Distinctive Cap Badges of the Royal Marines Band Service Part 1

By Marcher

English Sovereigns have long exercised their prerogative of granting honours, titles and badges to military units. Many are given to mark notable feats carried out in the heat of battle whilst others are for more peaceful activities. The twentieth century has been no different and the bands of the Royal Marines have done particularly well with regard to the honours they have received directly from the Monarch. King Edward VII, during his comparatively short reign of just over nine years, recognised particularly the value of Royal Marines Bands.

No less than five (possibly six) adornments to cap badges and/or helmet plates have been specifically awarded for services to the Crown, so why are only three still to be seen?

THE FIRST PRINCE OF WALES PLUMES

On the 7 September 1875 the modified troopship HMS Serapis left Portsmouth bound for India and Ceylon. On board was HRH The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) who, despite the reluctance of his mother Queen Victoria, was about to participate in affairs of State. The Royal party included Sub Lieutenant Prince Louis of Battenberg RN whose son would become Admiral of the Fleet The Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Musical support was to be provided by great favourites of Queen Victoria - The Band of Portsmouth Division RMLI under its Bandmaster, Mr J F C Kreyer. This was the first recorded instance of a Royal Marines band going to sea on what, to the Royal Navy, was a normal commission. Since the musicians still wore the Light Infantry scarlet tunics they would have found the heat of the Indian continent at times difficult to endure. White topees had replaced their black sealskin hats but this appears to have been the only change to the uniform worn in England.

Nine months later HMS Serapis returned to Portsmouth. The Prince had been so delighted with the band's music-making that he prevailed upon his mother to allow the Portsmouth Band RMLI to wear his personal emblem, the Prince of Wales' Plumes, upon their head-dress as a permanent reminder of the Royal Tour to India.

THE WHITE ROSE OF YORK

Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901 and the Prince of Wales assumed the throne as King Edward VII. Just prior to the Queen's death the Royal Family had been planning a Royal Visit to Australia to mark the recent inauguration of the Federal administration. Prince George and Princess Mary, the Duke and Duchess of York and the new heirs to the throne were given the task. The Duke was Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Marines and, having already served fifteen years with the Royal Navy, was very interested in all things connected with the Services. At this time 'Victoria and Albert II' was a fairly ancient paddle-steamer that was totally unsuitable for a trip to the other side of the world. The Government duly chartered the almost new steamship 'Ophir' for temporary use as a Royal Yacht. Included in her complement of 410 officers and men was the Band of Chatham Division RMLI under Bandmaster John Wright. This nine-month commission was to be a unique experience for most of the band. As the sea-going Royal Marines Band Service would not be established until two years later very few of the band would have been to sea and probably none of them had ever been under naval discipline. The 'Ophir' sailed on the 16 March 1901 with the RN Band playing martial music on the boat deck. The journey was long and tiring. During passage of the Suez Canal the pipe 'Hands change into tropical clothing' was heard. For the band this meant a change into white tunic with gold badges, white trousers, white canvas shoes and white helmet or white cap. This was the first time that this uniform had been worn and it was to set the style for all RM bands serving in the Royal Yachts until the decommissioning of HMY Britannia, ninety-six years later. The journey to Australia, the celebrations in that country and a visit to New Zealand were followed by the return journey via South Africa and Canada. The 'Ophir' was met by the newly commissioned Royal Yacht 'Victoria and Albert III' as she sailed into Portsmouth in November 1901 at the end of the longest Royal Tour, almost 40,000 miles, undertaken by a Royal Marines Band before, or since - and this was two years before a permanent Royal Yacht Band was appointed.

A few days later the King honoured the Band of the Chatham Division RMLI by the award of the White Rose of York, the personal emblem of the Duke of Cornwall and York. This was to be worn as part of the cap badge and on the helmet plate as a permanent reminder of the band's important role during this momentous tour of the Empire as promulgated in General Order RM 31/1902.

THE FIRST AND SECOND ROYAL YACHT BADGE

King Edward undertook, as part of his convalescence, an excursion to the Channel Islands and the Scilly Isles in the RY Victoria and Albert in 1902 and a comparatively short cruise through Irish waters with a State visit to Dublin in the summer of 1903. In early November 1903 the King gazetted the Royal Marine Artillery Band as the permanent Royal Yacht Band. It would appear that, in order to identify the RMA Royal Yacht musicians, the King ordered the wearing of a special helmet plate and cap badge. Confusion surrounds the design of this badge. Some believe that the cap badge was very similar to those worn by the present Portsmouth Band but having the Royal Cypher of Edward VII instead of that of George V. Whatever the design, it was only issued when the band went onboard and then withdrawn on completion of the voyage, since it was to be worn only whilst serving on the Royal Yacht. This arrangement would have warranted only a few being produced which could account for the fact that the author has never seen this badge, nor has anyone known to him. Its existence would appear to be confirmed by the authoritative work on head-dress badges, Kipling and King's 'Head-Dress Badges of the British Army' (Volume 1) although it is believed that the evidence for this is a rather poor photograph of questionable value.

If this badge existed than it would have been superseded following the voyage of King George V to India on board HMS Medina. Once again the Band of the RMA were selected to accompany him. On their return the King conferred upon the whole Band of the RMA a special badge consisting of a gilt grenade, on which was mounted the Royal Cypher 'GRV' and Crown in silver, surrounded by a gilt laurel wreath. This was, according to General Order RM 44/1912, 'to be worn on a Forage cap by all Non-Commissioned Officers and men of the Royal Marine Artillery Band at all times in lieu of the present grenade'. This could be a reference to the reputed badge bearing the Royal Cypher of King Edward VII since, if not, it would have been an addition to the present grenade'. (It should be noted that the reference to NCOs and men of the RMA does not preclude Officers from wearing it. At that time there were no Officers in the RMA Band - Bandmaster B S Green was granted a Commission by the King two months later. It should also be recognised that all of these awards were made to the Band but not the Buglers.).

General Order RM 44/1912 also stated that the Royal Cypher 'GRV' in silver would be worn on the helmet plate of the RMA Band (all ranks) over the anchor and below the globe.