The 2nd Northumberland Rifle Volunteer Corps, also referred to as the Tynemouth Rifles, was an infantry unit of Britain's part-time Volunteer Force, raised as part of the [Rifle Volunteer Movement in the 1860s. It became the 5th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers in the Territorial Force, serving during the First World War, and then the Territorial Army. It converted to an anti-aircraft role just prior to Second World War, and continued to serve until it was amalgamated in 1950.
Volunteer Force The enthusiasm for the Volunteer movement following an invasion scare in 1859 saw the creation of many Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVCs) composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need.Beckett.Westlake, Rifle Volunteers. One of these new corps was the 1st Northumberland RVC (also known as the Northumberland Rifles) formed in North Shields and Tynemouth on 16 August 1859 by coal-owner Edward Potter of Cramlington. It took some moral courage to appear in the street in Volunteer uniform: members of the 1st Northumberland RVC were sneered at as 'noodles'. However, the movement continued to grow: in February 1860 the 1st absorbed the 2nd Northumberland RVC of three companies, also formed at Tynemouth on 4 January that year. In August 1861 it split to form the 1st (Tynemouth), 8th (three companies at Walker-on-Tyne) and 9th (Cramlington) Northumberland RVCs, which were all placed in the 2nd Administrative Battalion of Northumberland Rifle Volunteers. The 1st disbanded in October 1862 and the 9th in December 1864, but the 8th (Walker) Northumberland RVC thrived. The HQ of the 2nd Admin Battalion moved to Walker after the disbandment of the 1st; it was disbanded in 1865 and the 8th continued as an independent corps with James Anderson, a former ensign in the 30th Foot, as lieutenant-colonel in command. A number of its officers were drawn from the prominent Tyneside family of Swan.Westlake, Rifle Volunteers, pp. 191–3.Beckett, pp. 63, 96 and Appendix VII.Army List.Frederick, Volume I, pp. 276-7.5th Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers at Regiments.org, retrieved 15 February 2020.Beckett, p. 63; Appendix VII. During this period, the battalion was organised as;
Battalion Headquarters in Tynemouth – HQ moving to Newcastle upon Tyne in 1863 1st (Tynemouth) Northumberland RVC – raised 16 August 1859: three coys separated Aug 1861 to form 8th RVC in Walker and one coy separated to form 9th RVC in Cramlington: disbanded Oct 1862 8th (Walker) Northumberland RVC – formed Aug 1861 from three coys of the 1st RVC 9th (Cramlington) Northumberland RVC – formed Aug 1861 from one coy of 1st RVC: disbanded Dec 1864
Under the scheme of 'localisation' introduced by the Cardwell Reforms in 1873, the Northumberland and Newcastle upon Tyne RVCs, together with the two Regular battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers and the Northumberland Militia, constituted Brigade No 1, based at Newcastle in the County of Northumberland sub-district of Northern District. While the sub-districts were referred to as 'brigades', they were purely administrative organisations and the Volunteers were excluded from the 'mobilisation' part of the Cardwell system, though they carried out joint manoeuvres.Training Depots, 1873–1881 at Regiments.org. Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson retired in 1875 and was appointed Honorary Colonel of the battalion; he was succeeded in command by Henry Swan who ran the Walker shipyard of Charles Mitchell and later Armstrong Whitworth. Swan remained in command until 1902.Henry Frederick Swan at Grace's Guides.
When the RVCs were consolidated nationwide on 3 September 1880, the 8th RVC was re-numbered as the 2nd Northumberland Rifle Volunteer Corps with companies designated as 'A' to 'F'. After the Childers Reforms the RVCs became Volunteer Battalions of their affiliated Regular Army regiment and in 1883 the 2nd Northumberland RVC became the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers and wore a scarlet coat with Gosling green facings. The Stanhope Memorandum of December 1888 proposed a more comprehensive Mobilisation Scheme for Volunteer units, which would assemble in their own brigades at key points in case of war. In peacetime these brigades provided a structure for collective training.Beckett, pp. 135, 185–6.Dunlop, pp. 60–1. Under this scheme the 2nd and 3rd VBs of the Northumberland Fusiliers and the five Durham Light Infantry VBs formed the Tyne and Tees Brigade.
In 1894, K Company from the 1st Volunteer Battalion at Newburn (formed in 1885) was transferred to the 2nd as G Company. The following year the 2nd VB formed a new company at Wallsend and by 1900 the battalion had grown to ten companies, at Walker (4), Newburn (2), Wallsend (2) and Gosforth (2).
Between 1900 and 1902, volunteers from the 2nd VB went to South Africa and participated with their Regular counterparts in the 1st and 2nd Battalions. As a reward for their service, the battalion was granted its first battle honour: South Africa 1900-02. Engagements during this period included service in the Orange Free State, service in Transvaal, and later the Battle of Rustenburg.Westlake, Territorials, p. 43. Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902 at Regiments.org, retrieved 16 February 2020.
