The Shiny D History
The Regiment served in the Glorious Revolution under King William III and at the Battle of the Boyne in July of 1690 and Aughdrm in 1691. During the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714), it aided in the capture of Spanish galleons at Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702. The Regiment distinguished itself at the Battle of Dettingten in June, 1743, and at Fontenoy in May, 1745, and served in the Battle of Culloden in April of 1746. During the Seven Years War the Regiment earned honour at the Battle of Minden on August 1, 1759. The Regiment was sent to Quebec in April of 1776 and assisted in the relief of Quebec in May, 1776. They served under General John Burgoyne for the remainder of the Canadian Campaign, and were captured with General Burgoyne at Saratoga. The 20th Regiment of Foot was designated the East Devonshire Regiment in 1782, and the Lancashire Fusiliers in 1881. At the main landings at Gallipoli on April 25th 1915, six Victoria Crosses were awarded to 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers. This is sometimes referred to as "the six VCs before breakfast".

D Company was formed in Radcliffe in the 1950’s and moved to Middleton in approx 1961. Following the reorganisation of the Territorial Army in 1967 D Company at Middleton moved, in it’s entirety to Bury, to form D Coy 5th battalion The Fusilier Volunteers. In 1968 the 4 Regiments namely The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, The Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers, The Royal Fusiliers and the Lancashire Fusiliers merged to become The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. D Company then became a rifle company in the 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
The nickname SHINY D came about at Otterburn in Northumberland when the late RSM Les Lamb BEM disregarded tradition when he ordered D Coy to lead the Battalion onto the parade ground, shouting to them "COME ON SHINY D". From that moment SHINY D became our title.

We were to become the scourge of the Battalion in all things, Football, Shooting Drill, Clean Lines and Platoon Exercises, we even had a choir. Other company’s on hearing their opponents would be D Coy were heard to exclaim on more than one occasion "Oh my God". D Coy was without doubt the best in all things. We captured members of 22 SAS on two separate occasions, the only Coy to have done so.

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Martin Mason