Royal Marines - Victoria Crosses?

[bootneckorpara]

sorry

[JR]

Lets start at the very begining......
The Admirals Regiment was formed in 1664 (they even named a beer after the event?).
The Name 'Marines' first appeared in the records in1662.Since the formation of the Corps,the Marines have taken part in more battles on land and sea,all over the world,than any other branch of the British forces.
In 1827 it was decided to present a new Colour to each of the four Royal Marine Divisions and the King 1V was presented with a list of no less than 106 notable actions to date (1827) in which they had taken part,in order that he might select those which should be emblazoned on the Colours. His Majesty,finding it impossible to choose directed:
That the Globe circled with the Laurel should be the distinguishing badge as the most appropriate emblem of the Corps whose duties carried them to all parts of the Globe in every quarter of which they had earned laurels by their valour and good conduct.
The King also directed that his own Cypher,GR 1V should be carried in perpetuity,the new Colours bore as well the motto: Per Mare Per Terram,
the foul anchor of the Admiralty,and Gibraltar to commemorate the capture and defence of the Rock.

Here endeth the lesson.Aye jr

[Tab]

The problem is that to win a VC your act of bravery must be witnessed by an officer. If an NCO puts in a report of act of extreme bravery the he has witnessed that would warrant a VC tough, you wind up with MM.

[bootneckorpara]

soz

[Alfa]

I would hardly label 10 VC as ONLY

Plus you need to keep in mind the Marines had been fighting battles for oooh about 200 years(!!) BEFORE the VC was even established.

[sneaky beaky]

I was told, during my basic training, back in 1959, that, what is considered VC type action, is no more than normal for a Royal Marine and therefore no RM's would be considered for a VC unless it was really exceptional.
Now I don't want to start an argument - but that sounds a good explanation to me, as to why the RM's only have 10 VC's.
(And why the recipients are drummed into us during recruit training!!)

Sneaky

[Michael5]

RM are quite small units. Maybe that is the reason for...

[Michael5]

There is a list of Victoria Cross recipients of the Royal Marines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Vi ... al_Marines

[Chas]

Sneaky smack on. In 59 what months were you at the
Depot ? RSM Dai Morgan- Col Martin Price or Tich Houghton
and DL.Sgt Jenkins. Was your squad officer Lt. Smith Lt.
Webber, Lt Coulter or Lt.Greatorix ? Remember Danny the
camp barber ? Ring any bells ?pm me

[debohun]

IN WORLD WAR TWO the ONLY Royal Marine to win a V.C was Corporal Thomas Peck Hunter in Italy in 1945 at Lake someplace with only five weeks of the war to go.
Hunter from Edinburgh, Scotland, was educated at the same Tynecastle School in Edinburgh where World War One poet Wilfred Owen taught English for three weeks in 1917 while recuparating at Craiglockart War Hospital in Edinburgh.
Coporal Tom Hunter VC Royal,Marines VC was awarded posthumously as, after cleaning out five German machine gun nests who were pinning his men down and inflicting casualties he was shot throught the head by a single round and died.
His nephew is Scottish Nationalist MP at the Holyrood Parliament, John Swinney.
Hunter V.C has pride of place in the Tynecastle School memorial to the pupils who fell in both World Wars.
A former Royal Marine officer told me in 2002 that their is a Troop in the modern Royal Marines called ''Hunter troop' in Tom Hunter V.C.'S honour.

[Rover]

Someplace!!!!!!!!!


CORPORAL THOMAS PECK HUNTER, VC
43 ROYAL MARINE COMMANDO


No. 43 Royal Marine Commando was part of the British 5th Army and the unit had disembarked at Castellano, Italy, on 9th January 1944 and in its ranks was Temporary Corporal Thomas Hunter, aged 22, from Stenhouse, Edinburgh. During the Battle of Lake Comacchio the Marine Commandos were moved into the Argenta Gap, near Ravenna Ferrara, where they were heavily engaged. It was here on 3rd April 1945 that Corporal Hunter won the Victoria Cross.
In Italy during the advance by the Commando to its final objective, Corporal Hunter of 'C' troop was in charge of a Bren group of the leading sub-section of the Commando. Having advanced to within 400 yards of the canal, he observed the enemy were holding a group of houses South of the canal. Realising that his Troop behind him were in the open, as the country there was completely devoid of cover, and that the enemy would cause heavy casualties as soon as they opened fire, Corporal Hunter seized the Bren gun and charged alone across two hundred yards of open ground. Three Spandaus from the houses, and at least six from the North bank of the canal opened fire and at the same time the enemy mortars started to fire at the Troop. Corporal Hunter attracted most of the fire, and so determined was his charge and his firing from the hip that the enemy in the houses became demorilised. Showing complete disregard for the intense enemy fire, he ran through the houses, changing magazines as he ran, and alone cleared the houses. Six Germans surrendered to him and the remainder fled across a footbridge onto the North bank of the canal.

The Troop, dashing up behind Corporal Hunter, now became the target for all the Spandaus on the North of the canal. Again, offering himself as a target, he lay in full view of the enemy on a heap of rubble and fired at the concrete pillboxes on the other side. He again drew most of the fire, but by now the greater part of the Troop had made for the safety of the houses. During this period he shouted encouragement to the remainder, and called only for more Bren magazines with which he could engage the Spandaus. Firing with great accuracy up to the last, Coporal Hunter was finally hit in the head by a burst of Spandau fire and killed instantly.

There can be no doubt that Corporal Hunter offered himself as a target in order to save his Troop, and only the speed of his movement prevented him being hit earlier. The skill and accuracy with which he used his Bren gun is proved by the way he demorilised the enemy, and later silenced many of the Spandaus firing on his Troop as they crossed open ground, so much so that under his covering fire, elements of the Troop made their final objective before he was killed.

Corporal Hunter was buried in the Argenta Gap War Cemetery and his parents were presented with his VC by King George VI at a private investiture in the palace of Holyrood House, Edinburgh. His Victoria Cross now resides in the Royal Marines Museum, Southsea, Hampshire.


During the same battle a VC was also awarded to a member of the Special Boat Service.

Rover

[debohun]

THANKS ROVER-I HAD FORGOTTEN ALL THE DETAILS OF TOM HUNTER V.C'.S GALLANTRY-HE LEARNED HS RUDIMENTARY MILITARY SKILLS IN THE GORGIE/STENHOUSE EDINBURGH BATTALION OF THE HOME GUARD OF WHICH HE WAS AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEMBER-TYNECASTLE SCHOOL BEING IN THE GORGIE DISTRICT OF EDINBURGH.
I STILL CAN'T GET OVER WHY SO FEW V.C's were won in W.W.2 by the Royal Marines given their penchant for being in the thick of the action.

[Rover]

Hello Debohun,

Regarding the number of Royal Marine VC's, I think Sneaky Beaky may have the answer. From a previous post in this thread;

I was told, during my basic training, back in 1959, that, what is considered VC type action, is no more than normal for a Royal Marine and therefore no RM's would be considered for a VC unless it was really exceptional.
Now I don't want to start an argument - but that sounds a good explanation to me, as to why the RM's only have 10 VC's.
(And why the recipients are drummed into us during recruit training!!)

Sneaky

Perhaps as an example I refer you to an incident recently when Royal Marines rode on the outside of two helicopters to recover a fellow RM.This action being in daylight under fire from the Taliban.
If I remember correctly the helicopter crews received recognition the Royal Marines did not.

Rover