The Lancashire Fusiliers

The Lancashire Fusiliers was formed in 1881 and existed until 1968 when it was amalgamated into the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers together with The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers, and The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).

The Lancashire Fusiliers can trace its history back to Peyton’s Regiment of Foot. This was formed in 1688 in Devon under Sir Richard Peyton. It then became the 20th Regiment of Foot in 1751, and then the East Devonshire Regiment in 1782. The Regiment moved to the North West in 1873 and finally became the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1881.

The Regiment has served in many locations throughout the Empire and the World. The main wars it served in before the Great War were:

The Glorious Revolution under King William III 1688 - 89

The War of Spanish Succession 1701 - 14

The Seven Years War 1754 - 63

The American Revolution 1765 - 83

The Napoleonic Wars 1803 - 15

The Crimean War 1853 - 56

The Regiment distinguished itself in many battles during this period, some of these were:

The Battle of Dettingen

The Battle of Minden

The Battle of Vittoria

The Battle of Alma

The Battle of Inkerman

During the Great War and subsequent wars the Regiment went on to distinguish itself further and take part in many more battles.

The Regimental Headquarters was at Wellington Barracks in Bury, Lancashire. This was built in 1845 and became the Headquarters when the Regiment moved there in 1873.

After the amalgamation of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers the Barracks were no longer used and were demolished in 1969. The Headquarters building was retained and used as a Regimental Museum. In 2009 the Museum moved to new premises in Moss Street in Bury and in 2013 the Headquarters was converted into a business complex.

The Lancashire Fusiliers had the nickname of the Two Tens after the roman number ‘XX’ used to denote the 20^th Regiment of Foot. It was also known as the Minden Boys after the Battle of Minden and also as Kinglsey’s Stand after their Colonel (1756-69) and their stand at Minden in 1759.