"Uniforms of the Royal Marine Artillery " Topic

Of possible interest?

PDF link

Hope you enjoy!

Amicalement
Armand

The enlisted men of the Royal Marine Artillery wore Royal Artillery uniforms in North America during the War of 1812. The officers wore the regulation Royal Marine uniform. The dark blue Royal Artillery uniform was authorized in 1811 and was also 'sanctioned' for officers in 1812. On 19 March 1814 the Royal Marine Artillery embarked at Portsmouth and was supplied with '4 blue jackets for sergeants, 4 blue jackets for drummers, 36 blue jackets for gunners; 36 pairs of half-gaiters, 4 caps for sergeants, 76 caps for gunners, 80 knapsacks; 120 pairs of grey trousers.'-The Royal Marine Artillery 1804-1923 by Edward Fraser and LG Carr-Laughton, page 301.

I agree with Kevin.

The Royal Navy website has a series of Charles Stadden prints of Royal Marine uniforms over the years:

link

One of these shows a Napoleonic RMA soldier in RA uniform (blue with red facings) wearing a RM round hat. You need to scroll the print two pages to the right to see that uniform. This is exactly how I will model them when I get around to it.

Rod

What a marvellous find. The instantly recognisable style of Franklin who brought us British Nap Field Artillery and British Nap Uniforms.

I'll now be honest. Certainly aware of French Marine Artillery and even an input to TOTB (The One True battle)……but I had never known that there was a……

Yes a good find indeed.

As Kevin has stated RMA gunners/rocketeers in North America wore a blue tunic. It had red facings but white lace, (Belgic) shako cords, turn backs and chevrons vice the RA yellow.

For an illustration of the above see the text and plate on pgs 80-81 of "Military Uniforms in America: Vol II Years of Growth, 1796-1851, The Company of Military Historians."

Would certainly be interesting to see Franklin's sources for his claim that the RMA wasn't renuniformed in blue until 1816. It's pretty clear that these plates incorporate some best guesses and assumptions. Might be useful for painting the Minifigs Marines I have been sitting on.

Happy you enjoyed it boys!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Thank you, Armand

A votre service mon ami!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

A little background of the Royal Marine Artillery in North America during the War of 1812:

The Royal Marines organized and deployed three battalions for service in North America during the War of 1812. Each battalion was composed of six infantry companies, an artillery company and a half-company of rockets. Each Royal Marine artillery company was composed of five officers, 8 NCOs, 2 drummers, 6 bombardiers, and 60 gunners. The rocket half-company was composed of 1 officer, 4 NCOs, and 20 gunners. Royal Marine artillerymen also served aboard ship manning the rockets on the rocket ship HMS Erebus as well as on the five bomb vessels serving against the Americans manning the 10- and 13-inch mortars aboard the bomb vessels. The rocket detachment aboard HMS Erebus was a half-company of artillerymen.

The First and Second Battalion served in the Chesapeake and in Canada, most notably in the attack on Oswego on 5 May 1814. After Oswego, the two battalions were broken up into detachments and assigned to the Royal Navy lake flotillas. While the artillery companies were supposed to be assigned to various fortifications. They fought at Plattsburg on 11 September 1814, and on the Niagara in the summer of 1814 at both the battles of Chippawa and Lundy's Lane and a detachment of Royal Marine artillery participated in the unsuccessful siege of Fort Erie.

The Third Marine Battalion arrived in the Chesapeake in July 1814 and participated in the raids along the coast and participated in the British victory at Bladensburg as well as in the American delaying action at North Point outside of Baltimore. Royal Marine artillerymen were aboard the five bomb vessels previously mentioned and the rocket ship HMS Erebus for the bombardment of Fort McHenry in September 1814.

After the British failure at Baltimore, all of the Royal Marine units went south to operate on the Georgia coast with the exception Lieutenant Lawrence's rocket detachment that was assigned to the invasion force destined for New Orleans. The detachment would be attached to the British attacking force on the west bank of the Mississippi during the main action of the campaign on 8 January 1815.

