regimental distinction
Pltn	Platoon
PTI	Physical Training Instructor
S.O.M.	School of Musketry
S.O.S.	Struck off Strength
S.R.L.S.G.C.	Special Reserve Long Service Good Conduct Medal
Sect'n	Section
T.E.M.	Territorial Efficiency Medal
T.O.S.	Taken on Strength
T.R.B.	Training Reserve Battalion
TBE	Transferred Before Embarkation
W&MIA	Wounded & Missing in Action
W&POW	Wounded & Prisoner of War
W.A.F.F.	West African Field Force
Z21	Discharge Certificate 1919