RoyalMarines

Lord Louis Mountbatten. Long time Champion of the Royal Marines Band Service, without whose support those In Parliament would have disbanded us,

long before the time that redundancies were even considered!

The Band of the 1955-56 Commission, photograph kindly loaned by former RM Bandsman, the Late Ronald Mackay,

who is pictured extreme right of the centre row above.

H.M. ROYAL MARINES.

Royal Marines Band 1957-58 Commission. (spot your web master?)

Can you spot the Editor in this picture?

Dance Band led by the Late Doug Haigh.

The recruiting booklet,

which once read,

naturally led to your enlisting!

Pete Mcroy John Bradshaw

Ron McCallum, Dips Hillman, Pip Phillips, Ron Kempton, Terry Parker, Harry Henshaw, Eric Hayward, Frank Tomlin.

Ken Keast, Dennis Swan, George Brooks, Brian Oates, Neil Ashley, Peter Redfern, Dimps House, Vic Asher, Ron Mackay.

Cpl Brown, Ted Lee, Little Joe, Staff Bandmaster Graham Shipway, B/Sgt Ray Banning, B/Cpl Buster Elver.

Sadly, I am advised that many of the above mentioned, no longer survive.

( I did however meet up with Eric Hayward in Australia in April 2006! )

This page was last updated on: November 3, 2011

Crest as hung in my old shipmates lounge.......

in Silverdale, New Zealand

Thanks Maxie for your efforts.....above.

Gambia Band Football Team, Geordie Haley squat behind football.

Gambia Band football Team 1955

Just hope I don't get into too much hot water for displaying this one!

(as of January 2011, no one has sent me a 242!)

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ROYAL MARINES AND NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand in common with most countries of the old British Empire, had a change in course of its history with the landing of men of the Royal Marines (Britain's Sea Soldiers of The Navy's Redcoats). For indeed the early history of the Royal Marine Corps is the History of the Old Empire.

In the month of June 1768, a small R.M. detachment of 9 Marines, 1 Drummer and 1 Corporal, under the command of Sgt. John Edgecombe R.M; drummed out of Stonehouse Barracks, Plymouth (still a R.M. Barracks) and marched down to Plymouth Hoe to the Barbican to join H.M.S. Endeavour (under Capt. Cook). On the 26th August 1768 she sailed for the South Seas, and the Royal Marines began a 3 year commission.

On the 9th November 1769, just east of the Taranganui River the Marines landed for the first time in New Zealand; by Mercury Bay on that same day they presented Arms as the Union Flag was hoisted, the first link in the chain between the Royal Marines and New Zealand was welded. Other detachments followed with Capt. Cook; when Cook fell ill in Hawaii, four Royal Marines fighting off his attackers died with him.

The Royal Marines Detachments of the Resolution and Discovery did their duty in New Zealand waters, and later in the New Zealand Wars R.M. Detachments of no less then 17 ships saw service both afloat and ashore; either as Gunners (Royal Marine Artillery) or as Infantry (Royal Marine Light Infantry). Then came the Fencibles (the Soldier settlers) amongst whom were a large number of time -expires Marines.

In 1920 with the formation of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, Light Cruisers came onto the New Zealand Station. These ships carried detachments of Royal Marines, both the Light Cruisers H.M.S. Dunedin and H.M.S. Diomede and five detachments while on station, H.M.S. Achilles three detachments, H.M.N.Z.S. Gambia one detachment; last but not least H.M.N.Z.S. Bellona with two detachments.

The 1st in 1946 made up in the main by Royal Marines who had served in H.M.S. Achilles and H.M.S.Leander during the War and had not had the chance of seeing the country they had served.

In 1949 these Royal Marines were sad to leave when their tour of duty was up and the relief detachment arrived in Wellington in the Liner Atlantis, under the command of Capt. P.R. Lamkester R.M; who had previously served in the Achilles.

The last detachment (1949 to 1951) carried out their duties in the traditional manner of the Corps; the 3 years passed too quickly..... At the Royal Show in Epsom Show Grounds, Auckland in 1951 they said their farewell to New Zealand by Beating the Retreat; their bearing and drill were the delight to thousands who watched them. Many ex-Royal Marines from all over New Zealand were there, deeply touched as their serving comrades executed the Royal Marine Corps traditional ceremony, in pouring rain, flashing lightning and rolling thunder. The last link was welded, for the chain could never be broken. The Royal Marine Band would see to that, for they continued in New Zealand for another nine years. As would the Royal Marine Association, but above all the many New Zealand families whose very beginning were with those who truly served under two flags, with equal allegiance to both.

A further link with New Zealand is that of the Royal Marine Light Infantry Colours. These were one of the first colours of an Imperial force to be laid up in New Zealand; at St. Mary's church, New Plymouth.

A son of New Zealand, General Sir John Westall, born in Napier, became the Commandant General of the Royal Marines, 1952-53.

The above taken from an article produced by NZFPO Military covers, Christchurch, N.Z.

The Corps of Drums

A Royal Marine who rescued a climber on Mount Everest in gale force winds has collected a bravery award from Buckingham Palace.

Darren Swift, from Elburton, Plymouth, roped himself to an injured Australian climber and brought him down 26,000 ft of near vertical ice-slopes on the north face of the mountain in May 2003.

He was awarded the only Royal Humane Society silver medal to be bestowed in 2003, by the Society's President, Princess Alexandra.

He said: "It was quite overwhelming going to Buckingham Palace. It was fantastic. I was just very, very much in awe of the place.

"Speaking to Princess Alexandra was fantastic. She wanted to know everything and made me feel really comfortable."

Australian Peter Madew was on a commercial expedition to climb Everest when he started suffering from dehydration and snow-blindness.

He could walk but could not see or use his hands and was in considerable pain when help arrived in the form of the 30-year-old Marine.

The descent to Advanced Base Camp took more than seven hours during which time either man could have fallen to their death.

But Marine Swift, who was on a military expedition with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines at the time, played down the feat and said: "I didn't do it for an award. It was just something I had to do. If somebody needs your help, if you put yourself in that position, you would hope someone would help you.

"I couldn't leave him there to die. I had to do what I had to do."

The Royal Humane Society was founded in 1774 to encourage the use of resuscitation in life-saving and has made more than 84,000 awards to date. (110 years after the birth of the Corps).

These include a bronze medal for Dracula author Bram Stoker in 1882 for attempting to rescue a man from the River Thames.

Royal Marine Presented with Bravery Award