The Royal Marine artillery detachments would also see action after New Orleans in the siege and capture of Fort Bowyer at Mobile Bay and along the south Georgia coast.

Thanks Kevin!.

Amicalement
Armand

I found this thread very useful. One thing I'm not clear about is the headwear. Did the other ranks wear top hats or shakos? I've seen drawings (not contemporary) with either. I note that the extract above from the clothing issues mentions caps which usually refers to shakos but I suppose could be for top hats.

I would assume top hats as this is a postcard of their 1816 uniform

However see below which points to shako:

I do love to see moribund threads revived comme ca..

That bit in the New Testament, just after the Crucifixion, about the Dead giving up their graves and walking the city etc

Things are so quiet here, thanks for that new input. I know Tango will agree, but I do worry about the lack of responses of late

Poe,

Thanks. Those were the pictures I was thinking of. I'm inclined towards the shako as:

1: It's easier to convert!
2: The text mentioned by Brechtel198 mentions caps. I was looking at an order for uniforms in Canada and it distinguishes between caps and round hats which may be used if there are insufficient caps.

Any thoughts?

From "Britain's sea-soldiers, a history of the Royal marines and their predecessors and of their services in action, ashore and afloat" by Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Field RMLI

Volume 1" page 262 et seq
"The suggestion to create an Artillery Force exclusively under Admiralty control came from Lord Nelson, and the following extract from the Order in Council of 18th August, 1804, establishing the Royal Marine Artillery explains exactly its " raison d'etre."

"Having taken into our consideration the inconveniences attending the embarking detachments of Royal Artillery on board Your Majesty's Bomb Vessels, we are of opinion that the establishment of a company at each of the head-quarters of Your Majesty's Royal Marine Forces, under the denomination of Royal Marine Artillery, will enable us to supply Your Majesty's Bomb Vessels and other ships where their services may be required, with proper detachments, and to relieve those of the Royal Artillery now serving therein. We do, therefore, most humbly propose that Your Majesty will be graciously pleased to authorise us to give the necessary directions for forming a company of Royal Marine Artillery, in addition to the present establishment of Royal Marines, at each of the headquarters, to be selected from the most intelligent and experienced officers and men of the respective divisions, each company to consist of one captain, three first lieutenants, five second lieutenants, five sergeants, five corporals, eight bombardiers, three drummers, and sixty-two gunners, with the same pay as is allowed to Your Majesty's Corps of Royal Artillery."

The proportion of Officers and N.C.Os. to Gunners seems extraordinarily large, but it is probable that the higher numbers at the mortars they were to serve were to be drawn from the Infantry Marines or, perhaps, from the seamen. Thus "unregarded by the nation or the Navy " came into existence " the Corps which quietly and noiselessly pioneered the way for the march of Naval gunnery progress. Its work produced in 1832 a purely Naval gunnery school -the Excellent, where selected Naval Officers and seamen were put through a short course of artillery instruction [Capt. J. C. R. Columb, R.M.A., at the Royal United Service Institution . 2nd Feb., 1883]."

From its very inception the new branch of the Marine Forces had an uphill row to hoe. Though nominally Artillerymen and paid as such they were not allowed to wear an Artillery uniform and had no special organisation of their own, being merely in much the same position as the old grenadier companies at each Division.

In course of time a blue undress jacket was adopted for drill and working purposes, but it was not long before exception was taken to this garment by the Naval Authorities. A small detachment of the R.M.A. having been embarked in the Bomb-Vessel Hound provided with these blue coats, the Captain of the ship at once complained to the Admiralty which brought down a letter from the Secretary to the Admiralty to Colonel Anderson, the Commandant of the Chatham Division, dated 17th June, 1807, in which he was directed " to report upon what ground and upon what Authority the dress of this party differs from the Established Clothing of the Corps."

