diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchTransportService.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchTransportService.java
index 3699d3d0139..2ecfc213f97 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchTransportService.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchTransportService.java
@@ -120,14 +120,15 @@ public class SearchTransportService extends AbstractComponent {
         // this used to be the QUERY_AND_FETCH which doesn't exists anymore.
         final boolean fetchDocuments = request.numberOfShards() == 1;
         Supplier<SearchPhaseResult> supplier = fetchDocuments ? QueryFetchSearchResult::new : QuerySearchResult::new;
-        if (connection.getVersion().onOrBefore(Version.V_5_3_0_UNRELEASED) && fetchDocuments) {
-            if (connection.getVersion().before(Version.V_5_3_0_UNRELEASED) && request.scroll() != null) {
+        if (connection.getVersion().before(Version.V_5_3_0_UNRELEASED) && fetchDocuments) {
+            // this is a BWC layer for pre 5.3 indices
+            if (request.scroll() != null) {
                 /**
                  * This is needed for nodes pre 5.3 when the single shard optimization is used.
                  * These nodes will set the last emitted doc only if the removed `query_and_fetch` search type is set
                  * in the request. See {@link SearchType}.
                  */
-                request.searchType(SearchType.fromId((byte) 3));
+                request.searchType(SearchType.QUERY_AND_FETCH);
             }
             // TODO this BWC layer can be removed once this is back-ported to 5.3
             transportService.sendChildRequest(connection, QUERY_FETCH_ACTION_NAME, request, task,
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchType.java b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchType.java
index 7dd4aebc5e0..b8001204087 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchType.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchType.java
@@ -36,9 +36,14 @@ public enum SearchType {
      * document content. The return number of hits is exactly as specified in size, since they are the only ones that
      * are fetched. This is very handy when the index has a lot of shards (not replicas, shard id groups).
      */
-    QUERY_THEN_FETCH((byte) 1);
+    QUERY_THEN_FETCH((byte) 1),
     // 2 used to be DFS_QUERY_AND_FETCH
-    // 3 used to be QUERY_AND_FETCH
+
+    /**
+     * Only used for pre 5.3 request where this type is still needed
+     */
+    @Deprecated
+    QUERY_AND_FETCH((byte) 3);
 
     /**
      * The default search type ({@link #QUERY_THEN_FETCH}.