Territorial Force In 1907, Secretary of State for War Richard Haldane announced a series of Army reforms, which would affect mostly the Volunteers and Yeomanry. These two groups were merged to form the Territorial Force on 1 April 1908. As part of these reforms, all of the volunteer battalions became numbered battalions of their parent regiments. The battalion was renamed as the 5th Battalion, The Northumberland Fusiliers and subsequently re-organised as follows:Westlake, Territorials, IntroductionNorthumberland at Great War Centenary Drill Halls. Retrieved 16 February 2020.Dunlop, Chapter 14.London Gazette 20 March 1908. Battalion Headquarters in Walker A–C Companies in Walker D–F Companies in Wallsend G Company in Gosforth with detachments in West Moor and Seaton Burn H Company in Gosforth
Another organisational change of the reforms of 1908 was the creation in the TF of 14 divisions, 14 mounted brigades, and coastal defence troops. One of these new divisions was the Northumbrian Division (later the 50th), and in this division was the Northumbrian Brigade (later the 149th). The 5th Bn along with the 4th, 6th, and 7th bns of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers were all part of this brigade.Becke, Pt 2a, pp. 93–100.50th (Northumbrian) Division at The Long, Long Trail, retrieved 16 February 2020.Northumberland Fusiliers at The Long, Long Trail, retrieved 16 February 2020
First World War Mobilisation In July 1914, as the international situation worsened, the British Armed Forces were on high alert as the Imperial German Army moved towards the neutral nation of the Kingdom of Belgium, of which the United Kingdom protected under the Treaty of London. When German forces crossed into Belgium, the United Kingdom declared war on Germany and later the rest of the Central Powers. At the time the units of the Northumbrian Division were at their annual training camp in North Wales. On 3 August they were ordered to return to their respective headquarters, where at 17.00 next day they received orders to mobilise. The units went to their war stations along the coast, where there were numerous alerts. In October the division became part of Central Force in Home Defence and manned the Tyne Defences.Wyrall, p.4.
On the outbreak of war, TF units were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service. The large majority of the Northumbrian Division accepted. On 15 August the War Office (WO) issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into reserve units. On 31 August, the formation of a reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line unit where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service. The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix. In this way duplicate battalions, brigades and divisions were created, mirroring those TF formations being sent overseas.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 49–54.63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division at Long, Long Trail.Becke, Pt 2b, p. 6.Wyrall, pp. 4–5.
1/5th Battalion
In April 1915 the 1/5th Battalion moved to France and saw action during some notable battles including:Unit History: Royal Northumberland Fusiliers at Forces War Records, retrieved 16 February 2020.Wyrall. 1915: Battle of St Julien, Battle of Frezenburg, and Battle of Bellewaarde Ridge 1916: Battle of Flers-Courcelette, Battle of Morval, and Battle of the Transloy Ridges 1917: First Battle of the Scarpe, Capture of Wancourt Ridge, Second Battle of the Scarpe, and Second Battle of Passchendaele 1918: Battle of St Quentin, Actions at the Somme Crossings, Battle of Rosieres, Battle of Estaires, Battle of Hazebrouck, and Battle of the Aisne
Following the armistice on 11 November 1918, the battalion was reduced to a cadre on 15 July and disembodied on 6 November 1918.
2/5th Battalion The 2/5th Battalion was formed in Blyth along with the 2/4th on 22–23 November 1914 just before their respective first line battalions were preparing to go overseas. This new battalion joined the 188th (2/1st Northumberland) Brigade in the newly formed 2nd line 63rd (2nd Northumbrian) Division in January 1915. In July 1916 the division was divided, and the battalion became independent and eventually joined the 217th Brigade in the 72nd Division. Finally, on 6 December 1918 the battalion was disbanded while stationed in Ipswich and replaced by the 264th (Infantry) Battalion, Training Reserve.
5th (Reserve) Battalion The 3/5th Battalion, later 5th (Reserve) Btn, was the last of the duplicates formed with the 3/4th, 3/6th, and 3/7th formed in June 1915. On 8 April 1916 the battalions were all redesignated as 'reserve', and became the 5th (Reserve) Battalion. On 1 September 1918 the battalion was absorbed into the 4th (Reserve) Battalion.
Interwar When the Territorial Force was disembodied after the end of the First World War, the army was left with just the regulars, most of which were under-strength or just at cadre size. On 7 February 1920 the TF and most of its units were reconstituted, including the 5th Battalion, The Northumberland Fusiliers at Walker-on-Tyne with 'A', 'B', 'C', and 'D' Companies. Once again it formed part of 149th (Northumberland) Brigade in 50th (Northumbrian) Division.Titles and Designations 1927. In 1921 the TF was reorganised as the Territorial Army. On 3 June 1935 as part of George V's silver jubilee celebrations the regiment was granted a Royal title along with three other Regiments and became the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, and the battalion was renamed likewise.
5th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (53rd Searchlight Regiment) In the late 1930s the increasing need for anti-aircraft (AA) defence for Britain's cities was addressed by converting a number of TA infantry battalions into searchlight (S/L) units, which accelerated after the Munich Crisis. The 5th Battalion was one of those selected, and was converted on 1 November 1938 as 5th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (53rd Searchlight Regiment), organised as follows:Frederick, p. 869.The Monthly Army List, August 1939 (pdf), London: His Majesty's Stationery Office (1939), Retrieved 16 February 2020. Battalion Headquarters, Church Street Drill hall, Walker-on-Tyne under Lieutenant Colonel W H Leete, DFC, TD 408th S/L Company under Major G. M. I. Stanley 409th S/L Company under Major F. H. Phillips 410th S/L Company under Major A. E. B. Plummer, MC Affiliation with Armstrong-Whitworth (Walker) Cadet Unit (placed under administrative command)