Colonel Anderson replied that he had " found that Undress had been established under the sanction of Lieutenant-Generals Campbell and Barclay " when he had assumed command of the Division and that he had called on Captain Williams commanding the R.M.A. Company for a report on the matter, which he now enclosed.

The Report was as follows :-
Royal Marine Barracks,
Chatham, June 18, 1807.

Sir,

In compliance with your directions to report to you, upon what ground, and by what authority the Non-Commissioned Officers and Gunners of the Royal Marine Artillery Companies occasionally wear a blue cloth working jacket with a red cuff and collar; I beg leave to state to you that in June, 1805, I was induced to propose to Lieut-General Barclay who then commanded at this Headquarter, that on account of the great injury which the uniform clothing of the Companies sustained from the Powder, when at Gun and Mortar practice, but more especially the latter; they should be permitted to purchase a blue jacket and a pair of overalls which they were to wear upon all duties of fatigue, and upon such other occasions as might be necessary, in order to preserve their uniform clothing. That in consequence of this proposal the Lt. -General in the orders of June 14th, 1805, signified his approbation of this undress; which was to be purchased at the expense of the men, in lieu of the undress red jacket usually furnished to the Royal Marines.

At the Annual Inspection of the Division by Lieut.-General Campbell in December 16th, 1805, he was pleased to examine this jacket, and to consider it as an appropriate dress.

All the detachments of Artillery that have embarked since that period have been furnished with it, and I beg to observe that generally speaking, each man has taken with him two suits of Uniform Clothing, differing in no respect from the established Clothing of the Corps, independent of his working jacket, and which Clothing has been annually supplied him in the usual manner.

I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient humble Servant,
RD. WILLIAMS (Capt. R.M.A.).

Colonel Anderson,
Commandt. Royal Marines.'

"….the Admiralty were slow to realise the merits of the Corps which they had established in a moment of pique against the Military authorities. It was not until 1817 that the original companies which had been increased to four on the establishment of the Woolwich Division in 1805 were doubled, their total numbers, all ranks included, then only amounting to under 700.

The Minute regarding this doubling of the Corps which was addressed to the Duke of Clarence by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty ran as follows :-

"We are so well satisfied of the utility of having a considerable body of Marines trained to gunnery, that we are inclined to recommend that the Royal Marine Artillery be increased to eight Companies, as well for the purpose of encouraging and training the other Marines, as to enable us to embark a certain number of well-trained Artillerymen in others of His Majesty's ships as well as in the Bombs, experience having proved the great advantage to be derived to the service from this practice, which has been tried of late to a small extent."

It was at this time that the Royal Marine Artillery were first permitted to wear the uniform that should have been theirs from their original creation. Permission to wear undress blue jackets and caps when employed on artillery service " had been granted to the Officers in 1812. Prior to this therefore it would seem that while their men wore blue on this duty they themselves had to appear in red.

But on the 9th May, 1816, the " Commandant in Town," who seems to have held a somewhat similar position to the Adjutant General R.M. of the present day; was ordered to report on a proposal made by the Major Commandant of the Royal Marine Artillery that its uniform should be the same as that of the Royal Artillery. That his report recommended the adoption of the proposal is to be assumed from the fact that the Admiralty issued instructions on the 26th October of the same year that the Royal Marine Artillery were to be " clothed as the Royal Artillery," except for their buttons and hats which were to be the same as those worn by the Royal Marines. On the 9th December, however, the headdress was ordered to be distinguished from that worn by the Infantry Companies by "the addition of plate, cockade, tuft and band agreeably to the pattern sent herewith." At the same time, in order that the R.M.A. should not be divorced from the rest of the Marine Corps, it was laid down that " The officers of the Divisional and Artillery Companies are in all cases interchangeable at the pleasure of their lordships. If an officer of Artillery shall rise to a rank in the Corps at large higher than his rank in the Artillery he shall be removed from the Artillery into the vacancy to which he may be entitled."

