Themes

Article Highlights

• Introduction - Marking the 300th anniversary of the Royal Marines

• Planning

• Beating Retreat

• The celebrations

• The Royal Review

The celebrations

The Tercentenary Committee decided that 41 Commando should provide the major portion of the unit required for the ceremonial parades in London. Representatives from the rest of the Corps of all ranks and units, including a troop from the Royal Marine Forces Volunteer Reserve made up the rest.

They were to parade the Colours of Royal Marines Barracks, Eastney, and 41 Commando along with the Colours of two of the units in 3rd Commando Brigade. The Brigade Commander decided that these were to be those of 40 and 45 Commandos.

The Committee started a relief fund as a permanent mark of the Tercentenary. With the money they commissioned the artist R C Guthrie to paint a picture of the Royal Review. The Captain-General announced a further mark of the anniversary at the Corps Dinner. He proclaimed that the Queen had granted that the Royal Marines should from now on drink the Loyal Toast seated. Read the Special Order of the Day concerning the Loyal Toast.

The Queen and Prince Phillip at the Corps dinner on 23rd July 1964. To the left is Admiral of the Fleet the Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who the following year was made Life Colonel- Commandant of the Royal Marines until his assassination in 1979. At the instigation of the Earl, it was at this dinner that the Loyal Toast was granted to be drunk seated in all Messes of the Royal Marines. (RMM)

Representatives from the United States Marine Corps and the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps also attended. The two foreign Marine Corps were important guests as they had a long and close relationship with the Royal Marines and had worked and trained with them for many years. The Corps also invited representatives from British regiments with whom they had connections.

The Royal Party and assembled Officers on the steps of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich watching a Mess Beating performed by the Corps of Drums of Portsmouth Group, prior to the Corps Tercentenary Dinner, 23 July 1964. (RMM)

Below is the timetable of the main Tercentenary celebrations held in July 1964 -

• Morning of the 22nd A Review by the Lord Mayor on Artillery Ground followed by a March through the City of London

• Afternoon of the 22nd A Reception by the Lord Mayor and the Corporation for all ranks in the Guildhall

• Morning of the 23rd A Review by Her Majesty The Queen in the Garden of Buckingham Palace

• Afternoon of the 23rd A Corps Dinner at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich

• 24th A Service of Thanksgiving in St Paul's Cathedral, with a similar service for Roman Catholics in the nearby Church of St Etheldreda. This was followed in the evening by a Corps Reunion in the Lyceum Ballroom

• 30th A Senior Non-Commissioned Officers' Banquet at the Guildhall, Portsmouth.

For many of the ceremonial occasions the Royal Marines wore Lovat suits that the Corps specially introduced for the occasion.

To read about the Royal Marines Tercentenary Royal Review, select Next