1. Why use this guide?
This guide provides assistance with tracing the service of Royal Marines, who enlisted before 1925, at The National Archives. It reveals what you will need to know before you can begin a search, how to conduct a search using The National Archives website and other resources at our site in Kew, and what kind of information you can expect to find. You may also find it useful to consult our Royal Marines research signpost.
2. Essential information
2.1 What do you need to know to conduct a search?
There are three main series of records which may be used when researching the service of a Marine (ADM 157, ADM 158 and ADM 159). Each is arranged by division and therefore, to avoid a lengthy search, you need to know a Marine's division, as well as his name, to find his service records.
2.2 Marine divisions
From 1755, the Royal Marines were grouped into 50 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 home of a further division between 1805 and 1869. In 1855 the infantry section of the Royal Marines took the name Royal Marine Light Infantry (Red Marines). In 1859 a separate division of Royal Marine Artillery (Blue Marines) was formed. The Red and Blue Marines merged in 1923 to form the Royal Marine Corps.
3. Attestation forms, 1790-1925 (ADM 157)
3.1 What are attestation forms and what information do they contain?
These are often loose forms, compiled for each Marine on enlistment. They detail birthplace, previous occupation, physical description and often a record of service after attestation.
3.2 How to find an attestation form
Attestation forms for this period are filed in the series ADM 157. A limited but expanding number of the documents in this series have been indexed by name in the online Catalogue and it is therefore worth trying a search by person's name from the Catalogue search screen. If a name search is unsuccessful, consult ADM 313/1-26, which is an incomplete index for ADM 157, by ordering the original document. Should either of these search methods prove fruitless, you can try locating the document reference you need by using the table below. To view any of the attestation forms in ADM 157 you will have to order the original documents. There are also some Marine attestations in WO 97/2170.
| Division | Dates | Arrangement | Document References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham | 1790-1883 | Enlistment | ADM 157/1-139 |
| Chatham | 1842-1912 | Discharge | ADM 157/1276-1851 |
| Plymouth, Portsmouth, Woolwich | 1820 | Enlistment | ADM 157/140 |
| Plymouth | 1842-1883 | Discharge | ADM 157/141-337 |
| Plymouth | 1884-1900 | Discharge | ADM 157/1852-1868 |
| Portsmouth | 1804-1836 | Enlistment | ADM 157/338-352 |
| Portsmouth | 1837-1883 | Discharge | ADM 157/353-615 |
| Portsmouth | 1884-1904 | Discharge | ADM 157/1869-2057 |
| Portsmouth | 1904-1923 | Discharge | ADM 157/2471-2847 |
| Portsmouth (RMA) | 1834-1835 | Indexed | ADM 157/664 |
| R M Artillery | 1861-1918 | Enlistment | ADM 157/2848, ADM 157/2849 |
| R M Artillery | 1899-1925 | Discharge | ADM 157/3247-3269 |
| R M Artillery | 1860-1923 | Discharge | ADM 157/2850-3246 |
| Woolwich | 1839-1869 | Discharge | ADM 157/665-1275 |
| R M Engineers | 1914-1919 | Discharge | ADM 157/3467-3625 |
| RM Labour Corps (Chatham) | 1915-1919 | Enlistment | ADM 157/3459-3466 |
| RM Labour Corps (Deal) | 1914-1922 | Enlistment | ADM 157/3270-3458 |
| Miscellaneous Short Attestations | 1869-1883 | Enlistment | ADM 157/616-659 |
| Miscellaneous Short Attestations | 1884-1901 | Discharge | ADM 157/660-663 |
| Ranks without official numbers | 1884-1925 | Enlistment | ADM 157/2058-2303 |
4. Description books, c.1755-1940 (ADM 158)
4.1 What are description books and what information do they contain?
On entry into service as a Marine a description of every man was entered into the description books, including his age and parish of birth. They were compiled from the information given on the attestation forms and therefore largely duplicate the information in ADM 157. However, the records will fill in the gaps where the attestation no longer exists and will give a reason and date of discharge.
4.2 How to find a description book
The surviving books are contained in the record series ADM 158, arranged largely by division and the first letter of the surname of the Marine. To view documents in this series you will need to order the original documents.
5. Records of service, 1842-1936 (ADM 159)
The records of service in ADM 159 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. Divisional service numbers were introduced in December 1884, but the numbering was retrospective and encompassed those Marines still serving at that date. Search by the name of an individual, to download images of these documents.
6. Enlisted after 1925
For details of those who enlisted after 1925, write to: HRORM (Historical Records Office Royal Marines), Room 038, Centurion Building, Grange Road, Gosport, Hampshire PO13 9XA.
7. Further reading
Thomas, Garth, Records of the Royal Marines - PRO Readers' Guide No.10 (Public Records Office, 1994)
Brooks, Richard, and Little, Matthew, Tracing Your Royal Marine Ancestors (Pen & Sword, 2008)
Divall, Ken, My Ancestor Was a Royal Marine (Society of Genealogists, 2008)
