THE ROYAL MARINES

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 32, 30 April 1927, Page 17 (Supplement)

THE ROYAL MARINES

ALTHOUGH the King is theii Colonel-in-Chicf and they are Physically—and in other ways too —one of the finest bodies of men wear“S his Majesty’s uniform, it is only upon such occasions as recently, w'hen they were despatched to the scene of emergency in China, that the Royal Marines come into the limelight. Being Wartered in the naval ports of Chatham, Plymouth, and Portsmouth they are not “seen about” to the same extent that Army units are. Then, again, they occupy an anonialoua position halfway between Army and Navy. Afloat, the Royal Marine ■a under the Navy Discipline Act: ashore he is under the Army Act, yet ha is a part of the Navy all the time atd the administrative headquarters of his corps are at the Admiralty. He is dressed like a soldier, and drilled like a soldier, with a certain amount of Navy training added, and be is enlisted for the purpose of serving aboard warships, in olden days emsea soldier.

s—— 7- The fl r st Royal i cot. CARPEXTEK. Marines were the Commanding the soldiers who were ! tonne. In China. in olden days em ® a rked (or duty in men-o’war. Only j Je larger warships these clays carry , J*°ya] Marine detachments, whose » duties aboard are not greatly differ . e Jt from those of the bluejackets. In . Edition to manning guns and taking I Part in the general work of the ship. •he Marines provide sentries, officers’ servants, and men for special duties, lu the Renown, the Duke of York as a Marine orderly and Marine orderliea are in charge of the Royal apartments. . In the old days when sailors were mclined to be mutinous the Marine detachment of a ship was always ber thed between the officers and the cr ew as a measure of protection. That JUstom still obtains, for tradition dies hard. high standard is demanded of all r ecruits. for the Royal Marines have * record of fighting in all parts of the y°rld of which every officer and man justifiably proud. Their badge of ® globe (given them by George IV.) eathed with laurel and surmounted J “Gibraltar,” and their motto “Per Per Terram” are a recognition of ' The Royal Marines are one the few regiments that have the Shi to march through the City of I with bayonets fixed. J