Volume 2 page 21 et seq re Uniforms of Marines:

1812. (ADMIRALTY), May 27. Experimental issue of " Caps " to be made to see if they are more suitable than Hats for use at sea.
(N.B.-These " Caps " were probably the cylindrical shakos worn by the Infantry in the Peninsula War then generally termed " Caps."
(PLYMOUTH), June 1. OFFICERS to wear same pattern Hats as Privates; also Coats, but with Lapels to button over breadth of body. Drab Great-Coat with Stand-up Collar and Cape. Uniform Buttons.
At Court Officers to wear Long Boots and Cocked Hats. All Epaulettes to be of the same pattern. Badges of Rank as in 1810.
(ADMIRALTY), Aug. 28. Royal Marine Artillery Officers to be allowed to wear Blue Undress Jackets and Caps when employed on Artillery Service.
(PLYMOUTH) , Sept. 16. Officers excused from wearing Hair Powder in Town.
1813. (ADMIRALTY) , Aug. 8. Commandant ordered to report why Royal Marine Great Coats are Drab instead of a Mixed Colour like the Army.
(ADMIRALTY), Oct. 19 . Great Coats are to be the same as the Line.
Oct. 20 .Officers ' Great Coats to be precisely the same as the Army.
Oct. 28. Permission granted for Ornament in front of Officers ' Hats to be removed.
1814. Company Sergeants granted a special badge and 6d. a day in consideration of the meritorious and exemplary
conduct of N.C.O's. R.M.
1814. (ROYAL MARINE ARTILLERY), Oct. 7. " In consequence of the men of the R.M.A. being supplied with Grey Trousers by the Navy Board, the Commanding Officer approves of the Officers wearing the same.
1816. (ADMIRALTY), Oct. 26. The R.M.A. are to be clothed as the Royal Artillery, except for Buttons and Hats.
Round Hats are to be worn similar to those worn by the Royal Marines.
(N.B.-Statement of Prices attached includes in each case estimate for Coat and 46 Waistcoat with Sleeves) .
(ADMIRALTY) , Dec. 9. The Marine Hat to be established for the R.M.A. , with the addition of Plate, Cockade, Tuft and Band agreeably to the Pattern sent herewith ."

From the above & looking at the black and white illustrations/drawings in the above volumes, it would appear that the shako plate shown on the shako drawing was not issued until 1816! So it looks like this may be "artistic license". As caps (i.e. shakos) were authorised for the Royal Marines in 1812, I would have expected the RMA to follow suit.

Prince of Essling,

Thanks again- that's very detailed and useful information.

My interpretation is as follows:

Initially the RMA wore red tunics but from 1805 wore blue (with white lace?) and round hats. The officers initially wore red but later changed to blue.

From 1812, they wore shakos (officers followed slightly later)

From 1816, they wore blue tunics with yellow lace (as worn by the RA) but with round hats.

Both the drawings are correct except that the RMA officer in 1815 may have worn a blue tunic and a shako.

@ Trockledockle

Below is a drawing by Charles Stadden of the Royal Marines from the Napoleonic period to the Crimean War. The left hand image would appear to be the RMA shortly after it was formed in undress:

Image from Tradition magazine, text says that in 1812 the RMA wore a similar uniform to the Royal Artillery:

Prince of Essling,

I've managed to see the two volumes on the history of the RMA/Royal Marines and they are very interesting. I hadn't realised how varied their service was. Thanks for the links.

Franklin states that the RMA wore the RA forage cap which was a different shape to the ones shown. The 1812 order doesn't differentiate between officer and other ranks' caps. I suppose it was possible that officers also wore this type of forage cap but I suspect that they would have found it beneath their dignity so I'm inclined to the shako but I doubt that we will ever know.

