Officers

No original records of service for officers survive before 1793. However, some details of service can be found by consulting the Seniority List of Officers from 1757 to 1886 in ADM 118/230-336 covering 1757 to 1770 and ADM 192/1-44 covering 1760 to 1886. Army Lists from 1740 list marine officers on full and half pay. The New Navy List from 1840 lists marine officers with short statements of service from 1846, some of which contain details going back to the 1790s.

Commission and appointment books for 1703 to 1713 are in ADM 6/405 and for 1755 to 1814 in ADM 6/406. They are in date order, but are not indexed. They do not contain any genealogical information. The Admiralty conducted two surveys, one in 1822 and one in 1831. The survey of 1822, found  in ADM 6/73-83 and 409, gives name, rank, date of seniority, age on 1 April 1822, amount of pay and whether in receipt of other allowances.  A further survey was carried out in 1831 and returns are in ADM 6/84-85.

Records of commissioned officers after 1793 can be found in ADM 196/58-65, 83, and 97-112. These give details of service, but are only complete from around 1837. ADM 313/110 is an index to these pieces, except 106-112, which have their own indexes. Registers of warrant officers appointed between 1875 and 1920 are in ADM 196/34-35, 67 and 102, indexed by ADM 313/110.

Records of artillery officers for the period 1793 to 1855 are in ADM 196/66 and an indexed list of warrant officers appointed between 1904 and 1912 is in ADM 196/67.

Leave Books and Half Pay Lists

Leave books for RM officers for the period from 1804 to 1846 are in ADM 6/200-206 and 414. Lists of officers on half pay can be found in ADM 6/410-414.

Subsistence Books

Officers´ Subsistence Books, and Commission and Subsistence Books can be found in ADM 96/482-505, covering dates from 1757 to 1826.

Pensions

Two alphabetical registers of officers in receipt of Greenwich pensions between 1862 and 1908 are in ADM 201/22-23. Registers of pensions from 1871 can be found in ADM 165. Records of officers´ retired pay from 1871 to 1923 are in ADM 22/475-487.

Widows´ pensions will be found in ADM 96/523 for 1712 to 1831. Later pensions from 1836 to 1870 will be in PMG 16, from 1870 to 1919 in PMG 20 and from 1921 to 1926 in PMG 72. Pensions paid to officers´ children from 1837 to 1931 are in PMG 18.

For officers commissioned after 1925 you should write to:

Historical Records Office Royal Marines
DPS(N) 2
Bldg 1/152
Victory View
PP36
HMNB
Portsmouth
PO1 3PX
Telephone: 02392 727531 or 02392 727470