Published in 1984 by Author's Note: Osprey Publishing Ltd Member company of the George Philip Group My thanks to the Royal Marines PR Office in 12-14 Long Acre, London WC2E 9LP Whitehall; the Commando Forces News Team, © Copyright 1984 Osprey Publishing Ltd Plymouth; the Royal Marines Museum, Eastney; the Ministry of Defence; and the Royal United Services This book is copyrighted under the Berne Convention. Institute. I am grateful to James Ladd, who All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the introduced me to the Corps in 1982, and whose book purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, The Royal Marines 1919-1980 is an excellent authorised as permitted under the Copyright Act, 1956, no part history; and to Les Scriver, for access to his unique of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a photographic record of today's Corps. Thanks to the retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any many men of the Royal Marines, especially in 3 means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, Commando Brigade RM, who gave me their time optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without and patience in some testing and trying places. the prior permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries This book is dedicated to VH and SP, to whom I should be addressed to the Publishers. will always be a 'Percy Pongo'. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Fowler, William, The Royal Marines 1956-84—(Men at Arms series; 156) 1. Great Britain. Royal Marines—History—20th century 1. Title II. Series 359.9'6'0941 VE57 ISBN 0-85045-568-5 Filmset in Great Britain Printed in Hong Kong The Royal Marines 1956-84 Introduction Marines and their supporting Commando-trained arms are unique. Other special forces trace their origins only to the Second World War; but the A Punch cartoon of the 1920s shows a Royal Marine Royal Marines date back to 1664, when the Duke of aboard a warship pulling on his tunic, with the York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot was caption: 'A Handy Man. Marine (somewhat late raised to serve aboard Royal Navy warships. A for parade): "At six o'clock I was a bloomin' chequered history during the 17th and 18th 'ousemaid; at seven o'clock I was a bloomin' valet; centuries included service by maritime units right at eight o'clock I was a bloomin' waiter; and now across the world, from the Americas to Australia, on I'm a bloomin' soldier!"' He could reasonably have board ship and ashore. In the wars with France added that he was also expected to crew naval guns, between the 1790s and 1815 they served aboard as take part in boarding parties, and fight his way gun crews, as landing and boarding parties, and as ashore on landing and 'cutting-out' expeditions, sharpshooters. without exhausting the list of tasks which the Royal No complete list of the Royal Marines' Marine was called upon to perform before the memorable actions over more than three centuries Second World War. of global service is possible in a book of this kind; but The housemaid, valet and waiter are things of the a few of the most famous may be mentioned. The past; but in the last quarter of the 20th century the only battle-honour actually displayed by the Corps Royal Marine remains a serviceman who combines is 'Gibraltar', which traditionally stands to repre- the skills of seafarer and soldier. As the author can vouch, from the men he has talked with in the Marines of 45 Commando RM aboard a Westland Whirlwind helicopter on the carrier HMS Theseus before taking off for Port jungle, in the Arctic, and in barracks, the Corps Said, 6 November 1956. The man in the centre has a folded 3.5in. rocket launcher, the rest Lee Enfield N0.4 Mk.1 rifles. produces a truly 'handy man'. (Most of the photos in this book are reproduced by courtesy Suggest to a Royal Marine that he is some kind of of the RM Historical Photo Library RM Museum, RM Eastney, Southsea, Hampshire, where the assistance of Mr. 