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5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers
5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers were a unit of the Territorial Force with their HQ at Castle Armoury, Bury. They were part of the Lancashire Fusiliers Infantry Brigade, East Lancashire Division. When war broke out in August 1914 they were mobilized for war and were amongst the first territorials to proceed overseas leaving from Southampton, arriving in Egypt on the 25th of September 1914. The Division underwent training around Cairo and defended the Suez Canal against the Turkishh attack in February. In May
the Division became 125th Brigade, 42nd (East Lancashire) Division and went on to land at Cape Helles in Gallipoli and took part in the action capture the dominating heights around the village of Krithia. By August, the division had lost about 2/3rd of it's men through battle casualties, injuries or sickness and reinforcements arrived. The Battalion made a successful withdrawal from the Helles bridgehead and on the 28th of December 1915 landed on Mudros and then returned to Egypt.
On the 27th of February 1917 they landed Marseilles and proceeded to the Western Front. They were re-equipped for trench warfare and entered the line at Epehy, as part of III Corps in Fourth Army. In September they moved north to Flanders and were in action at the Battle of Passechendaele for a short time before moving to the coast at Nieuport. In November they moved to Givenchy where they undertook the construction of concrete defence works. In 1918 they were in action on The Somme, in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance in Picardy. The Battalion was demobilized at Charleroi between December 18 and March 1919.
7th May 1915 In Action
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
9th February 1916 Call Ups
3rd May 1917 Orders 
5th May 1917 Reliefs
6th May 1917 Reliefs
7th May 1917 Trench Work
9th May 1917 Reliefs
5th Nov 1917 Reliefs
20th Dec 1917 Orders Issued
22nd Dec 1917 Reliefs Completed
2nd Jul 1918 Reliefs
10th Jul 1918 Reliefs
26th Jul 1918 Reliefs
31st Aug 1918 Reliefs
18th Oct 1918 Reliefs
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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| Want to know more about 5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers? There are:5249 items tagged 5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers during the Great War 1914-1918. - Crossley Harold. Sgt.
- Elliott Charles. Pte.
- Gardiner Herbert. Pte.
- Hall Norman. Capt.
- Harrison Solomon. L/Cpl. (d.5th Nov 1915)
- Johnson DCM. John William. (d.2nd Aug 1916)
- Kay William. L/Cpl. (d.4th Jun 1915)
- Lee John M. Pte
- Simmonds John. Pte. (d.5th November 1918)
- Wilson Edward. Pte. (d.6th Sep 1917)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers from other sources.
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L/Cpl. William Kay 1/5th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers (d.4th Jun 1915) William Kay died in Gallipoli on the 4th June 1915 and is commemorated on the Helles Memorial.
He left behind two children, a girl under the age of three at the time of his death and a boy, who was born several months after the outbreak of war and whom he never had the chance to meet.
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L/Cpl. Solomon Harrison 2/5th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers (d.5th Nov 1915) Solomon Harrison was my grandfather.
He was a Lance Corporal with 2/5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, and was killed in action in France on 5th of November 1915 and is buried in Aveluy Communal Extension Cemetery.
He left behind a wife, Elizabeth and four children.
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Pte. John Simmonds 1/5th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers (d.5th November 1918) John Simmonds, son of William J. Simmonds of Watford, husband of Ethel Simmonds, 16 Royal Oak Road, Woking was born at East Cowes, Isle of Wight. He enlisted at Luton and initially served with Bedfordshire Regiment then with the 1/5th Battalion,, Lancashire Fusiliers (service no.40380). He died at home on 5th of November 1918 age 29 years and is buried in St. Andrews Churchyard. He is remembered on both The War Memorial and The Alamada, St. Andrews Church, Ampthill. Information courtesy of www.roll-of-honour.com
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Pte. Herbert Gardiner 5th Btn Lancashire Fusiliers Herbert (born 1896 ) was the son of William and Susannah Gardiner of Dark Lane Farm, Haughton Green, Denton in Lancashire. He enlisted in the 3/9th Manchester Reserve Btn and was stationed at Ashton Barracks. He was transferred to the 1/5th Lancashire Fusiliers and was sent to fight in Eygpt and later France. He was wounded at St Quentin and in later fighting at Ypres. He was transferred to the 2nd Sherwoods. He was demobilized 1919 and returned to farming.
