PROUD part of Bury’s past, the Lancashire Fusiliers was a British infantry regiment which amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968. The photograph, above, was taken at their new headquarters in 1961.

The photograph, right, shows Gallipoli survivors to the left as Brigadier DW Lister takes the salute and the newly formed Royal Regiment of Fusiliers march past in 1969.

The initial landings of Gallipoli took place on April 1915, when six Victoria Crosses were awarded to the First Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers — the famous “six VCs before breakfast” — while the landing spot at Cape Helles later became known as Lancashire Landing.

The campaign is also known as the Dardanelles Campaign, and took place on the Gallipoli peninsula of the Ottoman Empire, which is now Gelibolu in Turkey.

A joint British and French operation was started to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople — Istanbul — to secure a sea route to Russia.

Sadly, the campaign failed after eight months with heavy casualties, and became known as one of the greatest victories of the Ottomans and a major failure by the Allies.

During the Second World War, the Lancashire Fusiliers raised 17 batallions for service and post-war occupation troops were in austria and West Germany.

During the 1950s they deployed to Egypt, Kenya, Trieste and Cyprus, while 1965 saw them posted to the West Indies.

By 1968, The Royal Cumberland Fusiliers, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, and the City of London Regiment of The Royal Fusiliers joined the Bury regiment, which was founded in 1688, to form The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

The Fusilier Museum has a range of collections which can shed more light on the regiment’s history. It’s at Moss Street in Bury and can be contacted on 0161 763 8950.