The 2005 article by the late Carl Franklin has been relocated to the following URL
PDF link

In the same manner that the idea of Vikings having horns on their helmets came into being in 1876, I would argue that the idea of the RMA wearing shakos and a blue version of the tunic worn by the infantry of the corps of Royal Marines came into being in 1966 when the artist Eric Irvine Manders had his drawing published that year. I'd want to see primary source material in support of this.

It's been interesting elsewhere to have seen comments about what the KGL actually wore, versus how this has been distorted by "artistic interpretations" without recourse to sources.

"The Admiralty, on 18 March 1814, ordered the Royal Marine Artillery about to be embarked to be supplied with '4 Blue Jackets for Sergeants, 4 Blue Jackets for Drummers, 36 Blue Jackets for Gunners, 36 pairs half gaiters, 4 caps for Sergeants, 76 caps for Gunners, 80 knapsacks, 120 pairs grey trousers'"

Secondary source:
pg 301
Fraser, Edward; Carr-Laughton, L. G. (1930).
The Royal Marine Artillery 1804-1923, Volume 1 [1804-1859].
London: The Royal United Services Institution.

Also present is a black and white print of the October 1816 uniform. This is very similar to the Stadden print of the three marines outside Unicorn Gate, Portsmouth Naval Base, which appears in this thread, above the Manders illustration.

Source:
Stadden, Charles C. (1997).
Uniforms of the Royal Marines.
The Pompadour Gallery

Wasn't it standard practice to issue a new set of clothing once a year?

Folios 277-278: enclosure with folios 275-276:
Letter dated 28 January 1815 from Captain [John] Lawrence, Royal Marine Artillery, HMS Tonnant, to Charles Kerr, HMS Tonnant.
His artillery embarked in February 1814 with Sir Alexander Cochrane in HMS Asia at Portsmouth and since removed to HMS Tonnant. He asks Kerr to request the Admiralty to send out sufficient clothing and caps for the return of the men annexed to the Tonnant which can be charged to them on the ship's books.

Folio 279: enclosure with folios 275-276:
List of 22 men of the Royal Marine Artillery embarked in February 1814 on HMS Tonnant [as the artillery detachment of the battalion commanded by Brevet Lieutenant Colonel James Malcolm] and now in need of blue jackets, grey trousers and caps.

Primary source:
Admiralty, Navy Department: Letters from Captains, Surnames K.,
28 January 1815,
ADM 1/2026/112,
The National Archives UK,

For the past twenty or so years, Jim Kochan has been researching the Royal Marines, and I believe he will be publishing a book on them from 1776 to 1815.

Secondary sources about the 1816 uniform

From October 1816 onwards, the Royal Marine Artillery wore the dark blue coat – faced in red with yellow bastion lace loops for gunners – of the Royal Artillery, with only buttons and badges as a distinction. (Fraser & Carr-Laughton, p.303)(Stadden, p.44)

This contrasts with the red coatee, adorned with white lace, extended from the buttons, in paired square ended loops.(Stadden, p.40)

Stadden states that neither the cylindrical felt shako adopted by the British Army in 1800 not the high fronted headdress of 1812 were ever worn by the Royal Marine Artillery. Rather the round lacquered felt "round hat" was retained by both the Marine Infantry from 1799 and the newly created Marine Artillery from 1804 until replaced by a similar round but peakless headdress, with a plate and resembling a civilian top hat, by 1816. The first real shako to be worn by either branch of the Marines was the "Regency" headdress of 1823.

The Stadden print from 1971 has the gunner wearing a pork pie shaped hat, as mentioned by Franklin, so I am wondering if these are based on the same primary source material held by the Royal Marines Museum, and its successor.

Stadden lived an hour's drive from the museum, and collaborated directly with them, so would consider him a more reliable secondary source than the artists impression by Manders.

Ed Seufert's Chesapeake Royal Marines re-enactors wear what Franklin has labelled 'the standard Marine fatigue cap (c) similar to that of the line infantry'

Mention of the uniform of Royal Marines, and the liaison of the reenactors with Jim Kochan, in the following web scrape.
link

Tradition Magazine, Number 158, JULY 2000.
SPECIAL – MARINES of the Napoleonic Wars: France, Spain, Italy, Great Britain.

