Royal Marines records now on Documentsonline

[bootneck]

I would suggest looking at the Deal Depot Description Books in ADM 158, at the National Archives, for Daniel Shaw. ADM 158/291-2 covers August 1902 to October 1907. If you find an entry for him there should be some papers for him in the miscellaneous service papers, 1884-1925, of men for whom no official service number was issued. They are in ADM 157/2058-2303 and are filed by date of discharge.

Bootneck

[ellasian]

Got Trevors. Apart from Dardanelles had a "good war"

Spent a lot of it on Resolution then onto malabar/RN Bermuda. Was Invalidid with Otitis Media = Ear ache !!

[Bathe]

Siege Batteries.........I was not commenting on the 'value for money' but since you mentioned it I`m sorry that it cost you £10.50 to establish what your Uncle did during the war. In other countries that information is free.

OK Yellow - I not complaining about the cost of these service records - compared with the cost of going to Kew from here (SW France) or hiring a pro researcher it's excellent value - and also it was worth finding that Uncle Percy had a chequered career - far more interesting. I was told he was a sailor, full stop. Not that he'd been a Marine as well. He first enlisted in 1900 and was pensioned in 1923, saw service in the Med and the China Station before the war, then in Home waters during the conflict.

You say other countries provide such info for free --- but with relations that served in both the Australian and Canadian forces, the cost of finding out what they did was much higher.

But on another matter, do you know was "TM" might indicate on a marine's drill record? Uncle Percy passed his sea service gunnery drill VG first time (obviously very good) but was marked TM for the revision four years later.

[Bob Chandler]

I had absolutely no idea that I have a family connection with the Royal Marines until yesterday, when I put a few names in at random whilst doing some non-war related family history research. However, I now know that my great-grandfather’s brother, Eli Thomas ALEXANDER, served as a Private in the Plymouth Division from 1908 until 1920. The part of his record that particularly interests me at present is as follows:

Name of Division or Ship – Triumph

Date of Entry/Discharge – 6/8/14 – 31/12/14

1/1/15 – 26/5/15

27/5/15 – 11/6/15

Cause of discharge from Division or Ship – on passage.

Name of Commanding Officer – M Fitzmaurice

To be honest I know very little about the naval side of the war but I’ve found out that a ship of that name was torpedoed on 25th May 1915 whilst bombarding Turkish positions around Gaba Tepe. Over 70 of the crew were lost. Do I have the right ship? And if so, would my relative as a Marine have been involved in this action? (Unfortunately my IT skills don’t stretch to uploading a copy of the service record onto my post).

[horatio2]

Name of Division or Ship – Triumph

Date of Entry/Discharge – 6/8/14 – 31/12/14

1/1/15 – 26/5/15

27/5/15 – 11/6/15

Cause of discharge from Division or Ship – on passage.

Name of Commanding Officer – M Fitzmaurice

Do I have the right ship? And if so, would my relative as a Marine have been involved in this action?

Certainly looks as though he was in TRIUMPH when she was torpedoed. With the ship's loss, all surviving crew would have been discharged from TRIUMPH's books and transferred to "on passage" billets in other ships.

TRIUMPH was commanded by Captain Maurice Swynfen Fitzmaurice RN

[MelPack]

I haven't a clue how to research a RMLI serviceman. Could some kind soul point me in the direction of the right NA links?

I am looking for the details of Bernard Pack who served with the RMLI in Russia.

Thanks.

Regards

Mel

[horatio2]

Kew Record of Service here:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=1

More papers are at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

[per ardua per mare per terram]

Only one listed Mel is:

Name Pack, Bernard James

Register Number: PL/20298

Division: Royal Marine Light Infantry: Plymouth Division

When Enlisted/Date of Enlistment: 17 June 1918

Date of birth 04 February 1901

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=1

Medal roll offline in ADM 171/170 (microfilm).

[MelPack]

horatio and per

Thanks for the links. I have downloaded the document from the NA but need some guidance as to what the entries mean (it's great being a newbie again )

If I post the service section, will you be gentle with me and explain what it means?

Regards

Mel

[MelPack]

Any help with interpretation would be appreciated.

Regards

Mel

[horatio2]

After enlistment he served at RMLI Depot Deal (initial training) and was then drafted to HQ Plymouth Division RMLI at Stonehouse Barracks, Plymouth.

On 18 July 1919 he joined 6th RM Battalion for service in North Russia (Murmansk), returning to Plymouth HQ for the remainder of his service. He was discharged 'Free' (i.e. he did not have to pay) in March 1922.

[MelPack]

Horatio

Thanks for the clarification. I am a little disappointed that he was not one of the mutineers. I would have been more impressed had he shot the officers and joined the Bolsheviks.

Regards

Mel

[horatio2]

Strictly speaking, there was no "mutiny" - no-one was charged with that offence. That said, 1 NCO and 12 ORs were found guilty of "Disobeying so as to show wilful defiance" (all sentenced to death, commuted to 5 years penal servitude), 51 ORs were found guilty of "desertion" (all sentenced to 2 years imprisonment at hard labour) and 20 ORs were found guilty of "disobeying a lawful command" (all sentenced to 5 years penal servitude).

The 'event' involved men of the Chatham Company ('B' Company) of 6th RM Battalion.

There is a very good booklet published by the Royal Marines Historical Society available from the RM Museum (Special Publication No.21) for those interested in more detail of this unfortunate episode.