“Soldier an' Sailor too ” October 1664 E. J.Sparrow 1 PREFACE On the occasion of the Royal Marines 350 th Birthday perhaps it is worth listing some of their achievements. This booklet takes the form of a day by day diary covering the variety of tasks they have undertaken. A few dates are chosen to show the diversity of the tasks undertaken and the variety of locations where marines have served. Over the course of time they have acquired a remarkable reputation. Their loyalty to the Sovereign is only surpassed by that to their mates. They have fought all over the Globe from Murmansk in the Arctic in 1919 to the Antarctic in more recent years. They fought in desert, jungle and in snow. At sea they have fought in every sort of vessel from battleship to canoe on the surface and also operated below the waves. They have flown in action both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. They rode into battle on horses and camels plus used reindeer and mules as pack animals. When tragedy strikes be it earthquake, deadly diseases like Ebola, volcano, flooding or fire they have appeared to help with the relief. The Government has used them to cover for striking firemen or control displaced Scottish crofters. The UN has used their services in Peace keeping roles. Several British regiments from the Grenadier Guards to some of the Light Infantry are proud to have served as marines and old enemies like the US and Dutch marines are now the firmest of friends. The Royal Marines have a saying that at the end of their life they cross the harbour bar. They only die if they are forgotten. So please read and remember them and all those in the Royal Navy, the Army and the RAF, who fought and died with them. Rudyard Kipling sums up a “Bootneck” or “Jolly” very well in his poem Soldier an' Sailor too (The Royal Regiment of Marines) As I was spittin’ into the Ditch aboard o’ the Crocodile, I seed a man on a man-o’-war got up in the Reg’lars’ style. ’E was scrapin’ the paint from off of ’er plates, an’ I sez to ’im, “’Oo are you?” Sez ’e, “I’m a Jolly—’Er Majesty’s Jolly—soldier an’ sailor too!” Now ’is work begins by Gawd knows when, and ’is work is never through; ’E isn’t one o’ the reg’lar Line, nor ’e isn’t one of the crew. ’E’s a kind of a giddy harumfrodite—soldier an’ sailor too! 2 An’ after I met ’im all over the world, a-doin’ all kinds of things, Like landin’ ’isself with a Gatlin’ gun to talk to them ’eathen kings; ’E sleeps in an ’ammick instead of a cot, an’ ’e drills with the deck on a slew, An’ ’e sweats like a Jolly—’Er Majesty’s Jolly—soldier an’ sailor too! For there isn’t a job on the top o’ the earth the beggar don’t know, nor do— You can leave ’im at night on a bald man’s ’ead, to paddle ’is own canoe— ’E’s a sort of a bloomin’ cosmopolouse—soldier an’ sailor too. We’ve fought ’em in trooper; we’ve fought ’em in dock, and drunk with ’em in betweens, When they called us the seasick scull’ry-maids, an’ we called ’em the Ass Marines; But, when we was down for a double fatigue, from Woolwich to Bernardmyo, We sent for the Jollies—’Er Majesty’s Jollies—soldier an’ sailor too! They think for ’emselves an’ they steal for ’emselves, and they never ask what’s to do, But they’re camped an’ fed an’ they’re up an’ fed before our bugle’s blew. Ho! they ain’t no limpin’ procrastitutes—soldier an’ sailor too. You may say we are fond of an ’arness-cut, or ’ootin’ in barrick-yards, Or startin’ a Board School mutiny along o’ the Onion Guards; (1) But once in a while we can finish in style for the ends of the earth to view, The same as the Jollies—’Er Majesty’s Jollies—soldier an’ sailor too! They come of our lot, they was brothers to us; they was beggars we’d met an’ knew; Yes, barrin’ an inch in the chest an’ the arm, they was doubles o’ me an’ you; For they weren’t no special chrysanthemums—soldier an’ sailor too! To take your chance in the thick of a rush, with firing all about, Is nothing so bad when you’ve cover to ’and, an’ leave an’ likin’ to shout; But to stand an’ be still to the Birken’ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew, 3 An’ they done it, the Jollies—’Er Majesty’s Jollies—soldier an’ sailor too! Their work was done when it ’adn’t begun; they was younger nor me an’ you; Their choice it was plain between drownin’ in ’eaps an’ bein’ mopped by the screw, So they stood an’ was still to the Birken’ead drill, (2) soldier an’ sailor too! We’re most of us liars, we’re ’arf of us thieves, an’ the rest are as rank as can be, But once in a while we can finish in style (which I ’ope it won’t ’appen to me). But it makes you think better o’ you an’ your friends, an’ the work you may ’ave to do, When you think o’ the sinkin’ Victorier’s (3) Jollies—soldier an’ sailor too! Now there isn’t no room for to say ye don’t know—they ’ave proved it plain and true— That whether it’s Widow, or whether it’s ship, Victorier’s work is to do, An’ they done it, the Jollies—’Er Majesty’s Jollies—soldier an’ sailor too! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Long ago, a battalion of the Guards was sent to Bermuda as a punishment for riotous conduct in barracks. (2) In 1852 the Birkenhead transport was sunk off Simon’s Bay. The soldiers aboard her went down as drawn up on her deck. In similar fashion the Royal Marines on HMS Victoria lined the deck when she was sunk (3) Admiral Tryon’s flagship, sunk in a collision in 1893 4 CONTENTS PREFACE Page 1 JANUARY Page 6 FEBRUARY Page 19 MARCH Page 30 APRIL Page 43 MAY Page 64 JUNE Page 93 JULY Page 113 AUGUST Page 128 SEPTEMBER Page 143 OCTOBER Page 161 NOVEMBER Page 189 DECEMBER Page 213 SOURCES Page 232 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT Page 232 5 JANUARY 1st January 1915 HMS Formidable, pre-Dreadnought battleship, sunk in English Channel Torpedoed by U.24. The number of Royal Marines killed was 85: ALLEN, Henry, Private, RMLI, 16544 (Ply): ARNOLD, Lewis T, Private, RMLI, 17910 (Ch): BANTON , Thomas G, Private, RMLI, 17969 (Ch): BEAMS, Frederick J, Private, RMLI , 14035 (Ch): BENNETT , William, Private, RMLI, 17875 (Ch): BENTLEY , Frank W, Private, RMLI, 17273 (Ch): BIGG, Percy, Private, RMLI, 17624 (Ch): BONFIELD , George J, Private, RMLI, 17916 (Ch): BOOTH, Ernest, Private, RMLI, 16099 (Ch): BRIERLEY , Jesse, Private, RMLI, 17913 (Ch): BUCKLAND , Sidney J, Private, RMLI, 17386 (Ch): BURBAGE , David, Private, RMLI, 16043 (Ch): BURLEY, William A, Private, RMLI, 10463 (CH): CHAPMAN, Herbert T M, Bugler, 17928 (Ch): CHEEK , Frank, Private, RMLI, 17917 (Ch): CHILDS , Ernest J, Private, RMLI, 16112 (Ch): CLAPHAM, Alfred G, Private, RMLI, 16398 (Ch): COLLINS , George