Fusilier Brigade

The Fusilier Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1958 to 1968. The Brigade combined the depots of the English infantry regiments designated as fusiliers.

The Brigade was created as part of the defence reforms announced in July 1957. It was formed on April 1 1958, when the three fusilier regiments were transferred from existing regional brigades:

* The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (from the Yorkshire and Northumberland Brigade)
* The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) (from the Home Counties Brigade)
* The Lancashire Fusiliers (from the Lancastrian Brigade)

The three regiments adopted common cap and collar badges consisting of a fired grenade bearing Saint George and the dragon within a laurel wreath beneath a crown. The grenade was a badge common to all fusilier regiments, while the other elements were each taken from the cap badges of the three regiments. [A L Kipling and H L King, "Head-dress badges of the British Army", Volume 2, London, 1979] The regiments were distinguished by a coloured feather hackle worn behind the badge in some forms of head dress: red and white (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers), white (Royal Fusiliers), or primrose yellow (Lancashire Fusiliers) respectively.

In 1962 the Forester Brigade was dissolved and The Royal Warwickshire Regiment was transferred to the Fusilier Brigade, being retitled The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers in the following year, and adopting a hackle in the regimental colours of orange and royal blue. A new button was designed for the Brigade in 1963, bearing the ancient antelope badge of the Royal Warwickshires within The Garter. [Howard Ripley, "Buttons of the British Army 1855 - 1970", London, 1979]

On April 23 1968, (St George's Day) all four regiments were amalgamated into the single "large regiment" The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The RRF continues to wear the Fusilier Brigade badges and buttons, with the red over white hackle of the Northumberland Fusiliers.

On July 1 1968 the Fusilier Brigade was united with the Home Counties and East Anglian Brigades, to form the Queen's Division.

References

External links

* [http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/depot/958fusil.htm Fusilier Brigade (regiments.org)]