Royal Marines
RMHS


historicalThe Royal Marines Historical Society was formed in 1964.

It is a registered charity with five principal aims:

Research

To engage in and encourage research into the history, uniforms and traditions of the Royal Marines and other aspects of Corps History. The results of research conducted by the Society may be published and shall be offered to the Royal Marines Museum.

Networking

To provide a means of communication between persons interested in the history of the Royal Marines.

Education

To stimulate an interest within the serving Corps and general public in the history and development of all activities of the Royal Marines.

Knowledge

To provide a source of historical knowledge and expertise to which members of the Society, the serving Corps, staff of the Royal Marines Museum and others may refer.

about_the_RMHS

Collecting

To assist in enhancing the collections and historical records of the Royal Marines Museum and introducing them to a wider audience.

Membership

With over 300 members, who range from serving Marines to English Heritage, the Society is governed by a voluntary council with six members elected from the membership, an appointed Honorary Editor, Secretary and Treasurer as well as a representative of the Royal Marines Museum and the Commandant General Royal Marines. Membership is open to anyone with a genuine interest in Corps history.

Our funding is derived primarily from member's subscriptions supplemented by a small surplus from the sale of our publications and other donations. We receive considerable administrative and premises support as well as access to collections from the RM Museum but the RMHS is an independent organisation.

Our Society is run by volunteers and we are unable to assist with research enquiries from the general public, please visit the museum or click here for help and advice on researching Royal Marines history

Please contact us at

Royal Marines Historical Society

Royal Marines Museum

Southsea

Hampshire

PO4 9PX

historical6Membership of the Royal Marines Historical Society is open to anyone with a genuine interest in Corps history.

Existing members include serving and retired Royal Marines, family and military historians, militaria collectors and many friends of the Corps. We all have in common a desire to see the heritage and history of the Royal Marines protected and shared.

Members receive two issues of the Society's illustrated journal, The Sheet Anchor, which contains articles and news of interest on Royal Marines history. Members also receive a copy of the Society's annual Special Publication on a particular detailed and well researched topic. Three newsletters are distributed each year.

The Annual General Meeting is held in the Corps Museum at Eastney, Southsea, after which lunch is followed by a talk on a Royal Marines historical subject. Subjects covered over the past few years have included 'Gallipoli', 'Royal Marines in the Gulf War', 'Kenneth Alford, Musician Extraordinaire', 'The Falklands Campaign', 'Commandos in Italy in WW2', etc. During the AGM the RMHS presents award in recognition of outstanding contribution to Corps history.

An Annual Dinner is held in Portsmouth each year to celebrate the Corps birthday, 28 October, on the nearest Saturday.

Subscription

fightingcommandosThe annual subscription is currently £22 per annum for mail delivered to UK addresses and £25 for overseas.

Associate Membership is available for organisations interested in the Society's aims, but this does not carry voting rights.

To apply, please click on the link below to download.

Application Form






Searches can be performed by title and/or author. After entering your search criteria, click Search.

