Following the valuable lessons of Defensively Armed Merchant Ships (DAMS) in the First World War, in 1919 the Cabinet approved an Admiralty and Board of Trade policy for the strengthening of merchant vessels during construction, in order to allow the rapid fitting of armaments when necessary. However, later that year the obligation to do this was withdrawn due to opposition from ship­owners on cost grounds. Between 1922 and 1937 only two vessels had been ‘stiffened’ to prepar

Unit/ Formation: Memorial Location: Scapa Flow Period/ Conflict: World War II Year: 1939 Date/s: 14th October 1939 At 01.16 hours on 14...

Unit/ Formation: Royal Marines Location: Dakar Period/ Conflict: World War II Year: 1940 Date/s: 23–25 September 1940 Operation Menace,...

Unit/ Formation: SBS Location: Kalathos, Rhodes Period/ Conflict: World War II Year: 1942 Date/s: 31 August–18 September 1942 (The...

Unit/ Formation: RM Airmen Location: North Atlantic Period/ Conflict: World War II Year: 1939 Date/s: 14th September 1939 Ark Royal Log...

Unit/ Formation: 44 Cdo RM Location: Hong Kong Period/ Conflict: World War II Year: 1945 Date/s: 11 September 1945 Admiral Harcourt’s...

Unit/ Formation: HM Ships Location: Mediterranean Period/ Conflict: World War II Year: 1944 Date/s: 15 August – 14 September 1944...

“Many of these fine men and their ships were lost but the memory of their conduct will remain an inspiration to all who were privileged...

Unit/ Formation: Royal Marines Location: Dover Period/ Conflict: World War II Year: 1940 Having withdrawn in the Dunkirk evacuation and...

1st January 2019 Key Military (Originally published in Britain At War) D-Day veteran Joseph Kelsey talks to Melody Foreman about the...

Occupation of Sallenelles X Troop, under the command of Capt Linnell, led the commandos into the area and found Sallenelles, as expected,...

The Story of Dennis Donovan, the last man standing, 48 Royal Marine Commando. A Royal Marines History Podcast Dennis was born on the 3rd...

Unit/ Formation: 46 Cdo RM Location: France Period/ Conflict: World War II Year: 1944 Date/s: 8 July 1944 8th July 1944 Place:...

Unit/ Formation: Royal Marines Location: Hook of Holland Period/ Conflict: World War II Year: 1939 Date/s: 13 May 1939 Before evening on...

Unit/ Formation: 48 Cdo RM Location: Burma Period/ Conflict: World War II Year: 1945 Date/s: 2nd May 1945 LCA's on the Rangoon River The invasion of Rangoon was given the codename Operation Dracula. The importance of its success is evident by the number and range of troops deployed. Included in the order of battle was the 26th Indian Division and the 2nd British Division, each comprising approximately 20,000 troops including armoured and artillery units along with the full co

On Easter Sunday 1943 (25 April), gale force winds and wild seas were lashing at the coast. Close to land, among the giant breakers and...

Unit/ Formation : Royal Marines Location : Faroe Islands Period/ Conflict : World War II Year : 1940 Date/s : 13th April 1940 Occupation...

After the raid on Colombo by the Japanese aircraft carriers on 5 April, known as the Easter Sunday Raid, Hermes and Vampire were sent to...

On 2 April, Cornwall and her half sister, Dorsetshire , were detached from the fleet, Dorsetshire to resume an interrupted refit and Cornwall to escort convoy SU-4 (composed of the U.S. Army transport USAT Willard A. Holbrook and Australian transport MV Duntroon ) to Australia and the aircraft carrier Hermes to Trincomalee in Ceylon for repairs “Sinking of HMS Cornwall at The Battle of the Indian Ocean” by Hishiro Kobayakawa 1942 On 4 April, the Japanese fleet was spotte

Seafire Mk.IIC, MB218/S-A, pilot Major AJ. Wright, RM, No. 809 NAS, HMS Unicorn, September 1943. MB218 was produced by Supermarine. It...