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John William Johnson DCM. 5th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers (d.2nd Aug 1916) My Uncle, Private John William Johnson, DCM was killed in action 02/08/16. This from the Battalion's War Diary for that and the preceding day: Tues Aug 1st 1916. Moved forward from Mansel Cospe (F16b F17a)to reserve trenches at Oxford Copse (A14 A15) (Sheet62c NW 1/20000). Wed Aug 2nd (8a.m.) Valley shelled by 8 inch Howitzers for 15 minutes, and again at 2p.m. Caualties :- 15 Killed, 17 Wounded.
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Capt. Norman Hall 2/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers Born on 28th February 1892, Norman Hall studied science (probably chemistry) at Manchester University where he joined the OTC. Aged 22, he was working on glycerine development at Lever Brothers in Port Sunlight on the outbreak of war. Because of his OTC experience he tried to join the regular army, though was rejected on medical grounds. He joined a “Pals†Regiment in Liverpool (he achieved the required chest measurement by breathing out and having the tape held loosely and also jumped up and down on the scales so that he registered the correct weight!). He quickly transferred to the 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers (Territorial Force)on its formation in Bury in September 1914. He volunteered for service overseas, although as a Territorial he was not obliged to do so. Because of his (limited) relevant experience in the OTC he was appointed as a signaller and had an important role in establishing and maintaining field telephone communications. He began as a private, promoted quickly to Lieutenant and then 2nd Lieutenant before travelling overseas to France, rising to the rank of Temporary Captain in charge of a Company. He transferred to the 1/5th in June 1917 following his return to the Front after recovering from wounds, demoted (as he saw it) to his substantive rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He attained the rank of substantive Captain by the end of the War and possibly Temporary Major.
He was severely wounded on September 9th 1916 when he was repatriated, returning to the Front in France in June 1917. He was injured again in August 1918 – it seems that the horse he was riding to collect beer for a celebration of the Battalion’s Battle Honour (Minden Day – 6th August) fell on him and damaged his foot. He was again repatriated and did not return to the Front. He returned to his job with Lever Brothers on demobilisation.
In the family there is a series of 5 volumes of diaries which, although written retrospectively, give a detailed account of his experiences and appear to have been based on diaries written in the field (three of which we have). We also have sketch maps of actions, letters home, slides and a couple of original battle orders. In amongst the intricate detail of troop movements and other technical military information (the layout of field telephone networks and trenches, attempts to listen in to German telephones and a plan for a “top secret†chemical gas scheme in his section) the daily routine in the trenches and other locations is vividly described. There are many reflective anecdotes and digressions (eg. about French citizens and farms, signalling procedures, dugout life, treatment of wet feet, bathing routines, management of the company including censorship of letters, rat catching, the battalion dog, a trip to Paris with Simone and her sister “the girls†etc).
Whilst casualties are recorded, the account is matter of fact and generally lacking in emotion – the stiff upper lip mentality is very apparent. Yet he obviously cared for his colleagues and the men under his command and was deeply affected by the deaths of some of his close comrades. He clearly recognised that he had some narrow escapes (including one occasion when orders, which would almost certainly have been fatal, arrived too late) and was fortunate to survive. It seems that the approach adopted, and indeed the very act of writing the account itself, were his way of dealing with the horror that he experienced.
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Pte. Charles Elliott 1st/5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers I'm trying to find out more about the part my greatgrandfather Charles Elliott played in the First World War as I haven't got much info about him. He lived during 1912 at 73 Luther Street, Everton, Liverpool, Lancashire. His wife's name was Mary Elliott [nee] Fullerton and his father's name was Phillip Elliott. I know he died in 1919 and is buried in Everton Cemetery and there is a war cenotaph there.
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