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.
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.
Each record includes a transcript of information found about the individual from a variety of sources. The amount of detail in each record can vary, but most will include:
Name
Residence
Enlistment date
Enlistment place
Service number
Rank
Battalion
Transfer to/from
Discharge date
Cause of discharge
Wounded/sick
Notes – details about service, age, medals received and more
Source
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.’
Within the records there are a number of abbreviations. We have broken them down by the field where you can find them.
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
Battalion
(H.S.)GSN (Home Service) Garrison - Battalion or Company
(Y.S.) (Young Soldier) Battalion
BN or Bn Battalion
Birthplace
I.O.M. Instructor of Musketry
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
Discharge
KIA Killed in Action
POW Prisoner of War
WD War Diary (Number indicates the battalion - 9WD etc)
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