An interesting parallel

Not surprisingly, readily available primary evidence for the appearance of the KGL is thin and patchy, but over the years a ballooning mass of secondary material has been piled up on these skinny foundations, some of which needs to be questioned. As so often with uniformological matters, sheer repetition by later writers and illustrators has had the effect of fixing in cement features of dress that may or may not be speculative in origin. For example, many details of modern standardised images of the KGL have been derived uncritically from the work of Knötel, which should be used with care.

thisreilluminatedschoolofmars.wordpress.com/the-dress-of-the-kings-german-legion-1-some-primary-sources

There was some debate in 1812, as to whether the round hat ought to be replaced. Nothing happened, else it would have been documented.

It would appear it remained in use until 1823, with the adoption of the bell-top shako.

Whether they were looking to adopt a shako or not is beyond me, when using the word "cap".

link

Correction

Folio 279: enclosure with folios 275-276:
List of 22 men of the Royal Marine Artillery embarked in February 1814 on HMS Tonnant [as the rocket a̶r̶t̶i̶l̶l̶e̶r̶y̶ detachment of the battalion commanded by Major Lewis B̶r̶e̶v̶e̶t̶ ̶L̶i̶e̶u̶t̶e̶n̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶C̶o̶l̶o̶n̶e̶l̶ ̶J̶a̶m̶e̶s̶ ̶M̶a̶l̶c̶o̶l̶m̶] and now in need of blue jackets, grey trousers and caps.

Here is the picture of a War of 1812 Royal Marine Artillerist reenactor

Some very appealing figures from Blue Moon miniatures, which seem to be in keeping with the research done by the late Carl Franklin

link

A copy of the untruthful Manders illustration from 1966 of a Sergeant has been made in the following line-up.

Stadden (1997), pg 44, paragraph 3 of 3

Royal Marine Artillery 1804-1923
"The Blue Marines"

The first uniforms worn by the officers and men of these artillery companies were exactly the same as those worn by the remainder of the Corps, although a blue fatigue coatee with red collar was authorised when working on guns. A special cap described at the time by an officer as being of
'a pork pie shape with a flap at the back and the front having a brass GR on the front flap'
was also worn by early Marine artillerymen. In October 1816 an instruction was issued that the Royal Marine Artillery was to be
'clothed as the Royal Artillery'
except for their buttons and hats which were to be the same as the Royal Marines. By this time the headdress had changed from the Round Hat of 1799 to a design reminiscent of a civilian top hat, made of black beaver for officers and black lacquered felt for other ranks. A headdress plate – gilt for officers, brass for the men – now adorned the front of the hat with a design of the Crown above a Garter Strap inscribed ROYAL MARINE ARTILLERY, in the centre of the Garter Strap was a Foul Anchor and either side a Trophy of Arms – Colours, guns and muskets – at the bottom was a mortar with a stack of cannon balls on each side. A white feather plume in a gilt tulip on a black silk cockade was fixed to the left side of offices' headdress and white tufts, black cockades and yellow loops to the rank and file headdress. Sergeants' loops, and indeed all their lace, was in gold.

On page 45 is the print of the Officer, Gunner and Sergeant of RMA, outside Unicorn Gate, Portsmouth Naval Base

Uniforms of the Royal Marines.
The Pompadour Gallery. ISBN 0-9519342-2-8

From original paintings by
Charles C. Stadden

With a Text By
George and Christopher Newark

Assisted By
Major Alastair Donald

Charles Stadden is one of the most versatile of contemporary military artists.
[Written at the time of publication in 1997, he died in September 2002]

George and Christopher Newark are directors of the Pompadour Gallery, publishers of military books and postcards…

