Should Blue Beret Marines be re-introduced to the Corps?

[HCR]

Doc wrote

HCR, I dont think you can judge a mans elitism by the duration of training, its the quality. Of the training and the man.

My own training was 8 weeks at HMS Raleigh, 52 weeks at RNMSS Haslar, 26 weeks at CTCRM and a further 4 months on the job training at a unit sickbay before being able to deploy. So thats 102 weeks, and puts your rifles plus AACC quote back up your hoop sideways.

I totally agree Doc. Thats why I would rather take a Infantryman who as got a OP tour under his belt rather than a lad straight out of RM training. And its not me who always harps on about how long your training is compared to the Infantry. But what really grips my sh*t is this assumption that the 26 weeks Army Infantry Training is somehow crap and doesnt produce decent soldiers. Yes I agree there is a ethos the RMs drill into there lads in training. But so do the Guards, the Paras, Light Infantry who are now the Rifles. And I will say it again, the Rifles dont wear Blue berets anyway, they wear GREEN and always have.

But what gets me is when I hear comments like "the Rifles lads will be down town telling the Girls there are RMs" that f*cking winds me up big time. There all ex Light Infantry, they consider them selfs the best. They are proud to be Rifles and show a arogance similar to the Paras and Guards that they are better than the rest. I just recently got back from Iraq with 4 rifles and there is noway they will go round town pretending they are Royal Marines. THERE IS NO WAY A LAD IN THE RIFLES WILL EVER PRETEND TO BE IN THE ROYAL MARINES INFACT THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE IN THE BRITISH ARMY WILL EVER CLAIM TO BE IN THE ROYAL NAVY BELEIVE ME.

[London Boy]

I And I will say it again, the Rifles dont wear Blue berets anyway, they wear GREEN and always have.

And were wearing green well over a hundred years before the RM green beret came into service.

[Chas]

Any student of military history knows that the Light Infantry are superb with a long established and valiant history.
EG. The Peninsula War and thereafter.
All regiments with there own individual ethos complement the whole so comparisons are odious. Detractors should think before becoming too judgemental.
Back to the original question as to whether there should be a two tiered structure of berets for the Royal Marines.
Well quite simply Owdun's last post summed it up and could not be bettered.
Chas.

[Sully]

I'll repeat my point one last time as it seems to have got lost in a pissing contest. For what it's worth I agree that attached army and navy ranks have every right to wear a greed lid, a nice badge and to call themselves "commandos" on passing the AACC. They are specialists bringing essential skills to the brigade that the Corps needs but is not capable of producing and they are respected within the Corps. The Corps is capable of producing gravs.

The proposal seems to be for an infantry unit to voluntarily and in a piecemeal fashion take a course designed for specialists that are not expected to carry out that grav role. There are mutterings about 1 Rifles providing a 'support' role and if I was a rifleman I would be offended at that and if I'd chosen to be a rifleman I would probably be happy with being called a rifleman. But hey ho - lets call them "commandos" now

HCR I'm glad that you've found another thread to unburden yourself and share your thoughts about the RM. About time you got the chip off your shoulder. What's the problem - missus got a thing for bootnecks?

[Shrek The Royal]

Cap badge politics, what a load of bollocks we are all here to support each other at the end of the day, we all have our diffrent roles i dont give a shit what regiment any ones from, i have made good friends during my time across the 3 services worked with various units now (we dont alaways see eye to eye on how things should be done, but i always enjoy the experience).

That may be a pointless coment as i only read part of this post i dont have time to read all of it some of us have work to do

[Sully]

Cap badge politics is bollocks mate and I always enjoyed working with Jack Perce and Crab. They all did jobs and tasks that we couldn't and Royal would be stuffed without them. This discussion is a bit different though and I'm concerned about the future of the Corps as the Corps but since I left a long time ago I'll wind it in.

