Navy News

II NAVY NEWS ROYAL TOURNAMENT SUPPLEMENT 1996

Enduring popularityof the field gun run

THE POPULARITY of the awe-inspiring Field Gun Competition may be judged bythe fact that it is one of the most enduring displays in the history of the RoyalTournament. Many times during the past 300 years Naval guns have been land-ed in support of the Army - and the 12-pounder field guns used in the RoyalTournament race were carried by all Britain's major warships until the late 1920s.

BRITANNIARULES INTHE ARENA

Newswish

Portsmouth Field Gun Crewevery success at

Earls Court 1996Good luck to PortsmouthField Gun Teamfrom their official sponsors

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And wish them every successfor the 1996

Royal Tournament Competition

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The competition - nowfought out by crews fromPortsmouth, Devonportand the Fleet Air Arm - wasfirst introduced to theTournament in 1907 andthough the idea may seemdated, the qualities ofcourage, fitness, determi-nation, spirit and teamworkdemonstrated by the gun-ners are as important asever in today's Navy.

SpeedThe speed with which the

guns are dismantled, manoeu-vred over a testing obstaclecourse, reassembled and firedmay give a false impression ofease, but the total weight ofeach gun is over one ton andthe smallest error can bringabout disaster.

What also is remarkable isthat the three, 18-men crews,volunteers from all branchesof the Service, have less thanthree months to train beforethe Tournament begins.

THIS YEAR'S Royal Tournamentat Earls Court is an extra spe-cial occasion for the Royal

Navy and Royal Marines, as they takethe lead with the 1996 Tournamenttheme of Rule Britannia.

enforced in 1940-46, but when the showsbegan again there was redoubled public inter-est and a demand for seats which far exceed-ed the capacity of Olympia. As a result, in 1950,the Tournament moved for the second time inits history - to its present venue.

Today - with almost 100 years of Navy

Military Tournament and Assault at Armsopened at the Agricultural Hall, Islington,only the Army were involved during thefirst 17 years of the event.

The first true display - a musical ride by the1st Life Guards - was introduced into the 1882event, and two years later Queen Victoriabecame patron and gave permission for theRoyal prefix to be added to the title.

Navy's debutThe Royal Navy first took part in 1897,

though it was not until 1905 that the show wasretitled the Royal Naval and MilitaryTournament, moving from its Islington venueto Olympia the following year.

No shows were held during World War I, butthe tournament was revived in 1919 andincluded the new, third Armed Force, the RAF.The event adopted its present title the follow-ing year.

Another break in performances was

family entertainment and at the same time adisplay of the pageantry, skill and courage ofthe Armed Forces.

The Tournament opening this year will be"From the Sea" followed by the musical spec-tacle of the massed bands of the RoyalMarines.

Later, ambitious special effects will suspendbelief as they take the spectators "underwater" to a 300ft long representation of a sub-marine extending from the backcloth whileRoyal Marines Commandos in Rigid Raidersprepare to mount a cliff assault.

Other tough, disciplined young men fromPortsmouth, Devonport and the Fleet Air Armwill perform one of the Tournament's mostabiding events - the Field Gun Run, while aless regular display at Earls Court is providedby the RN Window Ladder team, inviting audi-ence participation in an aerobics session.

The display team and all the Marines will jointogether to present the finale, final sunset andsalute from the past.

Best wishes to the

Devonport Field Gun Crew

DMLDEVONPORT

Serving the Royal Navy

'Pompey Boys' havea sense of purpose

THE SENSE of purpose and camaraderie of the "Pompey Boys" will take them a long way.This year's administration is hallmarked by relaxed professionalism - Lt Mike Young'sexperience with the Royal Marines has prepared him well for the forthright, action centredenvironment of the Field Gun.

First Trainer this year isWarrant Officer Dennis Moffat -a veteran of four silver medalwinning Portsmouth crews. Aconsummate professional, heis more than willing to demon-strate any position or piece ofdrill.

Like WO Moffat, the SecondTrainer, Petty Officer PT TomDooley, was also a member ofPortsmouth's 1984 crew, hold-ers of the run record of 2 min-utes 40.6 seconds.