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Sheet Anchor
Sheet Anchor Publication List
Special Publications
SP 1 Hail and Farewell Wilfred Davey MBE BEM
SP 2 Extracts from Royal Marine Records Part 1 -1755 to 1792 General Sir H.E. Blumberg KCB
SP 3 The Royal Marines and the Dockyard 1755 to 1949 Wilfred Davey MBE BEM
SP 4 Extracts from Royal Marine Records Part 2 -1793 to 1836 General Sir H.E. Blumberg KCB
SP 5 Extracts from Royal Marine Records Part 1 -1837 to 1914 General Sir H.E. Blumberg KCB
SP 6 The Ghost of a General and The Royal Marine Officers of 1914 Lt. Col. Donald Bittner PhD USMCR
SP 7 One Time Marine (A Bootneck's Tale) Haydn Jenkins
SP 8 41 Independent Commando RM-Korea 1950-1952 Lt. Col. Peter Thomas RM
SP 9 Royal Marine in East Devon - A History of Lympstone and Dalditch Camps Anthony J Perrett
SP 10 Expedition to Siberia 1919 (The Great War-Eastern Front) Captain Thomas H. Jameson RMLI
SP 11 Marines of the First Fleet (Australian Bicentennial) from the journals of private John Easty, Sergeant James Scott and Lieutenant Ralph Clark)
SP 12 Memoirs of Sergeant Harry Wright (Zeebrugge 1918 and Aftermath P.O.W.)
SP 13 Fidelity Will Haunt Me Till I Die (3rd edition) Peter Kingswell
SP 14 Royal Marines in Wales Anthony J Perrett
SP 15 Royal Marines Spies of World War One Era Lt. Col. Donald Bittner PhD USMCR & Capt. J. M. Coleby RM
SP 16 Royal Marines and D-Day Captain the Rev. D.A. Farquharson-Roberts RM
SP 17 Something about St. Ives (Reminiscences of the Commando Mountain Warfare Centre) Derek Yardley Wright
SP 18 Behind Japanese Lines (the untold story of Royal Marines Detachment 385) Captain Derek Oakley MBE RM
SP 19 The Royal Marines and Hong Kong (from 1840 to 1997) DR. S.S. Richardson AO CBE MA LLD
SP 20 Marines from the Medway (Story behind their Memorials in the Medway Town) Lt. Col. Brian Edwards RM
SP 21 Mutiny in Murmansk, 'The Hidden Shame' (RM in North Russia 1918/19) Major Mark Bentinck RM
SP 22 At the Turn of the Centuries (an anniversary portrait of the Marines in the RN of 1700, 1800, 1900 and after) Lt. Col. Brian Edwards RM
SP 23 The Story of Colours in the Royal Marines Major A.J. Donald RM
SP 24 'Bagged' in World War 2. Tales of the Royal Marines Prisoners of War Jim Fallace and Benjamin Knapton
SP 25 A Short History of the Royal Marines (complete to Afghanistan 2002) Captain Derek Oakley MBE RM and Major Alastair Donald RM
SP 26 Officers of the Royal Marines in the Age of Sail Lt. Col. Donald Bittner PhD USMCR
SP 27 Cyprus Crisis 1955-1956 - The Story of B Troop 45 Commando Charles Hart
SP 28 The Royal Marines Band Service (celebrating 100th Anniversary) John Ambler
SP 29 A Short History of the Royal Marines 1664-2004 (Second revised edition) Updated SP 25 to 2004 to include Iraq)
SP 30 Irreproachable Character-Royal Marines and the Meritorious Service Medal John Bilcliffe
SP 31 Formative Years 1803 to 1806 ( A perspective of the Corps in the Nelson Era) Lt. Col Brian Edwards RM
SP 32 Albert Medals awarded to Royal Marines Captain Derek Oakley MBE RM
SP 33 A Short History of the Royal Marines 1664-2007 (Third revised edition) Updated SP 29 to 2007)
SP 34 'Vertical Assault', the Story of the Mountain Leaders Branch Major Mark Bentinck RM
SP 35 The Long Summer, 45 Commando in Aden & Tanganyika 1963/64 Lt. Col. T.M.P. Stevens OBE MC RM
SP 36 After Limbang, a Royal Marines anthology of experiences of the Confrontation with Indonesia December 1962 to September 1996 Lt. Col. Brian Edwards RM
SP 37 'Per Mare, Pere Terram', Volume 2 of the Story of the Royal Marines Band Service John Ambler
SP 38 Flying Royal Marines Colonel Michael Reece OBE
SP 39 A Short History of the Royal Marines 1664-2012 (Fourth Revised Edition)
SP 40 Finding Thoroton, the Royal Marine who ran Bitish Naval Intelligence in the Western Mediterranean in World War I Philip Vickers
SP 41 Personal Distinctions, 350 years of Royal Marines Uniforms and Insignia John Rawlinson
SP 42 Britains Sea Soldiers, A Record of the Royal Marines during the War 1914-1919 General Sir H.E. Blumberg KCB
SP 43 Bluenoses,Bears and Bandits, Sea Service to Commandos WO William J Kitchingham
SP 44 The Crinoline Church,Royal Marine Artillery Barracks Eastney Dennis Bill
SP 45 42 Commando Royal Marines Public Duties in London 2014
SP 46 RM350 - A pictorial record of RM350 events during this anniversary year 2017 Lt. Col. C.R.S. Dare MBE RMR
SP 47 World War I Remembered, Royal Marine Buglers and Musicians at War John Ambler

Projects

historical4The Short History
Since 2002 we have worked with the Museum, CTCRM and the Learning and Skills Council to produce a Short History of the Corps that is given to each new recruit and young officer. The Short history is now in its third edition and available to buy online from the Museum Shop.

Graves and Memorials
After creating registers of the Corps' dead from both World wars we embarked on a project to record and photograph RM graves and memorials around the globe. Over the past three years we have digitalised our collection of 2500 images and are now considering ways to allow public access to this ongoing project.

Oral History
We have provided equipment and training for Oral History interviewers in support of a joint project between ourselves and the Royal Marines Association. The interviews are deposited with the RM Museum who share them with the Imperial War Museum to provide public access and permanent conservation.

Globe and Laurel Index
Members of the Society are working on an index to the Corps journal, the Globe and Laurel. This is an invaluable source of Corps history, however, it has never been indexed and searches can take many hours. We are currently recruiting volunteers to assist in the digitalisation of the first 60 volumes of the magazine.

Sea Britain Exhibition
In 2005 members of the Society worked with the National Trust to mount an exhibition of the paintings of Captain James Cottell, RM. A veteran of Trafalgar, Cottell made over 140 watercolour drawings that chronicle his 40 years service.

Future Projects and Research
The RMHS is committed to rewriting the Short History on a three year cycle. Oral History and Graves and Memorials are ongoing projects.

We are working with the RM Museum on a book on the history of RM insignia from 1755 to the present day. This has included funding to catalogue part of the Museum's insignia collection, photography and primary research in the Museum's archives, the National Archives, at the Naval Historical Branch and the collections of many private members.

Research
Two major research projects are underway - The Indexing of the Globe and Laurel continues and members of the Society are working on a roll of Marine Officers from 1664 to 1783.