The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

[leigh kitchen]

Poster from the 1st Bn's tour of Cyprus, 1978:

[leigh kitchen]

Another 1978 poster, showing Recce Platoon 1 RRF in the flat badlands of..... er...... Cambridge.

Photo taken in the area around the villages of Longstanton & Oakington, when the Battalion was based at Oakington Barracks, which was for all intent & purpose, at Longstanton. The barracks with its old airfield (so handy for an invigorating & non - optional run at 06:30 hrs every morning) were situated between the two villages.

Can't remember the name of the Fusilier on the left, the man in the centre is Fusilier Armstrong (ex - "X" Company), & on the right is L/Cpl? "Jesus" Laud.

[leigh kitchen]

Poster issued by HQ Northern Ireland about 1974, & hand coloured in felt tips at the time by a Fusilier who shall remain anonymous but whose initials are LK:

[Graham Stewart]

Latest addition to my RRF collection a 1985 RRF cover celebrating their 300 year connection with the Tower of London.

Edited November 14, 2008 by Graham Stewart

[leigh kitchen]

Got a few of the 1974 300th anniversary of the regiment (well, of the RNF) firste day covers somewhere....

[leigh kitchen]

The Pompadour Publishing set of 8 x photos of 1 RRF, St Gerorges Day Parade, 1990, at Howe Barracks, Kent.

The Pioneer Sergeant as per this thread:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=15809

The Drummer's Colour

The Commanding Officer

[leigh kitchen]

The March Past

Regimental Band & Corps of Drums

[leigh kitchen]

The Drum - Major

Drummer - Corps of Drums

Commanding Officer's Northumbrian Piper

Edited June 4, 2009 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

RRF keyring as sold by the PRI & regimental museums during the 1970's / 80's.

[leigh kitchen]

The fur cast badge for the cap, produced in Pakistan & introduced early in 1980.

When new, they were a distinct copper colour, after 29 years of storage in its tissue paper wrapper this one has a nice copper/bronze sheen to it.

Not a popular badge, bought from Pakistan because of cost to commission, introduced because the diestruck gilding metal ones had a tendency to break at the join of grenade & flame, it still had to be polished & lacked detail - although, of course, many badges are rubbed down with emery cloth by the wearer to reduce detail & improve shine.

Not in use for long, Graham will no doubt know how long.

Graham's stated that this type of badge with the north/south loop fittngs removed, filled with resin & with brooch fitting medal bar screwed to the resin was used as a plaid brooch by the Northumbrian Piper.

[nick68]

definately cyprus and 99% sure its a sigs cadre

[nick68]

Leigh,

You an old "fuzzy wuzzy" then? Went back to that previous link with the Pioneer Sgt, a rare sight these days. One thing though since when has St.Georges Day been on the 22nd April, surely its the <b>23rd April</b>

The fur cap grenade worn by the Band & Pnr Sgt was eventally altered from those rough cast badges(which were an abortion) to one which reflected the regimental cap badge, both of which are now seen in bi-metal with a permanent polished finish, which do look very nice and the cap badges are a lot more robust than the anodised one.

Ever read the booklet "Four Months in Winter" the story of 2RRF during their N.Ireland tour in 1972? Maybe a modern item in terms of collecting and well overlooked, but not easy to come by and I think I've only ever seen a few copies all the time I've been collecting. As the Northumberland Fusiliers take up the bulk of my collection, it naturally extended into the RRF, unlike other Fusilier collectors who finish in 1968. As a result I have managed to collect a full run of "The Fusilier" the RRF Regimental Journal from 1968 to the present and still get it sent twice a year.

Last weekend I was at the RNF Other Ranks Club dinner, which on this occassion was a commemoration of the nine Northumberlands & three Argylls killed on the 20th June 1967 during an Ambush in the Crater District of Aden. What an emotional opening - Northumbrian piper playing a lament, then an Argyll Bn,RoyaL Regt of Scotland piper playing the "Barren Rocks of Aden". As their names were read out a Quarter Guard furnished by the 68th Foot Re-enactment Group "reversed arms". Very difficult to hold back the tears.

Was sat next to Sgt Major Heweson, 1RNF/1RRF and took up old Ed Forrest 1RNF/1RRF and had a really good evening. Heweson had some cracking stories to tell from his time with 1RNF and the first N.Ireland tours with 1RRF. thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Graham.

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_05_2007/post-821-1178138180.jpg.

heard sgt major hewesons stories,all very funny.he should write a book,but then i am bias cos im his son and an ex fusilier to boot.

[nick68]

lad on the left is fus kirkwood, y coy (later w coy)posing in cyprus

[leigh kitchen]

heard sgt major hewesons stories,all very funny.he should write a book,but then i am bias cos im his son and an ex fusilier to boot.

Welcome, to this thread in particular - we can look forward to some interesting info coming up on the RNF & RRF threads then.

By the way, I have an original of the photo posted on The Forces Genealogy website - your father with a captured pistol & a guy arrested for murder in Londonderry in the 1970's (i'm assuming that you posted it there?

Edited September 23, 2009 by leigh kitchen

[Peter Orincsay]

I took a nice portrait photo of an officer of The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers while I was serving as a brigade photographer in 2003 down in Kosovo.

[leigh kitchen]

The CO of the 2nd Battalion? (1st Bn would have worn "First Fusilier" titles?)

[leigh kitchen]

A Geoff White postcard published 1989, an RRF Drum Major in Full Dress, The White Tower in the background (The Regimental Hedadquarters is at The Tower of London).

[leigh kitchen]

A RRF cartoon from a 1970's publication "The Visor Book of Cartoons"

[leigh kitchen]

And another - the humour was a little different in those days...........

Published by The Army Informaton Services, HQ Northern Ireland.

[leigh kitchen]

RRF leather bookmark from the 1970's, the battle honours have additions from the past couple of decades:

[leigh kitchen]

The dust cover of Gerald Seymour's "Field of Blood", published 1985 by Collins:

[leigh kitchen]

1 RRF Assault Pioneer Segeant, 11th September 1974, at the scene of a pipe bomb explosion, Gransha Hospital, Clooney Rd, Campsie, Londonderry (the bomb detonated prematurely, injuring the bomber).

[Graham Stewart]

New 2nd Bn, R.R.F title for wear in Afghanistan.

[leigh kitchen]

A copy of "The Ballymurphy News" the Ballymurphy is an estate in West Belfast.

This edition, from 1976, includes "a word to the coloured soldiers serving "their queen and country" in Y company (1st Battalion) Royal Regiment of Fusiliers".

The soldier in the photograph is not necessarily a member of 1 RRF, & is wearing the old style green combat dress rather than the Disrupted Pattern Material - camouflaged verson in use at that time - it was probaly taken n Northern Ireland circa 1969 - 70.

[tynesideirish]

I've just framed a few badges up, including the DZ flash and helmet TRF and I got some old pics just to make sure I remembered the right way they where worn. I checked loads of pics just to be certain it wasn't just someones mistake. That's the reason I've written this, because the DZ flashes where worn with Maroon to left top, the TRF is worn maroon left bottom.

Can anyone explain why this change was made? I thought these sort of things where fixed in stone (Clothing regulations!).