W, Private, RMLI, 13674 (Ch): CROXFORD , John H, Private, RMLI, 11454 (Ch): DEED , John C, Captain, RM (Res): DINGWALL, William J, Corporal, RMLI, 16667 (Ch): DOSWELL, Edward, Private, RMLI, 17570 (Ch): DOUCE, Albert F, Private, RMLI, 8462 (Ch): DYKE, Thomas, Colour Sergeant, RMLI, 8738 (Ch): FAULKNER, George T P, Private, RMLI, 17168 (Ch):FITCH, Arthur, Private, RMLI, 15332 (Ch): FLINT , Walter E, Private, RMLI, 14098 (Ch): FUGGLES, George F, Corporal, RMLI, 14856 (Ch): GOOCH, Frank G H, Private, RMLI, 15290 (Ch): GRAVES, Arthur C, Corporal, RMLI, 16300 (Ch): GRIMSHAW , Benjamin N, Private, RMLI, 17915 (Ch): GUYMER , William H C, Private, RMLI, 17587 (Ch): HARRIS, William, Private, RMLI, 16501 (Ply): HATHORN, George H V, Lieutenant, RM: HEBBARDS , Charles W, Private, RMLI, 18005 (Ch): HOPE , John G, Private, RMLI, 16593 (Ch): HOPKINS, George H, Private, RMLI, 15895 (Ch): HORWOOD , Ernest W, Corporal, RMLI, 10615 (Ch): HUDDLE, William G, Private, RMLI, 17518 (Ch): HUXTABLE , Francis, Private, RMLI, 19290 (Ch): INGS, George R J, Private, RMLI, 17919 (Ch): JACKSON , Harold, Private, RMLI, 17298 (Ch): JONES , Charles J W, Private, RMLI, 17866 (Ch): KEMP , Robert W, Private, RMLI, 12234 (Ch): KING, George F, Private, RMLI, 14743 (Ch): LANE , Frederick, Private, RMLI, 14623 (Ch): LAWRENCE, Robert A, Private, RMLI, 18064 (Ch): LEE , Frederick A, Private, RMLI, 16931 (Ch): LESLIE , Richardson D, Petty Officer 1c (RFR B 4471), 187766 (Ch): LEWIS , Fred T, Private, RMLI, 17291 (Ch): LITTLE , Robert A, Private, RMLI, 17286 (Ch): LIVSEY, John W, Private, RMLI, 17279 (Ch): MARTIN, Frederick J, Private, RMLI, 17543 (Ch): MAY, Henry G, Private, RMLI, 17143 (Ch): NAYLOR, Samuel T, Private, RMLI, 17000 (Ch): NEWELL, William J, Private, RMLI, 17878 (Ch): NEWTON, George, Warrant Electrician, RNR: NICHOLLS , Herbert E, Private, RMLI, 14768 (Ch): NOBES, Ernest E, Private, RMLI, 16945 (Ch):OSTICK, Harry W, Private, RMLI, 17306 (Ch): OWENS , Joseph J J, Private, RMLI, 16582 (Ch): PARRY, Robert R, Private, RMLI, 17831 (Ch): PASCAL L, Henry, Private, RMLI, 17276 (Ch): PHILLIPS, Herbert S, Private, RMLI, 12415 (Ch): REED, John L, Sergeant, RMLI, 11358 (Ch): ROLLINGS, James, Private, RMLI, 17544 (Ch): ROYES, Frank L, Private, RMLI, 17899 (Ch): RUSSELL , James H, Private, RMLI, 17912 (Ch): SAMPSON, Cecil A, Private, RMLI, 16024 (Ch): SEXTON, Maxwell H B, Private, RMLI, 17675 (Ch): SLATTIE, John, Private, RMLI, 17141 (Ch): SMITHIES, Frank, Private, RMLI, 17800 (Ch)€: STIGGANTS , Walter H, Private, RMLI, 15057 (Ch): SUTTON, Albert M, Sergeant, RMLI, 10877 (Ch): THACKER, James H, Private, RMLI, 17955 (Ch): THORPE, John W, Corporal, RMLI, 14928 (Ch): TORAH, Herbert C, Private, RMLI, 16728 (Ch): TUNGATE, Arthur J, Private, RMLI, 17920 (Ch): TURNER, Alfred J, Private, RMLI, 17274 (Ch): WARBURTON, James, Private, RMLI, 17219 (Ch): WATKINS, Reginald J, Private, RMLI, 16890 (Ch): WESTON, Henry W, Private, RMLI, 13788 (Ch): WHITE, Thomas H, Sergeant, RMLI, 9383 (Ch): WILKINS, William G, Private, RMLI, 13156 (Ch): WOODS , Roland W, Private, RMLI, 17519 (Ch): WRIGHT , Victor E, Private, RMLI, 17864 (Ch): YORKE, Bert P, Private, RMLI, 16853 (Ch) 2nd January 1858 A detachment from HMS Shannon gave artillery support to the Highland Brigade during the Indian Mutiny at the Battle of Fatehgarh January 1858.