3rd (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Reconnaissance Regiment
| 8th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 3rd Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps 3rd Regiment, Reconnaissance Corps 3rd (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Reconnaissance Regiment |
|
|---|---|
Insignia of the 3rd Infantry Division.
|
|
| Active | 18 June 1939–July 1946 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Branch |
 British Army
|
| Type | Reconnaissance |
| Size | Battalion/Regiment |
| Part of |
23rd (Northumbrian) Division 3rd Infantry Division |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Eric Bols |
The 3rd (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers) Reconnaissance Regiment was a regiment of the Reconnaissance Corps, which was itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps, raised by the British Army during the Second World War.
It was originally raised as the 8th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, formed as a 2nd Line Territorial Army duplicate unit of the 4th Battalion, just before the outbreak of the Second World War as a motorcycle battalion and served as such in the Battle of France in May 1940. It was converted to a reconnaissance unit in April 1941 and fought in North-West Europe from June 1944 until May 1945 when the war in Europe ended.
In July 1946, over a year since the end of the war in Europe, the regiment was placed in suspended animation, formally reconstituted on 1 January 1947 and immediately disbanded.
By 1939 it became clear that a new European war was likely to break out and, as a direct result of the German invasion of Czechoslovakia on 15 March, the doubling of the Territorial Army (TA) was authorised, with each unit and formation forming a duplicate. Consequently, the 8th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was formed as a duplicate of the 4th Battalion on 18 June 1939 organized as a motorcycle battalion.
On 2 October 1939, the battalion was assigned to the 23rd (Northumbrian) Division. The division was sent to France on 22 April 1940, on labour and training duties, without any of its artillery or the bulk of its signals and administration units. On 20 May 1940, the division suffered heavy casualties trying to delay the German advance at Arras and had to be evacuated at Dunkirk. On its return to the United Kingdom the 23rd Division was disbanded due to the heavy losses it had suffered and the two infantry brigades were sent to other divisions.
...
Wikipedia