The King having manifested a determination to establish papacy and arbitrary government, many noblemen and gentlemen solicited the aid of William Henry Prince of Orange to enable them to oppose the proceedings of the court. On the receipt of information of warlike preparations in Holland, a strong detachment of the Royal Fusiliers embarked on board of men-of-war, to serve as marines, and sailed to the Nore. The fleet was commanded by their colonel, Admiral Lord Dartmouth, whose loyalty to King James II. was not doubted; but the rear-admiral, Sir John Barry, and many of the captains, inferior officers, and seamen, entertained sentiments favourable to the Prince of Orange; no collision, however, took place. While the English fleet was wind-bound at the mouth of the Thames, the Dutch armament passed along the British Channel with little molestation; the wind becoming more favourable, the English navy put to sea; but the Prince of Orange was so far in advance, that he landed on the Devonshire coast, on the 5th of November, without interruption; and the wind changed immediately afterwards, and blew with such violence, that the English fleet was driven into Portsmouth harbour in a damaged condition. The sentiments entertained in the navy were also prevalent in the army; the troops refused to fight in the cause of Papacy and arbitrary government, and King James fled to France. The Royal Fusiliers landed and were ordered by the Prince of Orange to occupy quarters at Barnet.
From this period the Royal Fusiliers ceased to be considered exclusively as an Ordnance Regiment, and took their turn of duty with the regular regiments of the line: the regiment was not, however, furnished with a division of pikemen; but every man continued to be armed with a fusil.
1689
Six companies were removed from Barnet to Yarmouth, where they took part, in February, 1689, in the proclamation of the accession of King William III. and Queen Mary to the throne. Shortly afterwards the regiment embarked for Holland, forming part of the force under Lieutenant-General the Earl of Marlborough, sent to assist the Dutch in their war with France in the place of the troops which the Prince of Orange had brought with him to England.
The Royal Fusiliers joined the Dutch army at Tongres, and served the campaign of this year under Prince Waldeck. On the 25th of August a piquet under Colonel Hodges was attacked by the French forces under Marshal de Humières near Walcourt, and a sharp action ensued, in which the English infantry evinced firmness and intrepidity. The French were defeated with the loss of two thousand men killed and wounded; and King William, writing to the Earl of Marlborough on this subject, observed,—"I am very happy that my troops behaved so well at Walcourt. It is to you that this advantage is principally owing."[9] In a few days after this event King William conferred the colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers, which had been vacant some time, in consequence of the removal of Lord Dartmouth for adhering to the interests of King James, on the Earl of Marlborough, who held also the colonelcy of the third troop of life guards.
1690
Before the following campaign the regiment returned to England, where it was stationed while King William was in Ireland, endeavouring to rescue that country from the power of King James, who had proceeded thither with a body of troops from France.
King William having defeated the Irish forces and their French allies at the Boyne, besieged Limerick. "During the time His Majesty was before the town, it was proposed by the Earl of Nottingham to My Lord Marlborough, and afterwards approved of in council, as very advantageous to their Majesties' affairs, to send a party from England, who, joining with a detachment from the King's army, might reduce the two important garrisons of Cork and Kinsale, and arrangements were made accordingly; but not being ready so soon as was designed, His Majesty, upon his return to England, sent the Earl of Marlborough, with his own regiment of Fusiliers, Brigadier Trelawny's (now fourth), Princess Anne's (eight), Colonel Hastings' (thirteenth), Colonel Hales', Sir David Collier's, Colonel Fitzpatrick's, one hundred of the Duke of Bolton's, two hundred of Monmouth's under Major Johnston, with Lord Torrington's and Lord Pembroke's marine regiments, to undertake this service."[10] Arriving at Cork roads on the 21st of September, the fleet entered the harbour on the following day, and the co-operation of part of the army on shore having been secured, the Royal Fusiliers and other corps landed and commenced the siege. A breach having been made, the Royal Fusiliers and three other English regiments, commanded by Brigadier-General Churchill, and a body of Danes, passed the river wading up to the arm-pits to the east marsh, in order to storm the wall on that side. The grenadiers led the attack; but before they gained the breach, the Irish hung out a white flag, and agreed to surrender; the garrison, consisting of six regiments, became prisoners of war.
From Cork the Royal Fusiliers advanced towards Kinsale; the garrison vacated the town and retired to two strong forts. One of these forts was speedily reduced; the other held out until the middle of October, when the garrison surrendered on the condition of being permitted to proceed to Limerick.
The Royal Fusiliers were afterwards placed in garrison at Kinsale, where they remained three months.