October Marines!

With 45 Pins for October, whether in peace or war, since its formation it has always been a busy month for the Marines!

28th October 1664, on a cold wet Friday, after a bit of lunch, The Royal Marines were established, by King Charles II as 'The Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot

In 1674, 10 years after its formation at the Battle of Entzheim near Strasburg in France. It was reported that the steadiness and accuracy of the Marines fire saved their French allies.

In 1747 Hanna Snell moved to Portsmouth and desguised as a man she joined the Marines. She boarded the ship Swallow at Portsmouth on 23 October. The ship sailed to Lisbon on 1 November. Her unit was about to invade Mauritius, but the attack was called off.

1854 In the Crimea during the charge of the heavy and light Brigades, later Colonel Campbell in his reports says, "During this period our batteries on the hills manned by the RMA and RM made most excellent practice on the enemy cavalry which came up the hilly ground in front."

In October 1914 HMS Hermes was sunk by a German submarine in the Straits of Dover with the loss of 21 Royal Marines.

1942 In the early hours of 3 October 1943, Nos. 3 and 40 (RM) Commandos elements of the Special Raiding Squadron landed behind the German lines under cover of darkness at Termoli, a seaport town on the Adriatic coast.

1942 On the Hell Ship Lisbon Maru, 11 Marines would die and others later as POW as the ship is sunk many either deliberately locked below or shot in the water.

1950 As the American submarine USS Perch surfaced just off the east coast of North Korea, not far from the border with China, her crew and a detachment of Royal Marine commandos hurried on deck to open a large hangar. Under the night sky on October 1, they began to inflate seven boats, six for the commandos and Perch crewmen and one for high explosives and mines they were to take ashore.

1964 No. 2 SBS were flown into Sarawak area and set up a HQ in Wallace Bay as part of the Tawau Assault Group to conduct operations supporting 40 Cdo RM.

2020 The SBS board a ship in the English Channel suspected of being hijacked. After a 10-hour standoff and failed negotiations, the SBS was authorized to intervene. Sixteen member of the SBS fast-roped onto the deck from Royal Navy helicopters under the cover of darkness and worsening weather to bring the situation under control.

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