Major Alastair Donald joined the Royal Marines in 1943… In 1966 he became the Corps Historian and after retiring from the Royal Marines was appointed the Corps Archivist and Deputy Director of the Royal Marines Museum. He later became the Corps Historical Records Officer and co-founded the Royal Marines Historical Society.
[Written at the time of publication in 1997, he died in March 2014, born 1925]

Attempt no 2
Tradition 158 page 60

link

attempt No3

Artilleur, tenue de service, Royal Marine Artillery, 1805-1815
En juin 1805, les sous-officiers et artilleurs de l'artillerie de marine sont dotés d'un gilet bleu avec collet et parements rouges. Ils portent également un calot bleu, probablement relevé de rouge, et des pantalons gris ou blancs.
__________________________________________________

Gunner, service dress uniform, Royal Marine Artillery, 1805–1815
In June 1805, non-commissioned officers and gunners in the Royal Marine Artillery were issued with a blue waistcoat with a red facings and collar. They also wore a blue cap, probably trimmed with red, and grey or white trousers.

Lieutenant, tenue de service, Royal Marines, c. 1802-1812.
En service et au combat, les officiers d'infanterie de marine portent habituellement l'habit sans galons, le pantalon et le chapeau rond. Après 1812, la tenue demeure essentiellement la même sinon que les basques de l'habit sont raccourcies.
__________________________________________________

Lieutenant, service dress uniform,
Royal Marines, c. 1802–1812.
Whilst on duty and in combat, Royal Marines officers usually wore the coat without braiding, trousers and a round hat. After 1812, the uniform remained essentially the same, except that the coats' tails were shortened.

Soldat, tenue tropicale, Royal Marines, c. 1802-1815.
Les détachements d'infanterie de marine à bord des navires
naviguant dans les mers du sud peuvent se doter d'une tenue de service plus appropriée au climat tropical. Il s'agit en général de gilets et de pantalons de toile blanche. Les ordres à bord du HMS Blenheim à cet égard mentionnent également une coiffure de travail en toile blanche bien que le chapeau rond devait être de rigueur en d'autres occasions. Le gilet (que les Britanniques nomment veste) a sans doute le collet, les parements et les pattes d'épaules bleues. C'est alors l'usage dans l'armée de terre britannique. Les Royal Marines qui, en 1810, débarquent sur l'lle de France (auj. L'lle Maurice) portaient cette tenue blanche et bleue.
__________________________________________________

Soldier, tropical uniform, Royal Marines, c. 1802–1815.
Marine detachments aboard ships sailing in the southern seas could be issued with a service dress uniform more suited to the tropical climate. This generally consists of white canvas waistcoats and trousers. The orders aboard HMS Blenheim in this regard also mention a working cap made of white canvas, although the round hat was to be mandatory on other occasions. The waistcoat (which the British call a ‘jacket') undoubtedly has blue facings, collar and epaulettes. This was the custom in the British Army at the time. The Royal Marines who, in 1810, landed on Île de France (now Mauritius) wore this white and blue uniform.

Field
Volume 2 page 21 et seq re Uniforms of Marines:

[ADM 1/3248 folio 86]
1812. (ADMIRALTY), May 27. Experimental issue of " Caps " to be made to see if they are more suitable than Hats for use at sea.
(N.B.-These " Caps " were probably the cylindrical shakos worn by the Infantry in the Peninsula War then generally termed " Caps."

Meaghan Walker
St. Vincent, for example, was very pro-marines and may be the reason that the marine hats were never changed to the infantry caps as the proposal to change them was submitted while he was First Lord. St. V thought that the marines should be used instead of infantry for policing civilians broadly in Britain, which would obviously greatly transform the power of the Royal Navy on land. This was never done unilaterally in Britain, but marines did play important policing roles in dockyards and in British colonies. So I think there was a huge conflict where some people in the navy were trying to make them appear more soldier-like at sea, while at the same time there was an effort to make marines reflect naval power on land.