Other members of the teamare POPT Wayne Okell, respon-sible for fitness and morale,and team captain, POPT DaiWhitehead.

The crew's performance atrehearsals has been good andthey have a strong will to win.

McDonaldsAre pleased to Sponsor

Devonport Field Gun CrewAnd wish them every success

for the 1996Royal Tournament Competition

NAVY NEWS ROYAL TOURNAMENT SUPPLEMENT 1996 III

Talented new blood in westDEVONPORT crew got offto a good start this year byrecruiting quality men fromtheir winning crews of 1993and 1994, as well as sometalented new blood.

A Field Gun Crew commis-sioning ceremony - unique to

Devonport - was held at HMSDrake on May 2.

It took the form of a parade,at which the salute was takenby the Lord Mayor, and a ser-vice at St Nicholas Church.

On the following BankHoliday Monday the gunners

were out on the track for thefirst time and have continuedtraining well, with high moraleand good prospects.

Earlier, staff and crew under-took an eight-mile charity runwith the field gun and limber,culminating with a "jog past"

through Plymouth city centrewhere the salute was taken bythe Deputy Lord Mayor andDevonport Naval BaseCommander, CommodoreJonathan Burch.

As a result of the runTrenweath School, Plymouth,for children suffering fromcerebral palsy, benefited by£2,360 - most of it from spon-sorship money and £860 donat-ed by passers-by.

The ground movedfor this crew . . .

IN OCTOBER 48 years of Fleet Air Arm fieldgun activity came to an end at Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire, when the FAA gunnersmoved out due to the closure of HMSDaedalus.

But the gunners were so devoted to their hal-lowed track that they dug it up and took thewhole lot with them - relaying it 250 miles awayat their new home at RN air station Culdrose in

Cornwall. With that and other movement ofessentials, as well as preparation of the newquarters, the gunners' "closed season" has actu-ally been very busy.

What has not changed is the determination ofthis year's Field Gun staff to ensure that in thecrew's first year in Cornwall the success the FAAhave enjoyed in recent years will continue, andthat they will retain the trophies they hold.

The Management and Staff atThe Dolphin Inn

Are pleased to sponsorDevonport Field Gun Crew

And wish them every successfor the 1996

Royal Tournament Competition

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gar. Nearly 350 members of the Corpst. Right, Royal Marines officers and _gfr

NAVY NEWS ROYAL TOURNAMENT SUPPLEMENT 1996 V

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Cpl Tom Hunter, the eighth Marine to receive the Victoria Cross. He wasawarded the medal posthumously after saving his Commando Troop underfire from the Germans near Lake Comacchlo, Italy In AprIl 1945.

In modern war

Putting on a brave smile, a Marine surveys the damage to one of the ,es-sets which took part in the Zeebrugge raid in 1918. Two VCs were awardedby ballot to members of the Corps who had fought there.

A landing craft sinking after being hit during the Allied landings atWalcheren late in 1944. Marines suffered heavy casualties in the operationagainst the strongly held German positions covering the Scheldt Estuary.

Royal Marines march into Stanley to end the Falklands War. In this casethey are members of the company who at the beginning of the campaignhad attempted to hold the capital against the Invading Argentlnlans.

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VI NAVY NEWS ROYAL TOURNAMENT SUPPLEMENT 1996

Uniqueskillsof theCorps'musicmakers

IUSIC has been animportant part oflife at sea for hun-

dreds of years - drumsto beat to quarters, fid-dlers to accompany thearduous task of capstanhauling, and to entertainduring precious hours ofrelaxation.

The Royal Marines havehad bands since the birth ofthe Corps in 1664, while thefamous divisional bands ofPortsmouth, Plymouth andChatham could trace their

histories back to the 18thcentury. But it was not until1950 - when the divisionalbands amalgamated withthe Royal Naval BandService - that today's RoyalMarines Band Serviceemerged.

Marines musicians areunique in the British ArmedForces by haying to master astring and a wind instrument sothat the bands are capable ofperforming as full concertorchestras.

The roots of the bands'achievements lie in the meticu-lous training that musicians

and buglers receive at theRoyal Marines School of Music- which started life as the RNSchool of Music in 1903.

