The Birmingham Fusiliers ?

[jcj]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...Army_regiments

Came upon this amongst a list of Regimental Nicknames, I have never heard it before ?

[Aled Roberts]

I think this was more specifically for the 2/RWF (around the World War One period). There were a LOT of boys from Brum in the battalion.

I also believe that Frank Richards also mentioned this nickname, but I might be wrong ?

[ap1]

Here's a pic from the gallery showing the "Birmingham Fusiliers" having a reunion in 1950. The genial looking old boy, 3rd from left is "Hammer" Lane DCM, he was a tidy boxer, hence the nickname. He won his DCM after the Germans detonated a huge mine under B Company 2RWF. In the immediate aftermath, he bayoneted a number of enemy, as they attempted to take the lip of the crater. Eventually his bayonet broke, so he beat the enemy off with his bare hands. He was one of a small group of survivors, who were instrumental in holding the position.

[tmb]http://www.rwf-forum.co.uk/misc_pix/bhamfus.jpg[/tmb]

[Bob Bacon]

I think this was more specifically for the 2/RWF (around the World War One period). There were a LOT of boys from Brum in the battalion.

I also believe that Frank Richards also mentioned this nickname, but I might be wrong ?

I can confirm that, Richard. They were so called the Birmingham Fusiliers because, at that time, they took so many recruits from the Midlands. F.Richards. Old-Soldier Sahib

[jungle1810]

Hello,
The Birmingham connection was very strong at the beginning of the Great War.All the original members or 1914 arrivals had a regimental number 12233 or below. A very small proportion of these numbers are believed to be misleading,but they are not sufficient in quantity to disturb the thrust of the statistics.Of all those war dead with numbers 12233 or below, 80 had Birmingham as a birthplace a further 5 from Wolverhampton,3 from West Bromwich, and by scraping the barrel of any definition of "Birmingham area"to the very bottom by including Warwickshire ,Leicestershire, and Staffordshire towns and villages one reaches a grand total of 138 war dead in the 1914 2nd Battalion RWF who might by a considerable stretch of the imagination be said to be from the Birmingham area in origin.The Regimental practice of recruiting in Birmingham continued through the war. For example on the 25th October 1915 The depot sent Major Pryce (A wounded veteran of war service) Lt Barter V.C.the band & drums 20 N.C.O's 10 Privates and the goat to Birmingham.And in over a week had recruited 350 men..Their Regimental Numbers are in a batch between about 363000 and 369000.At one time it was believed that the 2nd Battalion RWF had about 60% of it's strength from men recruited from the Birmingham area.The above facts are quoted from a definitive history of the 2nd RWF in the Great War titled "Duty Done" written by David Langley, who kindly gave me permission to quote these details.
Regards RBD aka "Don"