THE ROYAL MARINES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 28, 14 November 1935, Page 8

THE ROYAL MARINES

“JOLLIES” OF HIS MAJESTY. A detachment of Royal Marines, with their band, recently tool: over guardmounting duties at the Royal palaces while the Brigade of Guards is absent on field ‘training, writes Major G. H. Reade in the “Daily Mail.” Great, public interest was aroused, for it is the first occasion on which the Royal Marines have performed these particular duties. . . ‘ The'marines have 'been well dubbed? as “soldiers at sea.” The first regi» ment of marines was‘raised early in the reign of Charles II and known asi “The Admiral’s Regiment,” but fromi the first they depended largely for} their strength and recruitment on the, army. ‘ They fought with conspicuous gal-1 lantry in the Dutch \Var of 1672—74,"‘ many of their ranks being composed of‘ men of the Ist Guards (now the Grenad dier .G-uards‘) and the Coldstream‘ Guards. ' There are records of at least 38 of‘ our present line regiments serving at one time or another as marines. and also the two senior regiments of the present Brigade of Guards. Some of these [records are illustrious, notably those of the 2nd Foot (now the Queen’s Royal \Vest Surrey), ‘ the 29th Foot (now the Ist Battalion Wor—‘ cesters), and the 69th Foot (now the 2nd Battalion \Velsh Regiment). . Both the Queen’s and the Worcesters have a naval crown superscribed “l-st June, 1794,” on their colours to comme—morate the part they played in that famous naval victory of “The Glorious Ist of June, 1794.” In 1797, when the Welsh Regiment were serving as marines on board the Captain, the Britannia, the Agame--non, and the Courageux, under Nelson at the Battle of St. Vincent, they gain—ed the high praise of Nelson himself for their gallantry when came an urgentcall for “boarders.” “The soldiers of the 69th,” said Nelson, “with an alacrity which will ever do them credit, j were among the foremost.” , What is little known is that the Cavalry, Artillery, and the Engineersi have also fought as marines. It wasi the necessity of employing artillery gunners of the army to direct the morr tar guns that compelled Nelson tol form in 1804 artillery companies from; the ranks of the Royal Marine regi-1 ments. ‘ The famous Rocket Troop, Royal: Horse Artillery, was at the bombard-1 ment of Algiers on board a man-onwar, while Royal Engineers served with the Navy in the Russian War of 1854—55.‘ The Life Guards, of all regiments, were shipped aboard as marines in the Dutch \Var of 1672-74, and the 17th; Lancers served in the Hermoinc 111, 1795. ' 3 The last recorded case of soldiers serving aboard—not as marines but as liona fide seamen—mums in August), 1914, in China waters, at the beginning of the Great War. The 2nd Battalion Duke of C’ornwall’s Light Infantry lent two officers and 100 men to H.M.S. Triumph to serve as seamen. The Ist Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment (the “Dirty half-hundred”) and the 3rd Grenadiers play ,“Rulo Britannia!” before “The King” at tattoo in honour of their having fought in the Battle of Ushant, 1778. ' , ‘ E“Thank God for the marines.” This has been echoed in many a. battle ‘ on land and sea, and their motto, Per ‘mare, per terram, is absolutely true. A finer body of men, whether regarded ‘as sailors or soldiers, cannot be found in the length and breadth of the Emd pirc.