'soldier', and his reaction will be one of disgust, or Harry Playford was invaluable to the author. Where known, photographers are named, e.g. the prolific and highly skilled worse: he is jealous of his special identity. For a start, Pete Holdgate.) his physical entry standards are higher than those of the Army. The Commando training embraces all the men in 3 Commando Brigade, and sets a common standard for the Brigadier and colonels, the technicians of the Commando Logistic Regiment, and the section commander and 'booty' at the 'sharp end'. In the author's observation the Corps attracts a highly motivated and intelligent recruit; to pass the Commando course as well as to learn a wide variety of modern military skills demands a well-balanced mix of brains and beef. Like any force that attracts this type of man, once it has tested and trained him the Corps accepts him into a close-knit and self-confident family. As a 'Special Forces' organisation the Royal 3 their honour no other 4th Bn. has ever been raised since. The Corps served all over the world during the Second World War, but a particularly notable action was fought on the same coast as the Zeebrugge raid—at Walcheren, one of the strongly defended Scheldt estuary islands covering the approaches to the vital port of Antwerp. In a complex operation, supported by RAF Lancaster bombers and by tracked amphibious vehicles, 4 Cdo.Bde. landed 41, 47 and 48 RM Cdos. on Glossary Off Port Said, 6 November 1956: a stick of Royal Marines of 45 Cdo. scramble aboard a Whirlwind on the flight deck of Theseus AWT ...Arctic Warfare Trained on their way to the first helicopter assault in the history of BARV ...Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle airmobile operations. Bde ...Brigade BMA ...Brigade Maintenance Area sent all the others. It commemorates the capture of Cdo ...Commando the Rock from the Spanish during the war with CGRM ...Commandant General Royal Spain and France in the early years of the 18th Marines century. In July 1704 some 1,900 British and 40 CO ...Commanding Officer Dutch Marines landed and captured the position, Coy ...Company which they then defended successfully during a CTC ...Commando Training Centre nine-month siege. FAA ...Fleet Air Arm In 1761 Marines mounted a cross-Channel GPMG ...General Purpose Machine Gun attack against the coast of Brittany, establishing a LCA ...Landing Craft, Assault cliff-top beachhead at Belle Isle by the exercise of LCU ...Landing Craft, Utility climbing skills which are still much in evidence in LCVP ...Landing Craft, Vehicle/Personnel today's Corps. LMG ...Light Machine Gun Some 2,700 Royal Marines ('Royal' since 1802) LPD ...Landing Platform Dock were embarked on the Royal Navy warships which LSL ...Landing Ship, Logistic defeated the Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar on LST ...Landing Ship, Tank 21 October 1805; Capt. Adair, RM commanded 40 LVT ...Landing Vehicle, Tracked of them on the quarterdeck and poop of the flagship LZ ...Landing Zone HMS Victory, where Admiral Lord Nelson fell, and M&AW ...Mountain & Arctic Warfare in all the Royal Marine detachments suffered 342 ML ...Mountain Leader killed. NBC ...Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Among many First World War actions the cross- RCL ...Ramp Cargo Lighter Channel raid against the German submarine base RMBPD ...Royal Marine Boom Patrol at Zeebrugge in Belgium on 23 April 1918—St Detachment George's Day—was probably the most famous. RTR ...Royal Tank Regiment HMS Vindictive and her accompanying ferries were SAS ...Special Air Service raked by enemy batteries even before they could SBS ...Special Boat Squadron come alongside Zeebrugge mole; but in fierce SC ...Swimmer/Canoeist fighting the men of the 4th RM Bn. secured the SLR ...Self-Loading Rifle area, allowing block-ships to be sunk in the Sqn ...Squadron approaches to the port. The 4th Bn. suffered 366 Tp ...Troop casualties out of a strength of 703 all ranks; and in USMC ...United States Marine Corps 4 Westkapelle on 1 November 1944, while N0.4 of the decision to mount vigorous raiding operations Army Commando attacked Flushing. against Occupied Europe, a decision taken as soon On an individual basis, Commandos remember as it became clear that British conventional forces Dieppe, 19 August 1942 (40 Cdo.); Salerno, 