Northumberland Fusiliers WW2

[bigjarofwasps]

Hi Guys,

Anyone interested in the Northumberland Fusiliers? Can you tell me anything about the 70th battalion, I have been unable to find anything on the net, so am assuming that they were some sort of training battalion or perhaps a home guard unit? I also believe they may have been station in or near Gateshead in 1942. Any assistance would be a great help.

Gordon.

[Mervyn Mitton]

Gordon - I'm wondering if you've seen the 14 page thread under Brit. Badges - a wonderful group of info.. Mervyn

[Graham Stewart]

Search for 70th(Young Soldier)Bn, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. The majority of these were disbanded in 1942 and I haven't got my files here to tell you more about them, but you should get numerous hits with this search.

[bigjarofwasps]

Thanks guys thats been of great help, and has answered several questions I had. But as always with research its asked more! It appears that the 70th was one of several battalions formed with men, who were old enough to serve but not old enough to be deployed overseas, as the lads came of age the battalions were dispanded. I assume that the lads were thus sent to, deployable units. Which beggers the question, as the lads came of age, where there not lads who weren`t of age to take there places, thus keeping the battalion up to strength?

[Graham Stewart]

Well I'm not 100% certain about this, but if it's anything like the Great War, the training of recruits may have become more centralised and rather than supply to individual regiments, recruits would be sent wherever required. This in effect would dillute the regimental system, but be more efficient regarding reinforcements.

During the Great War a new Corps was formed in 1916 called the "Training Reserve", whose sole purpose was to supply trained reinforcements to the front a.s.a.p.. Among these units you had "Graduated & Young Soldier" Battalions, some of whom were eventually affiliated to regiments, and numbered 51st(Graduated)Bn, 52nd(Graduated)Bn and 53rd(Young Soldier)Bn's of such&such regiment. The idea was they were conscripted at 18yrs of age and posted to one battalion - given basic drill and training before being passed to another battalion for advanced training and eventually posted to Infantry Base Depots overseas. However there was no guarantee that you'd serve with your regiment once you were posted overseas.