"AWI British Marines in Boston Campaign" Topic

Best wishes to all and please bear with me as this is my first time engaging in discussion in this forum. I am seeking information regarding the British Marines at Lexington, Concord, and Breed's Hill.
Specifically, did they carry colors? or perhaps, guidons? If so, is there an electronic or printed example accessable? Lastly, John Mollo, (whom I am aware is credible, but not necessarily an exhaustive source) mentioned that the British Marines in Boston formed a grenadier and a light company. Anybody know of any credible sources for color plates of these?
My colleagues in 40 Commando, Royal Marines, couldn't answer the question- which I found remarkable because those fellows really keep up with their history/regimental lineage. Great to join the chat.
Semper Fi to all!

Hello,

No British marines did not carry any regimental colours during the AWI period. Much like Converged Grenadier units of the period they was no colours alloted to these adhoc formations. Marines were mostly employed to carry out light raids or protect sailors and were not ment to go at it toe-to-toe with regular army units.

Besides Regimental Colours are for the "Lobsters" ( British Army ) .

If you are interested in purchasing some flags I carry a comprehensive range for the AWI in my catalog below:

link

Yours,
Brian Homenick.

Isn't there a colour plate of a Marine Grenadier in Mollo's book? The Osprey Campaign book on "Boston 1775" includes references to grenadier and (I think) light infantry contributions from the Marines, so I think Mollo is probably correct here.

Jarhead

Try to get hold of a brilliant little book called "For the Glory of the Marines" by Thomas Boaz, a US re-enactor who has made a lifetime study of the Marines.

There is a colour plate of a Marine grenadier in Mollo & McGregor, anbd also plates of a major (supposed to be Pitcairn) and a battalion company corporal. Some years ago, Military Modelling did a feature on the Marines in Boston in 1775, which showed all ranks' uniforms (I think it was part of a series by one of the Fosten brothers). Your corps museum in Portsmouth has a surviving example of a bearskin cap, and I think also a light infantry cap (which was a pill-box-type shape with a leather false front not dissimilar in shape and design to the front plate of the grenadier bearskin). As the flank companies would have been fairly recently raised, I would suggest the light bobs did NOT have red waistcoats, but otherwise looked pretty much like a normal light infantryman.

Both battalions in Boston had grenadier & light companies; the former were part of the converged grenadier battalions a year later in the New York campaign.

Contrary to an earlier post, the Marines DID have colours (the first known set was made in 1760) and are believed to have carried a set on the L&C raid and at Bunker Hill - this set, by then in shreds, was reputedly sold at auction at Christies in 1912. Although the Marines were not covered by the provisions of the 1768 Warrant, they seem to have adopted the same system as the Army and would have had a standard King's Colour and a Regimental colour that followed the rules for white-faced regiments. The central badge was either a fouled anchor (1760 example), or a ship with furled sails (1770 example) - nobody knows for sure now. I suspect the former, as the fouled anchor badge appears on all belt and cap plates.

Hope that helps.

ps: Ignore the miniature of Pitcairn that shows up in books; the uniform style is 1790s, so if it is a Pitcairn, it must be one of his sons.

I second getting the Boaz book, it is well done and should answer many of the questions you have. I think it has details of the colors carried by the Marines; the information I have is pretty much the same as Supercilius Maximus.

Thanks to all for your shared expertise, I have acquired a copy of Boaz's book via Amazon. One clarification, I'm a US Marine, or "leatherneck". I refered to the "bootnecks" of 40 Commando, RM as "colleages" because I had the priviledge of serving with them briefly in the 1980's in the NATO NCO Exchange Program. Thanks again, I am tardy in acknowledging your assistance because I had a recent plane ride to a very hot-spot.

Congratulations on getting back safely!