9 would be forced to withdraw from France in 1940. September 1943 (41 Cdo.); Kangawin the Arakan, Special forces would be required for these 31 January 1945 (42 Cdo.); and Montforterbeek, operations; and Lt.Col. Dudley Clarke, Military 23 January 1945 (45 Cdo.). The assault and raiding Assistant to Sir John Dill, the CIGS in June 1940, squadrons brought men and equipment ashore on suggested that they be called 'Commandos', after D-Day, 6 June 1944; and 'Comacchio' Gp., now the Boer irregulars who had operated behind tasked with the protection of North Sea oil rigs, British lines in the South African War. During the recalls in its title the action fought in northern Italy war Commandos—the term being used both for the in April 1945 when 2 Cdo.Bde. (2, 9, 40 and 43 troops, and for the battalion-sized unit—were Cdos.) broke through German lines around Lake raised from both the Army and the Royal Marines; Comacchio—an action during which Cpl. Tom by late 1942 as many as 79 Army regiments and Hunter won a posthumous vc. The Corps have corps were represented. It was at that time that the won ten vcs in all, five of them during the First famous green beret was introduced for Commando World War, but the first as long ago as 1854, when forces. After the war the Army units were Cpl. John Prettyjohns led a section against Russians disbanded. The Royal Marine Commandos were defending cave positions at Inkerman in the retained, as was the tough course which all officers Crimea. and men have to pass before they can wear the green beret. The Corps kept up all the historical The Royal Marines as they are known today owe traditions of the Royal Marines of bygone their origin to the Second World War. Marines generations, including their dress uniforms, military fulfilled many roles between 1939 and 1945, serving music, and many barracks and bases. as gun crews aboard warships, coxswains for landing craft, and even as crews for specialist The Royal Marine Commandos have been in armoured vehicles. The Commando role was born action almost without a break since 1946. In 1948 they covered the withdrawal from Palestine. In A patrol of Z Troop, 45 Cdo. RM move through streets damaged by shellfire after the fighting ceased in Port Said. 1950—52 they were engaged in anti-terrorist They wear Denison smocks; the left hand man has an Energa operations during the Malayan Emergency, and anti-tank grenade tied to the back of his belt; and in front of him the Bren N0.2 has the LMG spare parts wallet slung across fought alongside US Marines in Korea. In 1953-54 his back. they were involved in internal security duties in the Suez Canal Zone, and two years later the Commando Brigade returned to Egypt in Oper- ation 'Musketeer', the Anglo-French landings at Port Said. In 1955-59 Marines operated against EOKA terrorists in Cyprus. In 1960 the first Commando Carrier was commissioned. Between 1960 and 1967 Commandos served in Aden, fighting in the Radfan Mts. and covering the final British withdrawal; and also saw action in Borneo and western Malaysia during the 'Confrontation' with Indonesia. There were additional operational deployments to Kuwait in 1961, and East Africa in 1964. From 1969 to the present day the 'Royal' has shared the soldier's burden in Northern Ireland. In 1982 3 Cdo.Bde. sailed south to the Falklands, and carried out the planning for Operation 'Sutton', the landings and subsequent advance on East Falkland, during which the Royal Marines 5 provided three of the eight battalions employed in Suez, 1956 the infantry role, apart from specialist supporting units. The events between Operations 'Musketeer' and On 26 July 1956 President Gamel Abdul Nasser of 'Sutton' spanned only 26 years, and several 'Royals' Egypt seized the Suez Canal from the Anglo- served in both. Lt. G. H. Jackson, QM of 3 French company which administered it. After the Cdo.Bde. Air Sqn. in 1982, was Mne. Jackson of Y failure of various political moves the military Tp., 42 Cdo. at Suez. Lt. Col. N. F. Vaux option, Operation 'Musketeer', was developed with commanded 42 Cdo. in the Falklands; he was 2nd the French. A delay allowed 40 and 42 Cdos. to Lt. Vaux of X