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Role of the Royal Marines in the 19th Century Background The Royal Marines were formed in 1664, during the early stages of the Second Dutch War. An Order in Council of Friday 28 October 1664 raised a regiment of 1200 land soldiers, to be distributed into His Majesty's Fleets prepared for sea service. The regiment was known as the 'Admirals Regiment', and also as "The Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot". In the early days the existence of the Marine Regiments depended on the exigencies of war. They were disbanded altogether in 1713, at the end of the war with Spain, not being reformed until 1739. They disbanded again in 1745, not reforming until 1755, when Britain was preparing for war with France. In April 1755 an Order in Council approved the recruitment of a total of 5000 regulars, formed into three Grand Divisions based at the Portsmouth, Chatham and Plymouth. The Marines totalled 50 companies and were under the control of the Board of the Admiralty. Prior to that Marines had been under the control of the Admiralty whilst at sea and the Army whilst on shore. The Marines were never again disbanded and their numbers steadily grew. In 1802 they totalled 30,000 men, and the same year they were granted the title "Royal" by George III. 2,600 Royal Marines took part in the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, with 17 of their officers and 332 men killed or wounded. Peace with France meant that Britain entered a period where the Royal Marines were deployed throughout the world, to protect and enlarge both the Empire and Britain's trade. This period lasted for the remainder of the nineteenth century. Recruitment and Training Marines were primarily ship based infantry, and seafaring skills were not therefore of prime importance. Recruiting sergeants roamed Britain, displaying posters in towns and villages throughout England. Tales were told of adventure and excitement in far off lands, and that, together with the promise of free accommodation and food whilst on board ship, and a regular wage persuaded many young men to join. Others, mindful of the fact that the Marines, like soldiers were recruited for life, were persuaded perhaps by the bounty. In 1801, at the height of the war with France, the bounty was £26, but by 1842 this had reduced to less than £4. Foreigners were sometimes recruited to make up numbers, especially during times of war. Once the candidate had enlisted he was given a medical examination by a surgeon. The examination was a superficial one to ensure that the recruit had no obvious physical disabilities and was in a fit state to cope with the rigours of service life, and the surgeon also noted the recruit's height and appearance. The final stage was for the recruit to appear in front of a local magistrate to be attested. The recruit answered a series of questions which the Magistrate read from a standard form, swore the oath of allegiance, signed the attestation form, on which the questions and his responses were recorded, then received the bounty. The young man had signed on for unlimited service. A link to a completed Attestation form can be found at the end of this page. The recruits mustered at one of the Divisions for training and to receive their uniforms. Barracks were near the dockyards at Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth, and between 1805 and 1869 there was a further division at Woolwich. The training was mostly land based and using similar weapons and tactics to that of an infantryman. Duties In the early part of the 18th century there was much debate as to what were the duties of Marines. By the nineteenth century the debate had been resolved. They were totally under the control of the Admiralty, and their main roles were:- o Guard and sentry duties, the maintenance of discipline and enforcement of regulations aboard ship. Marines quarters aboard ship were kept separate from those of seamen. They stood guard when punishment was being carried out. o At friendly ports they performed guard duties, maintained order and ensured that sailors did not desert the ship. o Garrison captured fortresses until relieved by the infantry. o Act as sharpshooters and gunners on board ship. o Act as boarding parties to seize ships & assist in sailing captured ships to friendly ports. o On occasion to fight on land, as at the battles Balaclava and Inkermann. To carry out these duties a First rate 100 gun warship required a complement of 170 Marines and during these times the Royal Marines served aboard many Royal Navy vessels. Historically their roles had been varied, primarily as a mobile fighting force. Equally importantly, however, they were quartered on vessels between the ship's officers and the ship's company. Loyal to the King they would quell any mutinous behaviour. Until the early 1800s they were used as "press gangers". The impressing of petty criminals, vagrants, and other undesirable elements of society was common, with many being forcibly abducted and placed into service with the Navy or Army. British ships frequently stopped American ships and impressed crew members, claiming that they were deserters from the Royal Navy. Until the end of the 18th century, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, France, and Great Britain were almost permanently engaged in maritime wars to win mastery of the seas and control of the vital trade routes that linked their overseas colonies to the parent country. Great Britain emerged victorious from this struggle and, following the defeat of the combined fleets of France and Spain off Cape Trafalgar in 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815), remained unchallenged for more than a century. Nevertheless, for many years to come, the world was politically unstable. In 1825 Brazil, provoked by Argentina's support of a rebellion in Cisplatine Province, became embroiled in war with that country. In 1827 the Brazilians were decisively defeated, and through British mediation Cisplatine Province won independence as Uruguay. Instability was also evident in Europe. Since the late 18th century, Russia had become more eager to take advantage of decay of the Ottoman Empire to increase its influence in the Balkans and to wrest from the Turks control of the straits between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea ultimately leading to the Russo-Turkish War of 1828 to 1829. Britain and France viewed the possibility of Russian control of the straits as a threat to their own interests in the Middle East, and many in those countries despised Russia as the despotic enemy of liberalism. Austria too, despite a long tradition of diplomatic cooperation with Russia, was uneasy about the growing Russian influence in the Balkans. Herein lay the roots of the Crimean War (1853-1856), a military conflict between Russia and a coalition of Great Britain, France, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey). Consequently, the need for a large and efficient fleet remained of paramount importance. |