1st (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) was an infantry battalion in the British Army.

Rifle Volunteers 1859-1908

It originated in 1859 as the 19th Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps, being renumbered the 10th Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps in 1880. On the creation of the

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...

in 1881 it was made 1st Volunteer Battalion,

Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

Territorial Force 1908-1945

On the creation of the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...

in 1908, the unit became 1st (City of London) Battalion, London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers). In 1913 Yeomanry House, Bloomsbury was constructed forming the headquarters and drill hall for the battalion. The Battalion was mobilised here in August 1914 and was deployed on railway guarding duties before sailing for

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

and, ultimately, for the Western Front. It is mentioned on both the

Royal Fusiliers War Memorial The Royal Fusiliers War Memorial is a memorial in London, dedicated to the members of the Royal Fusiliers killed in the World Wars, Russian Civil War and subsequent conflicts, along with members of a number of London Regiment battalions kille ...

and London Troops Memorial, whilst its World War One casualties are listed by name in the roll of honour at the Royal Fusiliers Chapel in St Sepulchre-without-Newgate. When the London Regiment disbanded in 1937, the battalion was re-attached to the Royal Fusiliers and renamed 8th (1st City of London) Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).

Post war

The battalion remained with the Royal Fusiliers in the initial post-war period, becoming The City of London Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) in 1961, absorbing 624th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery (Royal Fusiliers). In the army re-organisation of the late 1960s the four regular fusilier regiments of the British Army merged to form the

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (often referred to as the Royal Fusiliers or, simply, the Fusiliers) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. Currently, the regiment has two battalions: the 1st battalion, part o ...

. The City of London was reduced to company-strength and became C Company within the new regiment's 5th (Volunteer) Battalion. In 1988 that battalion was switched to a dual affiliation with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and

The Queen's Regiment The Queen's Regiment (QUEENS) was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1966 through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the Home Counties Brigade. Then, until 1971 the regiment remained one of the largest regiments in the arm ...

, meaning it was renamed 8th (Volunteer) Battalion The Queen's Fusiliers (City of London), still with a C (City of London) Company. In 1993 a new London Regiment was established. 8th Battalion, Queen's Fusiliers was split up, with A Company and one platoon of C Company merged to form the new regiment's C (City of London Fusiliers) Company, the rest of C Company forming part of the new HQ (Anzio) Company and with B Company becoming the new B (Queen's Regiment) Company. In 2006 C (City of London) Company of the London Regiment was renamed 3 (City of London Fusiliers) Company.

References

{{LondonRegiment 01 Royal Fusiliers Military units and formations in London Military units and formations established in 1908