Tp., 45 Cdo. in 1956. Lt. B. J. Bellas, train with C Sqn., 6th RTR, whose Centurion tanks MTO of 45 Cdo. in 1982, was Cpl. Bellas of A Tp., had been waterproofed for a landing alongside 40 40 Cdo. in 1956. In 1982 the Chaplain to the Commando. Commando Forces was the Rev. Peter Gregson— The most interesting development was the who had been a Marine (S3) with 42 Cdo. during preserve of 45 Commando. An experimental Britain's last major amphibious operation. On Army/RAF helicopter squadron with six Whirl- board the SS Canberra when she sailed to the South wind Mk.2 and six Sycamore Mk. 14 were joined by Atlantic was Mne. Tom Powers of 40 Cdo. QM the eight Whirlwinds of 845 FAA Sqn.; and this (for staff; in 1956 he had been with HMS Newfoundland's those days) not inconsiderable helicopter lift was to RM detachment—but he did not get on shore in carry 45 Cdo. into battle in the first recorded assault either operation! These veterans of a quarter- helicopter operation in land warfare, in the sense of century of Royal Marine history would testify that a significant troop landing into the battle area. the years between have been both busy and The seaborne assault involved three LSTs challenging. (Assault), five LSTs and eight LCTs. The RTR had provided drivers for a troop of 16 tracked 6 LVTs, though one vehicle had to be cannibalised for spares. 45 Cdo. embarked aboard the carriers HMS Ocean and Theseus, where they had an opportunity to practise helicopter drills and to develop the now-universal tactic of the 'stick'—the group of men carried by one helicopter. The morning of 6 November ('L-Day', since 'D- Day' was felt to be a politically sensitive phrase) dawned hazy. Fires started by air strikes and naval gunfire left long stains of smoke across the sky above Port Said. The two Commandos made their assault in waves, with the leading wave of two troops in LVTs and a second wave in LCAs. 40 Cdo. landed at the base of the western mole at the entrance to the Suez Canal, with the Royal Tank Officers of HQ, 45 Cdo. RM confer during Operation 'Lucky Alphonse' on Cyprus, 1956. They wear Denison smocks; and Regiment tucked in on their left. 42 Cdo. was on the blackened webbing which characterised Royal Marines their right, with the Casino Pier as a clear landmark from 1948. dividing the two beachheads. A Naval Gunfire The advance was begun by P Tp., with Y Tp. observer in the first wave watched as a fellow- passing through them. When B Tp. took over the NGFO called down 4m. shells on the Casino; as it Egyptian resistance had begun to stiffen; two disappeared under the smoke and dust he cheerfully officers, Lts. McCarthy and Ufton, were killed signalled back to his opposite number: 'Every one a while leading their men in the unpleasant business coconut!' of house-clearing. By the end of the day 40 Cdo. had The LVTs passed through the line of wooden reached the customs sheds and Canal Company chalets which bordered the shore and made for the offices; the Centurions blasted holes in the buildings line of houses which was their first objective. The before they were cleared. Centurion tanks came ashore at the Fisherman's While 40 Cdo. were fighting down the Canal, 42 Harbour at H + 90, 15 minutes after the first wave; Cdo. had sent A Tp., together with a tank, to rescue in company with 40 Cdo., they moved off along the the British Consul. There was some talk of a streets bordering the western bank of the Canal. ceasefire when 40 Cdo. Mortar Officer produced Their objectives were the harbour basins which the Egyptian brigadier commanding the garrison; would be used for landing reinforcements from II however, the prospect receded when it became clear Corps. that this officer had little contact with or control over the local forces. An RM Commando with a Sten Mk.V SMG guards a dejected 42 Cdo. had a hair-raising drive down open roads group of Egyptian officers, ratings and soldiers during the flanked by tall buildings. Lt. Peter Mayo, a Suez operation. 