Those Forgotten Heroes: The Royal Marines Nelson's Navy
Feb 28, 2014 15:07:24 GMT
HMSCody likes this
Post by Sharpiefan on Feb 28, 2014 15:07:24 GMT
(It ought to be 'in the Age of Nelson' but there aren't enough characters allowed in a topic title. Ah well.)
This is my type-up of the notes from a lecture given by Britt Zerbe, during the Gunroom's annual Patrick O'Brian Weekend in March 2011. I thought you guys might like to see them.
The Marines date back to the 17th Century, and were originally raised in 1664 as 'The Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot'. They were given the title 'Royal' in 1802, for which they have to thank Lord St Vincent.
We are here primarily concerned with the Royal Marines of between 1802 and 1815.
The Royal Marines were recruited the same as the Army: they took the King's Shilling, and were all considered to be volunteers, in a day when the Royal Navy often had recourse to press-gangs. By 1804, the Marines, in line with regiments of the Army, could take volunteers from the Militia (something like the Territorial Army of the day). Between 1803 and 1805, the Royal Marines had effectively doubled their numbers, the majority of whom were Militia volunteers, and who therefore already had some military training.
Unlike the Navy, and like the Army, Royal Marine recruits had to take an oath of loyalty, and they were all required to pass a physical examination, although this could not compare with a modern medical exam! They were again inspected when they arrived at their barracks - they had high standards.
In 1805, the Marines refused to officially take Catholics as recruits.
The composition of the Chatham Division (the senior Marine division at the time) was 82% English (mostly from the Midlands and South England), 9% Irish, 2% Welsh and 3% Scots. This was at a time when approximately 33% or one-third of the army was Irish.
The high numbers of English in the Marines was fuelled by the romanticism of life at sea, the lure of prize money - every man aboard ship was entitled to a share of the prize money when an enemy ship was taken - and the fact that not everybody aboard a ship was a sailor. England is an island nation and the importance of the navy, and therefore the Marines, must not be underestimated.
In line with the Army, a very high proportion of the Royal Marines were aged between 18-29. Also like the Army, the Marines had a 30-day pay month, whereas the Navy had a pay-month of only 28 days, following the lunar calendar.
Further incentives to joining the Marines were pay (Marines were paid equivalent to the Foot Guards, the senior Army regiments) and the previously-mentioned prize money - a Marine Private was entitled to the same share of prize money as Ordinary and Able Seamen. They also paid less for their food than the Army, where half a soldier's pay was deducted for food. Victuals for those at sea were subsidised by the Government.
Prize money was distributed as follows (list taken from the Historical Maritime Society):
(a) 1/8 Flag Officer
(b) 2/8 Captain(s)
(c) 1/8 Captains of Marines, Lieutenants, Masters, Surgeons
(d) 1/8 Lieutenants of Marines, Secretary to Flag Officer, Principal Warrant Officers, Chaplains.
(e) 1/8 Midshipmen, Inferior Warrant Officers, Principal Warrant Officer's Mates, Marine Sergeants
(f) 2/8 The Rest (Marine Corporals, Privates and Drummers, Able Seamen, Ordinary Seamen, Landsmen, Boys
Marine officers were less well paid than Army officers and Navy officers. A Marine Lieutenant was paid approximately the equivalent of a Warrant Officer, yet had access to the wardroom or gunroom, which warrant officers didn't, with the exception of the Master.
Aboard ship, Marines were marginalised: They messed and slept separately from the rest of the crew, usually placed physically between the sailors and the officers, ostensibly to protect the officers in case of mutiny, although in the event of mutiny, the Marines were as likely to join in on the side of the mutineers as they were to defend the officers. In fact, during the Great Mutiny, the Marines joined in.
The numbers of Marines aboard a ship was based on the number of guns the ship carried. A First Rate of 100+ guns carried about 165 Marines. An 8-gun cutter would carry 20 Marines, under the command of a Sergeant.
The duties of the Marines at sea were to stand sentry - they didn't stand watches like the sailors, which meant that they would get a full night's sleep on nights they were not required on duty. Sentry posts had to be covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and included places such outside the Captain's cabin (and outside the Admiral's cabin, in a flag-ship), two on the quarterdeck, on the poop, by the gangways, the various storerooms, the spirit-room, and in battle sentries were also posted at each of the ladders to prevent men from hiding below-decks. The man on the Captain's cabin was not to allow anyone past without permission on pain of death! Each man on sentry was required to wear full uniform with bayonet and loaded musket.
They were trained to target men individually, rather as the Light Infantry in the Army, although they were also trained to kneel to reload, taking advantage of the solid bulwarks and packed hammocks in the hammock nettings. They had target practise every day.
Marines were issued kit on a par with the Army: trousers, shirts, stock, gaiters, shoes, a hat, a undress or drill jacket, a red coat. They were also allowed to purchase shirts from the purser, as the sailors did.
The Royal Marines at Trafalgar.
During the battle, Marines were stationed at various points on deck to act as small-arms men but 80% of the Marines were stationed below deck to help man the guns.
All Marine officers and all but 1 NCO were stationed on deck.
As casualties were received, men were brought up from the guns to replace them, and it was very hard to distinguish the Marines from the sailors, as the Marines had taken their red coats off, and were wearing the same checked shirts underneath as the sailors were wearing.
Casualties.
Proportionally, the Marines took more casualties than the sailors, despite making up a smaller percent of the crew. The below are the percentages of Marines aboard some of the ships at Trafalgar who were wounded:
40% on Victory
50% on Colossus
30% on Temeraire
32% on Mars
29% on Tonnant
23% on Royal Sovereign
The reason that the Royal Marines were, and are, so often overlooked was because those who wrote the despatches and reports were Naval officers who would give the Navy the credit.