In 1930 the School moved toDeal where, barring a period ofevacuation to Scarboroughduring World War II, it remaineduntil this year.

Portsmouth moveRationalisation of Defence

bases brought the School toHMS Nelson in Portsmouth.There, the skills of young musi-cians continue to be temperedand honed to the sharpest edgebefore they take their place inone of the five Royal Marines

Good Luck FAATake flight on the night!!

BRITISH AEROSPACE

DEFENCEMILITARY AIRCRAFT

Are pleased to sponsor

The Fleet Air ArmField Gun Crew

And wish them everysuccess for the

1996 Royal TournamentCompetition

British Aerospace Defence LtdMilitary Aircraft Division, Warton Aerodrome,

Warton, Preston. PR4 1AX. J

bands, returning to the schoolfor courses which qualify themfor higher rank.

Musicians and buglers arealso trained for another role intime of war - as medical order-lies. In World War II, forinstance, the Band Service suf-fered a greater proportion ofcasualties than any other armof the Corps, losing 225 killed.

Highlights for the bands thisyear have included the annualMountbatten Festival of Music,and in June a rare Beat Retreatceremony performed on HorseGuards Parade by the massedbands in the presence of theQueen and the Captain Generalof the Corps, the Duke ofEdinburgh, to mark his 75thbirthday.

Tours abroadAs well as performing many

concerts at home, bands havealso visited - or are due to visit- Toronto, Hong Kong,Sweden, Norway, Gibraltar andTurkey.

In the Royal Tournament, thebands, 200 strong, performunder their Principal Director ofMusic, Lt Col Richard Waterer.The musicians are drawn fromRoyal Marines bands ofPlymouth, Portsmouth, Scot-land and the CommandoTraining Centre, Lympstone.

Facing the music: Above, Sgt Chris Rees of Britannia RoyalNaval College Band and below, one of the 16 female musi-cians who for the first time played in a massed bands BeatRetreat ceremony on Horse Guards in June, where the toppicture was also taken.

NAVY NEWS ROYAL TOURNAMENT SUPPLEMENT 1996 VII

Split-second timing needed for Window Ladder displayHMS Sultan's Window Ladder Display Team inrehearsal for their tour de force in cohesion, devel-oped by the Royal Navy from a Swedish PT system.

Picture: Lt Cdr Nigel Huxtable

WALKINGON AIR

THE ROYAL Navy's window ladderdisplay is derived from a Swedishsystem of physical training

which, operated on frames or "skates"suspended from ceilings, became pop-ular at such events as the RoyalTournament. However, just over 30years ago the original idea was adapt-ed at HMS Ganges, the Service's train-ing establishment of the time, as astanding apparatus.

The rig devised there is a 40ft high frame,the bottom of which is 20ft from theground. The skilled erection of the 1.5-tonsof equipment is now the responsibility of

the RN School of Marine Engineering atHMS Sultan, Gosport.

The Window Ladder Display Team's cohesionand long training combines to weld 40 men andwomen into a single unit, carrying out 210 pre-cise movements each of which require a highstandard of gymnastic ability coupled with split-second timing. Performing 40ft above theground, they make synchronised movements tomusic without a single verbal command.

As part of the performance other members ofthe team are presenting a traditional club-swing-ing routine followed by an aerobics display inwhich members of the audience will take part.

The display team of 90 volunteers fromthroughout the Service are led by Lt SteveGough with two PT instructors - CPO IvanTorpey and LW Sue Howe.

DJ Mike Read of Classic FM hosts a live broadcast by members of the Portsmouth Band.

SPECIAL NAVY DAYSVIDEO OFFERTHE OFFICIAL STORIES OFTHE ROYAL NAVY & THE ROYAL MARINE COMMANDOSAS APPROVED BY THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

INTRODUCTION BYHRH THE PRINCE PHILIP

CAPTAIN GENERAL ROYAL MARINES

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VIII NAVY NEWS ROYAI. TOURNAMENT SUPPLEMENT 1

THE DEPTHSSEABORNE ASSAULT has been a major part of

the Royal Marines' itinerary since their cre-ation in the 17th century. But with the coming

of the submarine, the Royal Navy had to hand a vehi-cle ideally suited to putting ashore small raiding par-ties embarked on clandestine operations.