7 after seeing 'the Egyptian Army coming over the surrounding walls', and the HQ staff were lifted to safety. They selected an LZ by the statue of De Lesseps on the western breakwater. Ten minutes later the helicopters flew in, with Sycamores and Whirlwinds from Ocean making an orbit to the left and Whirlwinds from Theseus one to the right. At three-minute intervals they hovered about a foot from the ground to unload their troops. The men of 45 Cdo. had flown in with a considerable load of While certainly posed, this photo of Royal Marines checking a ammunition and weapons; those who sat inside the hut near Akanthou, Cyprus during Operation 'Turkey Trot', 1956, does give some idea of the typical scene. They wear Sycamores had mortar and anti-tank ammunition summer shirtsleeve order, and carry the N0.4 Mk.1 rifle, the Sten Mk.V SMG, and the Browning 9mm pistol. (Keystone) dumped in their laps 'to act as an anchor' for Marines hanging on to them on each side with their National Service officer, recalled that his LVT was legs dangling out the door! The assault was made in slower than the others; as it fell behind, it came four waves; thereafter the helicopters worked as an under increasingly heavy fire. The RTR driver was airborne ferry service to move ammunition and hit by a .50cal. round and died in the young officer's stores—a task which would be repeated 26 years arms; Mayo himself narrowly escaped severe later in the Falklands. wounds when small arms fire creased his arms and As 45 Cdo. 'shook out' to clear the town of Suez grenade fragments sliced open a chunk of scalp and towards Gamil airport (held by men of the 'started a much-needed haircut'. Fire from Egyp- Parachute Regt.), a Fleet Air Arm Wyvern fighter- tians was hard to locate at times, since some were bomber strafed the HQ party, killing one Marine dressed in civilian-style galabia robes. With military and wounding 15 others including the CO and delicacy the Marines of 42 Cdo. drew a distinction his Intelligence Officer. The same aircraft then between 'wogs'—who were armed—and 'civvies'— proceeded to attack 3 Cdo.Bde. HQ under Brig. who weren't. R. W. Madoc; and went on to make a pass at 42 42 Cdo. had moved out from the beachhead at Commando. The error was caused by an incorrect about 0930 hrs, with a tank leading, followed by the map grid reference given by the Joint Fire Support LVT of B Tp. commander. Tanks were mixed in Control Committee, who were at that time still with A and X Tps., the machine gun sections and afloat. Coy. Tac. HQ. Their objectives were the Nile Cold The men of 45 Cdo. worked across the town, and Storage Co. Plant, and the Power Station. The it was not until the evening that they joined up with LVTs were not fitted with armour plates, since they 3 Para: although Egyptian resistance was unco- had been loaded at Malta for an 'exercise' as part of ordinated, it was hard to root out the snipers from the cover plan for 'Musketeer'. Even so, only one the arcades and side streets. LVT was knocked out during the run to the Power At the close of the day the FAA were called in by Station. At the close of the day the Marines began to 40 Cdo. to attack Navy House—the former Royal make themselves at home in their objectives, and to Navy headquarters in Port Said. It was pulverised set out defences. Lt. Mayo recalled the chalked by rockets and set alight, and yielded 20 prisoners names that appeared, including 'Shag's Shack' and and 30 enemy dead. The fighting around Navy 'Home Sweet Holmes'. He noted in his diary: 'The House was the fiercest the Marines experienced that subtopian effect is given by "Mrs & Mrs Brown— day. By nightfall the Bde. HQ was ashore and The Nest".' installed in two blocks of flats on the seafront, with 45 Cdo. were due to land at H + 55 minutes; but the three Commandos deployed over a three-mile when the CO, Lt.Col. Norman Tailyour, made a radius. recce flight to check the proposed LZ it was With the declaration of the ceasefire, the obscured by smoke, and the pilot landed at the Commandos were ordered to return fire only if they sports stadium. The Whirlwind returned quickly were attacked. Even so, they conducted searches, 8 and in the shanty town area controlled by 45 Cdo. warship, the Egyptians bravely returned fire until they found 57 three-ton truckloads of arms and their vessel capsized. Aboard