Royal Marines: Other Ranks' Service Records

Military Records Information 45

1. Marine Divisions

There are three main series of records which may be used in researching the service record of a Marine. Each is arranged by Division, and to avoid a lengthy search you need to know a Marine's Division to find his service records. If you do not know the Division please refer to Royal Marines: How to Find a Division. This also refers to other useful sources.

From 1755, the Marines were grouped into fifty Companies, each consisting of about 100 men. Each company was assigned to one of three Grand Divisions, at Chatham, Plymouth and Portsmouth. Woolwich was the seat of a further Division between 1805 and 1869. In 1855 the whole Royal Marine Corps took the name Royal Marine Light Infantry (Red Marines). In 1859 a separate Division of Royal Marine Artillery (Blue Marines) was formed. In 1923 the two merged as a single corps known as the Royal Marines.

2. Attestation Forms, 1790-1925 (ADM 157 )

These are loose forms, compiled for each Marine on enlistment. They give birthplace, previous occupation, physical description and often a record of service. They are filed either by date of enlistment or discharge as set out in the table below. These documents are partially indexed by ADM 313/1-26 . Some Marine attestations are also in WO 97/2170 .

Search the Catalogue for Marines' names covering the first 661 pieces of ADM 157.

3. Records of Service, 1842-1936 (ADM 159 )

These provide a Marine's date and place of birth, trade, physical description, religion, date and place of enlistment and a full record of service with comments on conduct. They are arranged by Division and then by service number. To find the service number, look in ADM 313/27-109 . Divisional service numbers were introduced in December 1884, but the numbering was retrospective, in order to encompass the unofficial use of numbers. The numbering for Portsmouth therefore starts from 1843 (ADM 159/1 ), for the Royal Marine Artillery from 1859 (ADM 159/20 ), for Chatham from 1842 (ADM 159/36 ) and for Plymouth from 1856 (ADM 159/61 ). Records of men formerly of the Woolwich Division, which disbanded in 1869, will be found amongst those of their new Division.

Registers of Service for the Royal Marines Band, 1903-1918, can be found in ADM 159/103-112 , whilst those for the Medical Unit, 1914-1918 can be found in ADM 159/209 , ADM 159/210 .

Registers are closed for 75 years from the last date on each file.

4. Enlisted after 1925

For details of those who enlisted after 1925, write to: DPS(N)2, Building 1/152, Victory View, PP36, HMNB Portsmouth, PO1 3PX.

(ri2045) Last updated: 10 March 2008 | © Crown Copyright 2001