Royal Marines

Corps of Royal Marines
Active28 October 1664 – present
(359 years, 5 months)
Country United Kingdom
TypeMarines,
Special operations-capable[1]
Size5,820 as of 1 April 2022[2]
  • 770 officers
  • 5,050 other ranks
Part of His Majesty's Naval Service
UK Special Forces (1 Company, assigned to the SFSG)
Naval staff officesWhitehall, London, England
Nickname(s)"Royals"
"Bootnecks"
"The Commandos"
"Jollies"
Motto(s)Per Mare, Per Terram (Latin)
(English: "By Sea, By Land")
Colours  Royal Navy Blue
  Old Gold
  Light Infantry Green
  Drummer Red
MarchQuick: "A Life on the Ocean Wave"
Slow: "Preobrajensky"
Engagements
Commanders
Captain GeneralThe King[3]
First Sea LordAdmiral Sir Ben Key
Commandant GeneralGeneral Gwyn Jenkins[4]
Corps Regimental Sergeant MajorWarrant Officer 1 Nick Ollive[5]
Insignia
Non‑ceremonial flag
Commando flash

The Royal Marines, also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, and officially as the Corps of Royal Marines, are the United Kingdom's amphibious special operations capable commando force,[6] one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy,[7] and provide a company strength unit to the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG).[8] The Royal Marines trace their origins back to the formation of the "Duke of York and Albany's maritime regiment of Foot" on 28 October 1664,[9] and the first Royal Marines Commando unit was formed at Deal in Kent on 14 February 1942 and designated "The Royal Marine Commando".[10][11][12][13]

The Royal Marines have seen action across many conflicts but do not have battle honours as such, but rather the "Great Globe itself" was chosen in 1827 by King George IV in their place to recognise the Marines' service and successes in multiple engagements in every quarter of the world.[14] The Corps has close ties with allied marine forces, particularly the United States Marine Corps and the Netherlands Marine Corps (Dutch: Korps Mariniers).[15][16][17]

  1. ^ "Defence in a Competitive Age" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Historical size by rank – a Freedom of Information request to Royal Marines" (PDF). WhatDoTheyKnow. 2 September 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. ^ "His Majesty The King is announced as Captain General Royal Marines on the 358th Anniversary of the Corps". The Royal Household. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Royal Marines appoint new Commandant General". forces.net. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Corps RSM Nick Ollive". Royal Marines Charity. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Royal Marines". Royal Navy. 30 March 2018. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  7. ^ "The Royal Navy's Surface Fleet" (PDF). royalnavy.mod.uk. MOD UK. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  8. ^ Woods, Jason (2022). Paras in Action: Ready for Anything—The Parachute Regiment through the eyes of those who served. Yorkshire: Pen & Sword. p. 194. ISBN 9781399040174.
  9. ^ "Royal Marines History and Traditional Facts" (PDF). Marine Society & Sea Cadet. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  10. ^ Neillands, p. 238
  11. ^ "42 Commando | Royal Marines". royalnavy.mod.uk.
  12. ^ "Royal Marine Commandos: The Beginning of Best, 3 Brigade's History in Photos". warhistoryonline. 18 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Royal Marines Commandos". History Learning Site.
  14. ^ "Royal Marines in Action All Over 'The Great Globe Itself'". Royal Marines History. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Royal Marines train in Californian desert". GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  16. ^ Royal Netherlands Marine Corps Archived 29 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, royalnavy.mod.uk
  17. ^ Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace (23 March 2021). "Armed Forces to be more active around the world to combat threats of the future". GOV.UK (Press release). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 15 November 2023.