This is my type-up of the notes from a lecture given by Britt Zerbe, during the Gunroom's annual Patrick O'Brian Weekend in March 2011. I thought you guys might like to see them.
~ ~ ~ ~
The Marines date back to the 17th Century, and were originally raised in 1664 as 'The Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot'. They were given the title 'Royal' in 1802, for which they have to thank Lord St Vincent.
We are here primarily concerned with the Royal Marines of between 1802 and 1815.
The Royal Marines were recruited the same as the Army: they took the King's Shilling, and were all considered to be volunteers, in a day when the Royal Navy often had recourse to press-gangs. By 1804, the Marines, in line with regiments of the Army, could take volunteers from the Militia (something like the Territorial Army of the day). Between 1803 and 1805, the Royal Marines had effectively doubled their numbers, the majority of whom were Militia volunteers, and who therefore already had some military training.
Unlike the Navy, and like the Army, Royal Marine recruits had to take an oath of loyalty, and they were all required to pass a physical examination, although this could not compare with a modern medical exam! They were again inspected when they arrived at their barracks - they had high standards.
In 1805, the Marines refused to officially take Catholics as recruits.
The composition of the Chatham Division (the senior Marine division at the time) was 82% English (mostly from the Midlands and South England), 9% Irish, 2% Welsh and 3% Scots. This was at a time when approximately 33% or one-third of the army was Irish.
The high numbers of English in the Marines was fuelled by the romanticism of life at sea, the lure of prize money - every man aboard ship was entitled to a share of the prize money when an enemy ship was taken - and the fact that not everybody aboard a ship was a sailor. England is an island nation and the importance of the navy, and therefore the Marines, must not be underestimated.
In line with the Army, a very high proportion of the Royal Marines were aged between 18-29. Also like the Army, the Marines had a 30-day pay month, whereas the Navy had a pay-month of only 28 days, following the lunar calendar.
Further incentives to joining the Marines were pay (Marines were paid equivalent to the Foot Guards, the senior Army regiments) and the previously-mentioned prize money - a Marine Private was entitled to the same share of prize money as Ordinary and Able Seamen. They also paid less for their food than the Army, where half a soldier's pay was deducted for food. Victuals for those at sea were subsidised by the Government.
Prize money was distributed as follows (list taken from the Historical Maritime Society):
(a) 1/8 Flag Officer
(b) 2/8 Captain(s)
(c) 1/8 Captains of Marines, Lieutenants, Masters, Surgeons
(d) 1/8 Lieutenants of Marines, Secretary to Flag Officer, Principal Warrant Officers, Chaplains.
(e) 1/8 Midshipmen, Inferior Warrant Officers, Principal Warrant Officer's Mates, Marine Sergeants
(f) 2/8 The Rest (Marine Corporals, Privates and Drummers, Able Seamen, Ordinary Seamen, Landsmen, Boys
Marine officers were less well paid than Army officers and Navy officers. A Marine Lieutenant was paid approximately the equivalent of a Warrant Officer, yet had access to the wardroom or gunroom, which warrant officers didn't, with the exception of the Master.
Aboard ship, Marines were marginalised: They messed and slept separately from the rest of the crew, usually placed physically between the sailors and the officers, ostensibly to protect the officers in case of mutiny, although in the event of mutiny, the Marines were as likely to join in on the side of the mutineers as they were to defend the officers. In fact, during the Great Mutiny, the Marines joined in.
The numbers of Marines aboard a ship was based on the number of guns the ship carried. A First Rate of 100+ guns carried about 165 Marines. An 8-gun cutter would carry 20 Marines, under the command of a Sergeant.
The duties of the Marines at sea were to stand sentry - they didn't stand watches like the sailors, which meant that they would get a full night's sleep on nights they were not required on duty. Sentry posts had to be covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and included places such outside the Captain's cabin (and outside the Admiral's cabin, in a flag-ship), two on the quarterdeck, on the poop, by the gangways, the various storerooms, the spirit-room, and in battle sentries were also posted at each of the ladders to prevent men from hiding below-decks. The man on the Captain's cabin was not to allow anyone past without permission on pain of death! Each man on sentry was required to wear full uniform with bayonet and loaded musket.
They were trained to target men individually, rather as the Light Infantry in the Army, although they were also trained to kneel to reload, taking advantage of the solid bulwarks and packed hammocks in the hammock nettings. They had target practise every day.
Marines were issued kit on a par with the Army: trousers, shirts, stock, gaiters, shoes, a hat, a undress or drill jacket, a red coat. They were also allowed to purchase shirts from the purser, as the sailors did.
The Royal Marines at Trafalgar.
During the battle, Marines were stationed at various points on deck to act as small-arms men but 80% of the Marines were stationed below deck to help man the guns.
All Marine officers and all but 1 NCO were stationed on deck.
As casualties were received, men were brought up from the guns to replace them, and it was very hard to distinguish the Marines from the sailors, as the Marines had taken their red coats off, and were wearing the same checked shirts underneath as the sailors were wearing.
Casualties.
Proportionally, the Marines took more casualties than the sailors, despite making up a smaller percent of the crew. The below are the percentages of Marines aboard some of the ships at Trafalgar who were wounded:
40% on Victory
50% on Colossus
30% on Temeraire
32% on Mars
29% on Tonnant
23% on Royal Sovereign
The reason that the Royal Marines were, and are, so often overlooked was because those who wrote the despatches and reports were Naval officers who would give the Navy the credit.