Ron Bate May 7, 2022 at 10:57 pm Reply
As regards Royal Marine hats, there was a contract placed for this style of hat before the Army decided it was going to adopt the ‘Belgic Shako' style hat, so not as have to waste all the hats that had been produced, they were given to the Royal Marines, who were just going through their period of uniform change. A case of, waste not want not.

accessible via
link

Rawlinson, John (1 October 2014).
Personal Distinctions: 350 Years of Royal Marines Uniforms and Insignia.
published by the Royal Marines Historical Society.
ISBN 978-1-90-812309-1.

At the time, he was the Honorary Secretary of the Society

Les ordres à bord du HMS Blenheim à cet égard mentionnent également une coiffure de travail en toile blanche

The article in Tradition, JULY 2000, would appear to lean heavily on Haythornthwaite (1993), pg 48

For work aboard ship, marines bought the same 'slop' clothing as the seamen, but attempts were usually made to maintain their distinction.
In action it was probably usual for marines to wear their red jackets; but Lieutenant Roteley of HMS Victory described how in the excitement of Trafalgar the marines on the gun-decks had discarded their jackets and were virtually indistinguishable from the seamen, in checked shirts and blue trousers, all working like horses'.
Checked shirts are mentioned as early as 1775 (an issue of one checked to four white shirts per man), with an old hat and jacket for 'sea kit'.
Other references suggest the use of white undress jackets of
army style: these were mentioned in orders for HMS Blenheim, to be worn with white trousers and pipeclayed canvas caps in fine weather between the hours of 8am and 8pm. An undress cap of this style is shown in Drummond's painting of Camperdown, a somewhat shapeless, bag-like construction; see Plate G for another.
During the American War of Independence, marines had worn 'light clothing' for hot climates, with linen lining instead of wool, raven duck smallclothes, and thread stockings, but it was noted in 1798 that only 500 sets of this uniform had been produced for the war then in progress.

'In the same manner that the idea of Vikings having horns on their helmets came into being in 1876, I would argue that the idea of the RMA wearing shakos and a blue version of the tunic worn by the infantry of the corps of Royal Marines came into being in 1966 when the artist Eric Irvine Manders had his drawing published that year. I'd want to see primary source material in support of this.'

'Stadden states that neither the cylindrical felt shako adopted by the British Army in 1800 not the high fronted headdress of 1812 were ever worn by the Royal Marine Artillery…'

Stadden (1997), pg 52

The period from the end of the Napoleonic War in 1815 to the start of the Crimean War in 1854 saw considerable changes in the uniform of the Royal Marines. The cylindrical felt [stovepipe] shako with a leather peak adopted by the British Army in 1800, and replaced by [the Belgic,] a similar version with an added high front in 1812,
was never worn by the Royal Marines
who continued to wear the black lacquered felt 'round hat' introduced in 1799 (page 41), and adapted slightly (page 45), until the issue of the 'Regency' shako in 1823.

I would think it most likely that the gunners of the Royal Marine battalions would have been in undress garrison caps, or pork pie hats, with blue undress jackets and grey trousers.

Whilst a "cap" is documented as having been trialled in May 1812, as an alternative to the round hat, there is nothing to document that it ever went past the trial period.

There's a good photo of a 'mitred', 'wedge shaped', or 'pork pie shaped' infantry forage cap on the following thread. I've seen another image recently, but cannot relocate it.
link

Field, vol 2, 1924, p.25

TROPICAL UNIFORM.

The following extract from the Life of Sir Robert Abercrombie, published in the "Royal Military Chronicle" in 1813, indicates that a White and Blue uniform was sometimes worn by the Marines in hot climates.

Reoounting the capture of the Island of Bourbon, in 1810, the writer says :-—
" In the night a party of Marines joined the Army. In these climates they are usually dressed in White and Blue, and from the obscurity of objects the similitude of their drees caused them to be easily taken for French soldiers. The alarm of surprise spread through the ranks several Corps stood to their arms and some gave fire. By this unfortunate accident some lives were lost end many wounded."