The Fighting Fifth
Preserved but no longer current.
The 5th Foot, now the "Nor- thumberland Fusiliers." This sobriquet was given to the regiment during the Peninsular War; it was also known as the "Old and Bold Fifth," and "the Duke of Wellington's Body-guard.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Fighting Fifth” mean?
The 5th Foot, now the "Nor- thumberland Fusiliers." This sobriquet was given to the regiment during the Peninsular War; it was also known as the "Old and Bold Fifth," and "the Duke of Wellington's Body-guard.
Is “The Fighting Fifth” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.