the Newfoundland ammunition. Royal Marines had served 6in. guns—the last time By L + 8 the Bde. HQ., 40 and 45 Cdo. had been RM crews would serve naval guns in anger. B/Sgt. withdrawn to Malta, while 42 Cdo. served on under Evans and Mne. Waite were among those wounded 19 Bde. until relieved by Norwegians of the United by two 4in. hits from the Egyptian frigate. Nations Force. The Bde. had suffered nine fatalities and 60 wounded, and received six gallantry Cyprus, Aden and decorations. The CGRM, Gen. Sir Campbell Hardy, had made a thoroughly unofficial visit the Persian Gulf during 45 Cdo.'s landing operation, on the grounds that 'over a third of the Corps were at Suez'. Hunting EOKA HMS Newfoundland While the world was distracted by Suez, the Patrolling in the Red Sea to the south, HMS Hungarian Uprising and France's war in Algeria, Newfoundland had fought the only naval action of the the British were still enmeshed with the Greek-led campaign. The Royal Navy cruiser had en- EOKA movement in Cyprus. Committed to taking countered the Egyptian frigate Domiat, and the island, with its divided and mutually hostile signalled her to heave to. The Egyptian captain population of Greeks and Turks, into a full union ignored this instruction, and as the Newfoundland with Greece, EOKA waged a low-level war of closed to 1,500 yards the order was given to open murder, ambush, and bombing. In retrospect the fire. Despite the heavy weight of fire from the British casualty figures and the level of destruction suffered 9 at various times over the next three years. Always innovative, they set up joint military/police headquarters; and Maj. Ian De'ath, 2IC of 45 Cdo., ran a military/police training course at Nicosia. In riot control, the Marines abandoned the clumsy mix of riot shields, helmets and batons for fast- moving teams clad in gym-shoes for agility. Lt. P. Montgomery trained dogs for tracking, and led long patrols on the trail of the elusive terrorist bands. (Dogs would later be used again for tracking in Malaya and Borneo during the 'Confrontation'.) The Commandos earned an interesting compli- ment from the EOKA leader 'General' Grivas, who remarked on the thoroughness of their searches. Men would be lowered into deep wells, and would patiently sift through refuse in farmyards. In one instance they located arms and ammunition hidden in a monastery. In February 1956, when weather conditions were so severe that two men died of exposure in a broken-down truck, 45 Cdo. carried out the testing task of delivering explosives to mines Mne. Limmer of 41 Cdo. checking a shepherd during a UN tour on Cyprus between May and November 1979. He wears the DPM tropical shirt jacket, OG trousers, and the UN beret; a first field dressing is taped to the side of his '58-pattern belt September 1979—a very different kind of operation on Cyprus order. is marked by the presentation of United Nations Medals at UNFICYP BRITCON Base. The Colours of 41 Commando RM are paraded by (left to right) Lt. M. Bailey, C Sgt. A. Higgins, WO2 R. Williams, C Sgt. W. Newton, Lt. A. Airey. All wear light khaki drill tropical shirts and slacks with the pale blue UN Forces beret and cravat. The UN badge is worn on the upper left arm above a small Union flag patch; the yellow 41 Cdo. lanyard can just be made out on the right shoulder, and (Lt. Bailey) the dark blue officer's lanyard on the left. in Cyprus seem somewhat modest; at the time, they absorbed considerable British energy and military resources. Their impact on the British public can perhaps be understood better if we reflect that to the generation of the mid-1950s the costlier and gaudier horrors of Ulster were an unsuspected nightmare. It was EOKA who first introduced the British newspaper reader to such novel forms of warfare as murdering soldiers' wives during shopping ex- peditions; and was assured of undivided attention, in consequence. On 6 September 1955, with the situation deteriorating, 45 Cdo. deployed to Cyprus. By 0900 hrs on 10 September some 1,300 Marines were ashore with 150 vehicles, and elements were sent into the Kyrenia Mountains. Different Commandos were on duty in the island 10