ROYAL MARINES

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 July 1929, Page 7

ROYAL MARINES

HISTORY OF 265 YEARS

What is going to happen to the Royal Marines? ' In the interests of further economy, it is reported, 10,000 officers and men may be disbanded from the Royal Navy, or alternatively re-establishe'd ashore to protect fuel bases and provide a mobile force ready for embarkation dn local waters. At present various schemes are being considered, but nothing will be done until every channel has been surveyed. If the “Jollies” are handed over* to the War Office they may become a scattered force, and that is probably the least of their desires. They have already been reduced in number by about 8000 from pre-w,ar establishment. During the war their numbers incrased by 40,000, or even more, if the various units such as the Royal Marine Brigades are taken into consideration. In 1914 they were sent to Ostend for garrison duty. Thousands joined the brigade to dqfend Antwerp; they formed the nucleus of the 63rd R.N. Division; the submarine miners, the R. Labour Corps for loading and unloading ships with war equipment, the Royal Marine Engineers and the AntiAircraft Force. Two battalions of the Royal Marines landed at Kun Kale and Sedd el Bahr; the R.M.A. garrisoned Dunkirk, Cameroons, Persian Gulf, Egypt, Scapa and undefended coast ports at home. They fought under General Botha in S. Africa, and General Smuts in East Africa; they landed at Zeebrugge; they protected^.St. Helena, Ascension; the West Indies, Falklands, and were in evidence in every part of the Empire where coast protection and the protection of war- supplies were necessary, and they finished up, long after the Armistice was signed, in Northern Russia.

GLORIOUS RECORD. This mobile force has one of the most interesting records in history, and they have been disbanded and reestablished upon so many occasions that it is difficult to determine the years and dates covering a period of 265 years. They were embarked as land soldiers for sea service in 1664, when they were termed mariners. Subsequently they became known as “the Admirals Regiment,” and in 1694 they were an established force, one regiment demaining ashore for protecting dockyards. During the reign of Queen Anne their numbers were considerably increased.

They pressed men into sea service, whether sailors or farmers, and forced them on board fighting ships. When the peace of Utrecht was declared in 1713 they- were disbanded. In 1739 they reappeared' as part of the army, and in 1-747 they were transferred to the Admiralty. The year after the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle -was signed they were paid out of the service; some rejoined as sailors, while many officers went to other regiments. In 1755 they reappeared as reserves at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Chatham. At the mutiny of the Nore they remained loyal. 'lt is said that the discipline of the fleet rested on the bayonets of the Royal Marines. Lord St. Vincent termed them “The sheet anchor of the Nation.” In 1802 when they became a Royal corps, it was proposed to- make service afloat the duty of every regiment of the line in rotation. At the battle of Trafalgar the corps numbered 30,000 officers and men, while the sailors totalled 90,000. From that time onward they were reduced in numbers, disbanded and re-established. In 1831 the Royal Marines were a small force of ship’s police, but when war broke out in the Crimea they were increased and placed in charge of mortar boats and garrisons. They fought at Balaclava, Sebastopol, and along the shores of the Black Sea; they won laurels during the Indian Mutiny, the war in China, in he Baltic, and in practically every sea in the world. When the Royal Horse Artillery were exhausted at their guns in the Sudan the Royal Marines rescued them from a desperate situation and fought the guns valiantly and brilliantly. During the Boer War they took part in the Naval Brigade at the battle of Enslin, where their losses were very severe. Their services during the last war were meritorious and übiquitous. Latterly the Royal Marine Artillery and the Royal Marine were merged, and the “Per Mare per Terram” force became a joint body. It would appear that history is again to repeat itself, not alone on the ground of expense, but because of the marked difference of naval routine and personnel. With the exception of a small number of marines in the United States Navy, other sea forces do not employ marines.