[HCR]

Sully wrote

if I was a rifleman I would be offended at that and if I'd chosen to be a rifleman I would probably be happy with being called a rifleman

Bang on and thats my point. And I have nothing against The Royal Marines. Its just some people on here that wind me up and Im just adding my point. I, like most who serve in the Army have seen things I would never want to see again. Ive seen they way my mates and lads from other Regiments bond together when it kicks off. The Royal Welsh in Basrah were awsome. My Regiment have been involed in some of the most ferce fighting in Afghan and Iraq just like the rest and the Royal Marines. I like the rest in the Army am proud to say I serve in the Army and will never claim not to be in the Army. You maybe get afew chefs and clerks claiming to be Paras but never Royal Marines. I dont thonk some on here realise just how Army Barmy lads in the Army are. And just how loyal and proud they are to be seen as members of the British Army. And I will continue to say "Dont worry about lads in the Rifles claiming to be RMs because its not going to happen beleive me. There the Rifles, there proud to be The Rifles and dont want to be called Royal Marines.

So yes sully I do have a chip, not with the RMs but with the cr*p that is spoken sometimes on here. It winds me up and I will always chip in with my comment. So as long as it continues then I will continue to speak up. And if anyone dont like it then I dont give a Sh*t

[Pilgrim Norway]

[Pilgrim Norway]

Duty Booty


"With the increased use of non-commando trained personnel
within the Corps, is there a case for re-introducing 'blue beret' marines to
do some non-combat jobs?"

What a grave misunderstanding of historical fact. Mind boggling.

"Blue beret Marines" were not 'second' to Commando Brigade Marines.
Sea Service Marines were in no manner inferior to the Marines who were
posted to the Brigade. Owdun's post sums the situation up very well.

Fortunate that our Gunnery folk haven't seen this thread I think.
We ALL reverted to blue berets upon our return to the UK from our
various Commando postings. Combined Operations, landing craft etc.
all wore the blue beret. upon my posting to the Depot after my stint
with 3 Cdo Bde - I was known as a "Trained Soldier" - beat that.....

In 1960 I was on the Commando Display Team in Madison Square
Gardens New York - we were allowed to use the green beret during our
training in the UK. Tony Easterbrook who is remembered by the pavilion
on the top field secured us that 'right'....

In the sixties we were often posted to 43 in the UK - with green beret.

Would you believe that our cooks, drivers, signallers, clerks, GD Marines,
et al all wore the green beret - but only while they were with the Brigade
or their unit abroad. What else would they wear - we'd all passed the
same course, with the same blisters and bloody mindedness.

'Strewth........

Oh, and I started off at twelve and a bit with the DLI -

[JR]

Heyup Trog old son!
You wanted gunnery rates,apart from wearing the blue beret we were still wearing the old pattern battle bowler aboard ship during the 50's,Green beret,Blue beret,Green beret,Blue Beret confusing wasn't it,but the main thing was the same Cap Badge.Aye jr

[Pilgrim Norway]

What cheor Jim .....

I didn't know that Noah had those pointy things

Mind you - you had the postie duties too.

That looks like Whale Island in the background,

if it's not the tip of St. Pauls Bay......

Bet you could hit that !

I can almost hear David Niven .... sharp, crisp crackling over the wireless

See you in the Autumn, well met !

[Shrek The Royal]

Why do people have such a low opinion of the Corp's Blue lid there is more history in that lid than the green HAVE A WORD WITH YOURSELVES

I remember a recruit gobbing off with such a comment in training about a vet that was sat watching a pass out, needless to say so did the training team unfortunatly for him!

If the Corps want to survive, i think they should introduce a two tear system and have non-commando trained ranks filling up positions of clerks, chefs ect.. The Corps isnt anything special we are just amphibious infantry. Gone are the days of storming enemy dock instalations and killing German sentries.

[Pilgrim Norway]

Good one Shrek !

As I've said - Completely without history !

Go to the Country Club in the autumn and count the blue berets ....

It's not all green - we have some colleagues still who were Gunnery,
Ships Marines etc etc .... it all depended on the posting.....

As JR so finely put it " We all wore the same cap badge" - 'Oorah

Otherwise some ( ! ) comments here - really ( o )

[JR]

Once again the saga of the blue beret green beret enters the arena,once again Gentlemen its the Cap Badge that counts!
Going back many years to long forgotten campaigns a ships Royal Marine Detachment would be landed to bolster and assist members of the Commando Brigade and very often you would recongnise a 'oppo' who you had served with before!,when I was in the ships Marine Detachment of the War Canoe HMS Jamaica I wore the blue beret,the following year I was with the Brigade Green beret!.
I will say this,when the shi'ite hits the fan I would rather have someone wearing the Globe & Laurel alongside me and watching my back.Aye jr