The History of the Royal Fusiliers Reorganization on the Eve of the Great War
	The Royal Fusiliers on the Eve of the Great War The declaration of war in August, 1914 by the British Empire against the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary found the two veteran regular battalions of the Royal Fusiliers at widely different stations.  The first battalion was at Kinsale in Ireland, and the second battalion was at Calcutta in India.   In addition to the first and second regular battalions, it is important to note that by 1914 the Royal Fusiliers had a large number of other battalions.  A third regular battalion had been raised in April, 1898 and had served in garrison at various colonial bases since then.  In August, 1914, the battalion was in India.  A fourth regular battalion had been raised in February, 1900.  It had mainly served in Ireland and in August, 1914 was in garrison in England. The formal start to the Royal Fusiliers' long association with the City of London had begun in 1881, when the Regiment was granted the official "subtitle" The City of London Regiment.   The Regimental depot of the Royal Fusiliers had always been at the Tower of London.  However, many volunteer and militia units had also operated in London, some of which had been formed as early as the eighteenth century.  In 1908, all of these units were transferred to the City of London Regiment which was in theory part of the Royal Fusiliers.  In practice, the regular battalions were usually referred to as being Royal Fusiliers battalions and the volunteer, territorial, and militia battalions were considered to be parts of the City of London Regiment.   Members of these battalions often wore insignia indicating that they were members of the Royal Fusiliers, or the City of London Regiment, or both at the same time. To add to the confusion, some of these units assumed titles which bore little obvious connection to their affiliation with the Royal Fusiliers.  For example, the 14th Battalion of the City of London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) also bore the official title the London Scottish.   Officers and other ranks referred to themselves as the London Scottish, wore Highland dress, marched behind a pipe band, and traced their history to the establishment in 1859 of the London Scottish Rifle Volunteer Corps.  Their transfer to the rolls of the Royal Fusiliers appears in many ways to have been regarded as a purely administrative change which had little impact on the way in which the London Scottish carried out its duties. After 1 April, 1908, there existed a total of 28 battalions of the City of London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).  These battalions belonged to the Territorial Force.  The Territorial Force was intended as a reserve to be used for the protection of the United Kingdom from foreign military action.  With the territorials thus employed, the regular battalions of the British Army would be available for active foreign military service.  Territorial soldiers were not liable to serve outside of the United Kingdom. They should also be distinguished from reserve soldiers, who were retired regular soldiers still subject to mandatory recall to service in a regular battalion in time of war.  Despite their limited liability for overseas service, many territorial soldiers volunteered for active duty immediately upon the declaration of war in August, 1914.  Indeed, the previously mentioned London Scottish volunteered to the man, and saw action as a complete battalion for the first time in October, 1914. In addition to the regular battalions and the territorial battalions, the Royal Fusiliers also had three affiliated special reserve battalions.  These had been raised between 1898 and 1908 and provided a home battalion for reserve soldiers called back for mandatory service in wartime.  The special reserve battalions were not intended to operate as infantry battalions in the field.  Instead, they acted as depots for retraining and re-equipping reserve soldiers before they were sent to the regular battalions. Finally, upon the declaration of war, a large number of battalions were raised where none had existed before.  This phenomenon resulted from the call by Lord Kitchener for a massive expansion of the British Army by voluntary enlistment for the duration of the war.  Throughout Great Britain, unprecedented numbers of volunteers enlisted under this scheme within hours of Kitchener's announcement.  Devoid of organization, uniforms, accommodations, weapons or equipment, these battalions were the product of a national euphoria or patriotic enthusiasm.  They were also a largely urban phenomenon, with many cities producing several battalions each during the first months of the war.   London's volunteers for the infantry mainly entered the City of London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) or the Middlesex Regiment.  A total of 45 battalions were formed under the title of the City of London Regiment during the course of the war, including four battalions raised from public school students (18th, 19th, 20th and 21st Battalions), three battalions recruited exclusively from Londoners of Jewish background (38th, 39th and 40th Battalions), and a frontiersmen battalion composed of African game hunters, polar explorers, sportsmen, and other adventurers (25th Battalion).   To compound the confusion between the regular Royal Fusiliers battalions and the territorial City of London Regiment battalions, many of these wartime battalions preferred to affect the title Royal Fusiliers rather than City of London Regiment.  To add further confusion to an already difficult subject, the Middlesex Regiment also had battalions which held the subtitle the City of London Regiment.                                                                          Continue