Stories of World War II enemy radar surveillance.Commandos launched fromsubmarines and secretlypaddling ashore to sabo-tage vital enemy equipmentor installations was onceevery boy's essential tale ofderring do.

The concept of raiders fromthe deep is as relevant today asit was more than 50 years ago -yet now the submarines fromwhich they emerge are nuclearpowered, such as HMS Talent,pictured here.

And the Marines may beequipped with speedy, inflat-able boats, or may exit throughescape hatches as "frogmen"while the submarine is stillsubmerged and immune to

Advanced communicationsequipment with ranges of manyhundreds of metres allowsraiding Marines to maintaincontact with the boat's com-manding officer beneath thewaves, and infra-red opticsgives them the ability to see atnight, better than cats - andmuch more dangerous.

It is in this way that theraiders can achieve completesurprise if a destructive attackon an enemy is their mission.

However, if their ordersrequire a reconnaissance, theymay carry out their task, trans-mitting back information or tar-get data without their adver-sary ever knowing that theyhad been ashore.

The Royal Marines over four centuries• From centre pages

formed. Four battalions landedat Antwerp, being joined by twoNaval brigades to defendBelgian port. Antwerp falls andbulk of force lost. Pilot Lt C. H.Collet RMA leads first air attackon Zeppelin sheds in Germany.

1915 - Two battalions ofRoyal Marines cut to pieces inabortive landing against

Turkish forces at Lemnos dur-ing Gallipoli campaign. Threeother RM battalions - 95 percent raw recruits or reservists -suffer similar fate while sup-porting Australian forces.During the action, a stretcherbearer, L/Cpl Walter RichardParker, wins VC.

1916 - Royal Marines are lasttroops to leave Gallipoli. Battleof Jutland: 6,000 Royal Marines

serving with Grand Fleet suffermore than ten per cent casual-ties. Among them is MajorFrancis John William Harveywho is awarded posthumousVC for saving battlecruiserHMS Lion from disaster.

RMA units take part in Battleof Somme. Two battalions withthe Naval Division on WesternFront. By end of year they canonly muster 292 officers andmen.

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1917 - Major FredericWilliam Lumsden becomesCorps' seventh VC for recover-ing captured enemy guns onWestern Front.

1918 - 4th Battalionembarked in cruiser HMSVindictive to cover operation tosink blockships in Zeebruggeharbour. Operation successful,but ineffective. Marines sufferalmost 50 per cent casualties,winning two VCs which go byballot to Capt Edward Bamfordand Sgt Norman AugustusFinch.

1919 - Treaty of Versailles.Corps strength to be reducedin a year from 56,000 to 15,000.More than 6,000 Royal Marinesdied during conflict. RoyalMarines take part in actionsagainst Bolsheviks in Russia.

1923 - RM strength cut to9,500 and RMLI and RMA amal-gamate to be known simply asRoyal Marines.

1929 - Royal Marines pilot LtOwen Cathcart-Jones becomesfirst to carry out a night-timedeck landing on board aircraftcarrier (HMS Courageous).

1939 - Corps strength at12,390 at outbreak of WorldWar II. New training campestablished at Lympstone,Devon.

1940 - Marines take part inNorwegian campaign, beinglast Allied troops to leave onevacuation. RM fliers dive-bomb and sink German cruiserKoenigsberg. In FranceMarines cover Allied with-drawals from Calais andBoulogne, suffering heavycasualties.

1941 - Most of force of 2,000Marines in Crete killed or cap-tured during German airborneinvasion.

1942 - First RM Commandosformed, becoming 40 and 41Cdo, 40 Cdo first seeing actionin abortive and bloody raid onDieppe. Forerunners of SpecialBoat Squadron paddle two-mancanoes up Gironde river to sinktwo merchant ships and dam-age three at Bordeaux. Onlytwo of ten "CockleshellHeroes" return. Six captured byGermans and shot.

