"Royal Naval Battalion unique uniform" Topic

Scale Creep has the QRF range of 15mm figures, including pack WBI12 Royal Naval Battalion and WBI13 Royal Naval Battalion Command in their unique uniform.

For which campaigns are these uniforms correct? Only Gallipoli? Didn't they later change to standard uniforms in France?

Does anyone have good sources (print or online) for this unit?

The Royal Naval Battalions (there were several) changed to the standard British army uniform in May, 1916. In addition to Gallipoli, they were involved in the 1914 campaigns in Belgium (Ostend and Antwerp).

Robert

In the trenches of France they wore standard uniform apart from using naval rank badges, I believe.

What are the principal differences- khaki covers on naval-pattern caps and naval ranks, or something more fundamental?

More fundamental. Here is a colourised photo of Hood Battalion marching through Antwerp in 1914:

Robert

Oh, that's very interesting. The tunics look (in cut and to some extent color) like the marine blue patrol uniforms, and some of the caps look like Broderick caps- was that the provenance? How long did they wear those in the field?

I bet that's an interesting book.

I am certain that's actually an RMLI battalion and not the Hood Battalion. Besides the RM uniform and Brodericks, the rankers have collar badges and the fellow in the lead has a WO rank badge on his sleeve rather than that of a Petty Officer. Even when the RND had switched over to almost 100% Army kit later on, they strictly maintained naval rank and ratings insignia.

This is a useful site with good galleries:
royalnavaldivision.info

Interesting- but a little hard to tell the uniform details. I went back and took a look at Martin Middlebrook's "Your Country Needs You," which I remembered had some photos of Marine units, and several of them (listed as Ostend or Antwerp) show units identified as Marines in what appear to be blue patrol uniforms- including the Broderick caps and khaki gaiters. There is also one that's undated, which shows what are claimed to be RMLI in khaki SD. That seems like the kind of variation you would expect to see in a unit that was hastily organized and deployed on the outbreak of war, though.

Most of the other pictures I have been able to find don't show anything clearly identifiable as a field uniform for the Naval battalions, unfortunately. That website is interesting, and makes me wonder: is there a good history of the RND that covers all of its administrative, organizational and uniform peregrinations? I know there are several that cover its eventful existence, but do they talk much about how it was run?

Here are models of Naval Ratings associated with the landings in Antwerp:

And a Petty Officer:

Robert