Page 126 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022

given time to ‘perfect themselves in their duties at quarters before going to sea’. In December 1837, it was laid down that in future all RM can- didates for commission were required to pos- sess competent knowledge of arithmetic, alge- bra, Euclid and trigonometry and to be able to write English from dictation. The examinations and subsequent training were held at the Royal Naval College Portsmouth.
In 1873, an Order-in Council established the Col- lege at Greenwich, which included on its staff a Professor of Fortifications, who was in charge of Marine Cadets. The Royal Marine Artillery (RMA) recruit officers were trained for two years at the Royal Naval College Greenwich whilst the Royal Marine Light Infantry (RMLI) recruit officers after training at their own Divisions and received six months instruction at Forton or Eastney from the Military Instructor prior to confirmation of their appointments.
From 1889, RMA candidates took the Wool- wich examination and RMLI the Sandhurst entry examination. All RM probationary officers were sent direct to Greenwich for a year’s training in military subjects, riding and gymnastics before joining their Divisions to complete their train- ing, some of which was carried out at Naval Establishments.
In 1902 Admiral Sir John (later Lord) Fisher, as Second Sea Lord, oversaw the introduction of the Selborne Scheme, by which all officers for the Royal Navy (including Royal Marines) entered through the Royal Naval College Osborne at the age of 13 and, after common training at Osborne, Dartmouth and at sea, specialised in one of the Branches: Executive, Engineering and Marines. Fisher was no friend of the Corps and once said ‘The only officer we can never edu- cate is the Marine Officer’. From the perspec- tive of the Royal Marines, it was an unmitigated disaster and resulted in an almost complete cessation of Royal Marines entry for 5 years. By 1911, matters had become so desperate that resumption of direct entry into the Corps was recommended. A most rigorous course of Naval and Military training, lasting 4 1⁄2 years, was laid down of which six months was spent in a train- ing cruiser. However, due to the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, only one batch completed a full course and training was modified and short- ened. The Corps started the War acutely short of officers.
In 1925, Probationary Second Lieutenants com- menced their training with a six-month course at Greenwich which consisted of Mathemat- ics, Science and use of Ballistic Tables plus daily instruction in Drill and PT and also a riding course. On completion, they went to the Deal, which, following the amalgamation of the RMA and the RMLI in 1923, had become the central- ised recruit training establishment for the Corps.
The Greenwich course was dropped in 1930, so that by 1939, Young Officer courses com- menced with 4 months Drill at Deal followed by a series of courses at different locations, the order in which they were done being dependent on the requirements of the service. These courses included weapon training, tactical training, naval gunnery, land artillery, seamanship and pilotage and administration/Regimental duties. After 6 months further successful instruction afloat, they were confirmed as Lieutenants.
From 1946 to 1950, training for regular officers lasted 3 years and 8 months and was similar to the pre-War syllabus, finishing with the Platoon Commander’s Course at the School of Infan- try Warminster. By 1950 the training functions across the Corps were becoming centralised. Officer training was moved from Deal to the Infantry Training Centre Royal Marines at Lymp- stone (ITCRM). In January 1951 the first Batch of Probationary Second Lieutenants under the new regime joined ITCRM Lympstone as YO 1.
Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM)
CTCRM is now the principal military training cen- tre for the Royal Marines. It is situated near the villages of Lympstone and Exton, between the city of Exeter and the town of Exmouth in Devon. The centre delivers new entry training to marine recruits and officers, as well as specialist trade training and command course for officers and non-commissioned officers of the Royal Marines and Royal Marines Reserve. The Royal Marines are unique in that they are the only element of the Armed Forces to train officers and other ranks at the same location.
124 HISTORICAL