"The Royal Marine Illustrators provide the Corps operational graphics and intelligence support. Illustrators develop high degrees of expertise in manual and computer graphics production. "
Not exactly indepth but i hope it gives you a better idea mate.
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RM Specializations
Illustrators not only illustrate they also build models of say a beach or a fortified postion by using Inteligence gathered. Be it phots, satellite photos or first hand descriptions/sketches of the location supplied by recce bods, be they unit recce troop blokes, BdeRecceTp or the SBS/SAS or a lump of metal in space. They can also make top quality maps of locations where a map is either out of date or don't even exist in some cases, once more by gathering the information from all the sources available to them.
In fact they built the scale model of Dartmoor which is housed in the main building at CTCRM and is used a great deal by both the recruits and all the other courses that are run at CTCRM. In a unit they are an integral part of the Int Cell so have first hand knowledge of whats happening at all times. Quite a few are Positive Vetted which means they are cleared to read up to Top Secret (all bootnecks are cleared up to secret, the first thing you will do on joining is sign the official secrets act which will stay with you until the day you die ) so a bit of "Sneaky Beaky" stuff can creep into their work.
They also make a fair few quid by doing cartoons both for the Corp and civvy street. In fact one or two who have long been out of the Corp work for the VIS magazine. To a man most are gifted Artists well able to paint ought put in front of them.
Wanted to go Illustrator myself when I was med Downgraded in 84 but they are classed as pointed end troops as in have to be fully fit (P2) so instead I went Printer (the printers branch was disbanded in 1989 before anyone asks. I was in a med cat called P2ModCdo). As a printer I had a lot to do with them as I could wack out rucks of what they had drawn in a day. Like us Printers you will never be short of oppos as an illustrator thats for sure. Rabbits* and more Rabbits will supplement your basic Marine pay handsomely (I used to make a bomb doing Rabbits for anyone who was willing to pay cash).
The only real down is that promotion is slow due to the branch being one of the smallest in the Corp. In other words you could be recommended for promotion, do your command course and wait sometimes years for promotion from Mne to Cpl. Ditto Cpl to Sgt. Whilst say a bloke who is Sigs could pass the course with a lower grade pass than yours but get made up within days of returning to his unit and earn that extra dosh. It's called Dead mans Shoes. As in someone at the top of the branch has to leave the Corp in order for everyone who had passed a command course to move up the promotion ladder.
*Rabbit = Work done on the side without the knowledge of the bosses for dosh in your sweaty little paw!
Artist
In fact they built the scale model of Dartmoor which is housed in the main building at CTCRM and is used a great deal by both the recruits and all the other courses that are run at CTCRM. In a unit they are an integral part of the Int Cell so have first hand knowledge of whats happening at all times. Quite a few are Positive Vetted which means they are cleared to read up to Top Secret (all bootnecks are cleared up to secret, the first thing you will do on joining is sign the official secrets act which will stay with you until the day you die ) so a bit of "Sneaky Beaky" stuff can creep into their work.
They also make a fair few quid by doing cartoons both for the Corp and civvy street. In fact one or two who have long been out of the Corp work for the VIS magazine. To a man most are gifted Artists well able to paint ought put in front of them.
Wanted to go Illustrator myself when I was med Downgraded in 84 but they are classed as pointed end troops as in have to be fully fit (P2) so instead I went Printer (the printers branch was disbanded in 1989 before anyone asks. I was in a med cat called P2ModCdo). As a printer I had a lot to do with them as I could wack out rucks of what they had drawn in a day. Like us Printers you will never be short of oppos as an illustrator thats for sure. Rabbits* and more Rabbits will supplement your basic Marine pay handsomely (I used to make a bomb doing Rabbits for anyone who was willing to pay cash).
The only real down is that promotion is slow due to the branch being one of the smallest in the Corp. In other words you could be recommended for promotion, do your command course and wait sometimes years for promotion from Mne to Cpl. Ditto Cpl to Sgt. Whilst say a bloke who is Sigs could pass the course with a lower grade pass than yours but get made up within days of returning to his unit and earn that extra dosh. It's called Dead mans Shoes. As in someone at the top of the branch has to leave the Corp in order for everyone who had passed a command course to move up the promotion ladder.
*Rabbit = Work done on the side without the knowledge of the bosses for dosh in your sweaty little paw!
Artist
Branches like Sigs, Drivers, Clerks are large branches so the turnover rate is very quick resulting in good promotion prospects. Whilst branches like the Illustrators, Tels Techs are small hence the Dead mans Shoes syndrome.lewdog wrote:which specialization will generally promote you through the ranks quickest..
A mate of mine called Cliff Williams was a tels tech Cpl RM. He got so brassed off with the Dead mans Shoes routine in his branch that he applied to transfer to the REME, and due to the fact that he was such a switched on bloke they let him. So he left the Corp of Royal Marines one Friday at a place called Coypool in Plymouth. At one minute to noon he was a civvy, at one minute past noon he was a member of the REME and was rated up to S/SGT and carried on serving in CDOLOGREGRM doing the same job. On completion of his service he was a Major REME.
Branches like the PTI branch, the ML Branch, The Drill Instructors branch and the PW branch can only be joined by blokes who have passed their Junior Command Course (CPL's course). Stuff like the Helo Pilots course could only be attended by SGT's. They do the ARMY helo pilots course and fly the light helos used by the Corp.
90% of blokes who hack the RM Commando course do what most of us who served did. Went HW, Sigs, Clerks, Chefs, SA's etc, etc, all the bloody SQ's/TQ's* available to any bootneck who has passed out in other words.
*SQ/TQ = Specialist Qualification/Technical Qualification.
Just get though Commando Training first chaps, thats hard enough to be honest. I laugh out loud sometimes at these wild statements made by some wannerbies such as "I'm going to be a Sniper/Swimmer canoeist/Sexual Stud the minute I get out of training!" crap that gets put on this forum. For every thirty odd blokes aspiring to be a Bootneck on this forum I reckon about one or two hack it in all honesty. Don't get me wrong I will hand out advice to anyone who asks for it but I am getting brassed of with the same questions being asked over and over again.
This subject has been broached at least three or four times before. Use the Search Button chaps in other words.Once you join your first unit reality will set in and you will realize that it's just hard graft whatever you do in the Corp.
Artist
I agree with you fully Artist, If I was a bootie I'd also get pissed off with young walts (such as myself ) asking bone questions all the time!!!! how ever I do appreciate the time you take to answer all our Q's in a civil manner, as opposed to taking the piss.
PS: I fully understand how hard it is to become a bootie (and hopefully one day I'll be able to proudly call myself one) and I'm just asking theses questions out of pure interest..not to be a w@#k.
) asking bone questions all the time!!!! how ever I do appreciate the time you take to answer all our Q's in a civil manner, as opposed to taking the piss.PS: I fully understand how hard it is to become a bootie (and hopefully one day I'll be able to proudly call myself one) and I'm just asking theses questions out of pure interest..not to be a w@#k.
"Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred"
Rode the six hundred"
