The Royal Marines are an integral part of Britain’s armed forces and have served with distinction all over the globe. Their origins can be traced back to the late 17th century, when British soldiers were first employed at sea against the Dutch, though they did not technically become known as The Royal Marines until 1802.
First Official Reference to the Marines
The first official notice relating to the Marines was on 28 October 1664, when an order was passed by the British Government calling for 1200 soldiers to be recruited for service in the Fleet. From the beginning these men were intended to combine the roles of infantry and seaman, capable of fighting on both land and sea. The Regiment raised was initially known as the Duke of York and Albany’s Maritime Regiment of Foot, but since the Duke of York (later King James II) was also The Lord High Admiral, it became known as the Admiral’s Regiment.
Another seaborne regiment, the Holland Regiment or ‘Buffs’ was raised in 1665 and wore distinctive yellow uniforms, each man being armed with a musket instead of the regulation pike. The term ‘Marine’ first appears in official documents in 1672 and further Marine regiments were raised in the following decades, but it was not until 1755 that they were all gathered together in a unified body. These troops were paid by the Admiralty and deployed aboard all British warships, providing both a safeguard against mutinous crews and an elite fighting unit in time of war.
The Rock of Gibraltar
One of the early, and perhaps the most famous, exploit of the Marines was the storming of the Rock of Gibraltar during The War of the Spanish Succession. On 4 August 1704 the British and Dutch allies assaulted Gibraltar and 1900 Marines successfully prevented Spanish reinforcements from reaching the town. They then played a vital part in storming the defences and endured a nine-month siege by the Franco-Spanish armies. To this day the only battle honour that the Royal Marines display is that for ‘Gibraltar’ and they maintain close ties with the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.
His Majesty’s Marine Forces
Up until the middle of the 18th century the Marines were divided into different regiments, but on 5 April 1755 they were renamed collectively as His Majesty’s Marine Forces. They were then formed into fifty Companies in three Divisions and based at Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth. The Divisions were a permanent corps of Marine Regiments, intended to act as a police force aboard Royal Navy ships as well as a force of soldiers that were as comfortable fighting on sea as on land.
In the years leading up to 1755 there was much argument as to the role of the Marines. Eventually it was decided that they were to be entirely under the control of the Admiralty and a list of their main duties was drawn up. These included regular guard and sentry duties aboard Royal Navy ships, as well as maintaining discipline among the crews and the enforcing of regulations if necessary. They were also required to enforce the Captain’s orders and to guard important areas of the ship, including the Captain’s quarters, the weapons locker and the store of alcohol.
Guarding Against Mutiny
The Marines were also employed to guard against the most serious crime aboard ship: mutiny. However the majority of mutinies in this period were non-violent affairs and the Marines were required to take little or no part in them. Since the first duty of the Marines was to act as the ship’s police force, they were deliberately quartered on an area of the decks that formed a buffer zone between seamen and the officers. The essential distance between the Royal Marines and ordinary sailors was further demonstrated when Marines stood guard when punishments were carried out, and were deployed to guard against desertion when a ship came into dock.
However the Marines were much more than just a police force, as they provided the Navy with an expert fighting unit equally effective in land or seaborne operations. They were trained to act as sharpshooters and gunners, act as boarding parties to seize enemy ships and to fight on land when the occasion demanded it. They were also required to guide captured ships to friendly ports and garrison captured forts until the regular infantry arrived to relieve them.
Creation of The Royal Marines, Trafalgar and Beyond
In 1802 the Marines received the official title of the Royal Marines from King George III. Their distinguished conduct and bravery had earned the Marines this recognition, and they continued to prove indispensable throughout the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. During the blockade of France they took to small boats to fight off attackers when Royal Navy ships were becalmed. In the War of 1812 Royal Marines units were dispatched on raids along Chesapeake Bay, fought at the Battle of New Orleans and assisted in the capture of Fort Bowyer. During the Napoleonic Wars they fought with distinction at the climactic battle of Trafalgar.
The early history of The Royal Marines is rich and distinguished, and they went on to win further glory and honours in every major British campaign from the Imperial wars of the Victorian period to the First and Second World wars and right up to the present day. The Marines continue to play a vital role in Britain’s armed forces, and though the modern appearance and equipment of modern Marines is radically different from their red-coated and felt-hatted forebears, their essential ability to fight on land and sea remains the same.
Sources:
“Britain's sea soldiers: a history of the Royal Marines and their predecessors and of their services in action, ashore and afloat, and upon sundry other occasions of moment” by Cyril Field, Liverpool:The Lyceum Press, 1924, (2 vol.)
“Britain's Sea Soldiers: A Record of the Royal Marines during the War 1914-1919” by General Sir H.E. Blumberg, Devonport, 1927
