Fusilier Brigade

The Fusilier Brigade was an administrative brigade of the British Army from 1958 to 1968, that administered the fusilier regiments.

Fusilier Brigade
Cap badge of the Fusilier Brigade, now worn by the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
Active1958–1968
Country United Kingdom
Branch British Army
TypeAdministrative
Garrison/HQSt George's Barracks, Sutton Coldfield
Commanders
Representative ColonelMaj-Gen Cosmo Nevill (to 1963)
Brig Percy Bamford

History

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

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.[1] 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. From 1960 the Fusilier Brigade was based at St George's Barracks in Sutton Coldfield.[2]

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.[3]

On 23 April 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 1 July 1968 the Fusilier Brigade was united with the Home Counties Brigade and East Anglian Brigades, to form the Queen's Division.[4]

Units

Throughout its existence, the brigade was made up of the following units:[5]

References
  1. A L Kipling and H L King, Head-dress badges of the British Army, Volume 2, London, 1979
  2. "Infantry Brigade Depots (Location)". Hansard. 7 March 1958. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  3. Howard Ripley, Buttons of the British Army 1855 - 1970, London, 1979
  4. Whitaker's Almanack 1969, p. 473
  5. "Fusilier Brigade". Archived from the original on 6 January 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
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