Bickleigh Barracks, Plymouth. Personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. All Royal Marines personnel will have completed the Commando course at the Commando Training Centre (CTCRM) at Lympstone in Devon, entitling them to wear the green beret, with most attached personnel having completed the All Arms Commando Course
.
History
Second World War
Early Commando units were all from the British Army, but by February 1942, the Royal Marines were asked to organise Commando units of their own, and 6,000 men volunteered.[1]
No. 42 (Royal Marine) Commando was raised in August 1943, under the command of
commandos
.
They were assigned to the
Burma in 1943–45, including operations in the Arakan and Assam
. It took part in the third Arakan campaign
and carried out a series of amphibious landings down the Burmese coastline. Including the landings at Myebon and the Battle of Hill 170. It then returned to India to prepare for Operation Zipper the invasion of British Malaya. The war ended before the operation began and the commando was diverted to reoccupy Hong Kong.[2]
Post-Second World War
The British Reoccupation of Hong Kong in 1945: Men of 42 Marine Commando and children from the Tai Po Orphanage watch a fireworks display during a party hosted by the unit.
Following the Second World War
Limbang raid was conducted by Lima Company.[3] Throughout the following decade it was based in Singapore at HMS Simbang (RNAS Sembawang).[4][5][6]
Return to UK
After the return to the UK, the Commando was deployed to
Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands, the Commando deployed on Operation Corporate. On 21 May the Commando were Brigade reserve at San Carlos under Lt. Col.Nick Vaux RM.[8] The unit was deployed to seize Mount Kent in a night move by helicopter. By 4 June the unit had moved forward, mostly under cover of darkness, to positions west of high ground overlooking Port Stanley and the last Argentine stronghold.[9]
Mike Company of 42 Commando Royal Marines during Operation Volcano, Afghanistan in 2007.A Royal Marine from 42 Commando during Operation Sond Chara in Afghanistan, 2008.
The new millennium saw the Commando deploy on
Response Force Task Group exercising in Albania and the Middle East.[15][16]
In early July 2019, personnel from 42 Commando deployed by air to
103rd Guards Airborne Brigade at the Losvido Training Areas during the two-week Exercise Winter Partisan.[18]
RMBT seizes 49kg of heroin in drugs bust
Role
42 Commando is a Very High Readiness commando force capable of delivering special operations with a specific expertise in maritime operations[19] including: high threat capacity-building and training of overseas partnered forces; Ships Force Protection Teams; training to indigenous forces; maritime interdiction and boarding operations; UK resilience and support to the Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers.[20]
Following the commando's re-role in 2018 the companies specialised as follows:[22][23]
J Company – Board and search specialists for counter-piracy and counter-narcotics operations (role transferred from 43 Commando under Project Sykes).
K Company – Support, Augment, Liaise and Train (SALT) either other UK units, allied forces, or deployed on front-line operations.
L Company –
Joint Personnel Recovery; rescuing aircrew or fellow marines/soldiers who are isolated, missing, detained or captured in an operational environment, in particular fliers aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth
.
M Company – Ships Force Protection Teams (SFPT) for Royal Navy and RFA ships operating in high threat areas around the globe.
Support Company – Consists of command elements, recce troop, mortar troop, sniper troop and signals troop.
United Kingdom
