Busy Remembrance Week for the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers at Ypres

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers have had a very busy week attending several high profile events during Remembrance Week. 

The regiment which celebrated its 150th anniversary earlier this year attended the reburial of an unknown Lancashire Fusilier who fell at YPRES in 1917. His body was discovered in 2016 alongside two Australian soldiers near to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Tyne Cot Cemetery. It is believed he was killed at the Battle of Passchendaele which took place 101 years ago in Yypres, Belgium, between July and November 1917. The unknown soldier was finally laid to rest on Tuesday 6 November with full military honours. 

On the morning of Friday 9 November the Fusiliers represented the 4th Battalion Royal Fusiliers at a Service of Remembrance in Mons, Belgium. Alongside the Belgian Prime Minister, Junior Non Commissioned Officers (JNCOs) laid wreaths on the graves of Private Parr who was believed to be the Royal Fusiliers’ first casualty of WW1 and Private Ellison the last, who died in battle just before the Armistice came into effect. 

Later in the day representatives from the Fusilers also attended a special Service of Remembrance at the Thiepval Memorial, France where 72,000 names of soldiers killed in the Battle of the Somme can be found.  

Finally on Saturday 10 November, members from X Company Fifth Fusiliers attended a Memorial re-dedication and Remembrance service prior to Newcastle United's Game against Bournemouth at St James Park.  

Representatives from 1st Fusiliers  also had the honour of providing a guard and taking part in the Royal British Legion's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, London. X Company were joined by Colonel of the Regiment, Major General Paul Nanson CBE and First Fusiliers Commanding Officer Lt Colonel Jez Lamb MC.