1943 - Under influence ofChief of Combined Operations,Admiral Lord LouisMountbatten, RM Divisionsconverted to Commandos,numbered 42-48. Invasion ofSicily and Italy includes 40 and

41 Cdos. When 41 suffer heavylosses at Salerno, 43 take theirplace. Nos 42 and 44 Cdos toBurma.

1944 - In January, 40 and 41Cdos operate out of Naples and43 takes part in Anzio landings.D-Day ... Five RM Commandos- 41 and 45-48 land inNormandy, and Marines mannearly two-thirds of Britishassault craft. Heaviest casual-ties - 30 per cent - suffered by48 Cdo.

1945 - Cpl Tom Hunter winsposthumous VC as result ofactions on April 1 in counter-attacking enemy forces nearLake Comacchio, Italy. InGermany 45 and 46 Cdos takepart in Rhine crossing.

By VE Day 1,000 RoyalMarines killed in north-westEurope campaign. In Far East 3Cdo Brigade undertake suc-cessful campaign in Burma andre-occupy Rangoon. After warRM strength reduced from78,000 to 10,000, forming threeCommandos - 40, 42 and 45.

1950 - Commandos sent toMalaya to combat communistinsurgents. In UK 41(Independent) Cdo raised totake part in Korean War, joiningin the Inchon landings andreceiving Presidential UnitCitation from USA.

1952 - Marines sent toMalaya return to Malta whereeach Commando presentedwith their first Colours by Dukeof Edinburgh.

1955 - 45 Cdo begin anti-ter-rorist operations in Cyprus.

1956 - 3 Cdo Bde leadsseaborne assault on Port Saidin Suez operation. First heli-copter-borne assault carriedout by 45 Cdo from carriersHMS Theseus and HMS Ocean.

1960 - HMS Bulwark joinsFleet as first Commando carri-er, being supplemented byHMS Albion in 1962, the yearthat assault ships Intrepid andFearless laid down. 45 Cdodeployed to Aden to deal withYemeni-inspired unrest. 41 Cdoreformed at Bickleigh.

1961 - 43 Cdo reformed atPlymouth. 42 Cdo sent toKuwait to deter Iraqi aggres-

1962 - L Company of 42 Cdomakes seaborne raid onLimbang, Brunei to freehostages taken by Indonesian-backed rebels.

For next three years com-

mandos help defend region.

1963 - In Aden, 45 Cdoinvolved in Radfan campaignwhich continues until Adenevacuated in 1967.

1964 - 45 Cdo put down anarmed rebellion againstPresident Nyerere ofTanganyika.

1965 - Earl Mountbatten ofBurma becomes Life ColonelCommandant of Corps.

1968 - 43 Cdo disbanded.

1969 - 41 Cdo sent toNorthern Ireland to respond tounrest. This begins continuingcommitment to provide RoyalMarines for tours of duty inNorthern Ireland which contin-ues to this day. By end of1970s, Commandos will havelost 11 killed and 80 woundedduring 22 tours of the Province.

1970 - Commando TrainingCentre at Lympstone expands.

1971 - 45 Cdo based inArbroath given specialist roleto defend NATO's Arctic flank.

1972 - Commando LogisiticRegiment commissioned.

1973 - Last Corps remem-brance parade at Eastneybefore closure.

1975 - RM Museum openedat Eastney by Duke ofEdinburgh.

1980 - Comacchio Company(later Comacchio Group)formed to defend oil rigsagainst possible terroristattack.

1982 - Argentina invades theFalklands and captures smallRoyal Marines detachmentsthere and on South Georgiaafter fierce fight. 3 Cdo Bdedeployed with Task Force,lands at San Carlos with twobattalions of The ParachuteRegiment.

After 80km yomp across eastFalkland, 42 and 45 Cdos makenight attack on June 11-12 onMount Harriet and Two Sisterspeaks respectively. Britishforce, bolstered by 5th InfantryBde, captures Stanley 36 hourslater and accepts Argentiniansurrender.

1990 - Royal Marinesengaged in boarding merchantships to enforce UN embargooperations during Gulf crisis,and RM personnel involved inoperations during subsequentwar.