Royal Marines Light Infantry: Completed

The Royal Marines, along with a force of sailors, were the first British troops landed at Suakin. The 464 men and 14 officers of the RMLI were commanded by Lt Colonel (brevet Colonel) Henry Brasnell Tuson, Royal Marine Artillery.

At El Teb the Marines formed the rear of the left hand flank of the square as it advanced, behind the York and Lancaster Regiment. As they approached and skirted the hill where the Beja were located they became the closest British to the Ansar lines. The men in the square were ordered to turn 90 degrees which put the RMLI in the front as they advanced on the dug-in Beja. The first Ansar charge of the battle caused the Yorks and Lancs, who had outdistanced the Marines as they moved forward, to fall back about 40 yards. The RMLI rushed up to close the gap and oust the Beja who had entered this gap in the formation. The Marines, along with the Naval Brigade and the Yorks and Lancs, were involved in bitter hand to hand fighting as they pushed the Beja out of their first position. The Marines had 2 officers wounded and 3 men killed.

At Tamai the RMLI formed the rear of the 2nd Brigade Square under Major General John Davis and accompanied by Graham himself. When the Black Watch charge opened up the square and the Beja flooded in, the whole British battalion was forced back onto the RMLI completely disrupting their formation. As the Second Brigade began its fighting retreat the Marines were a key element in keeping the steady discipline needed as troops from all the units in the Brigade became hopelessly intermingled. The Marines lost 3 men and 15 wounded at Tamai.

100 RMLI later served with the Guards Camel Regiment in the Desert Column but that is another Army (about 2010)!

Royal Marines Light infantry Officer

Despite a trip to the US last week I managed to finish the officer and two more men for the RLMI; so that is a third of them done.

Although the RLMI had white leather equipment in the Sudan the officer's revolvers holsters and belts were brown.

Royal Marines Light Infantry: Painted 1

Well, I got three painted rather than the six I was aiming for this week, but that's because I did some more Spartans and some GNW Swedes.


They look quite striking with their white equipment and helmets, I think. I'll try and get some more done this week but it looks like I may have to go back to America on Saturday so won't be able to paint next weekend.

Next unit: Royal Marines Light Infantry

The next unit I'm going to do is the Royal Marines Light Infantry. There is no disagreement on the numbers in this unit; all the sources agree on 478 which is 14 figures at 1:33.

Stuart Asquith in his recent War in the Sudan 1884-1898 describes the RMLI as being dressed in undress blue with white helmet and black or white leather equipment. I'm not convinced by this and suspect it refers back to the earlier Egyptian conflict in 1882. There is a watercolor sketch in the Victoria and Albert Museum that shows them wearing grey. Crucially, Count Gleichen in his book With the Camel Corps up the Nile, describes them as being in grey uniforms with white helmets and equipment so that is what I am going for.

Two very small illustrations I found on the net seem to confirm the grey uniform. Firstly, this illustration from the official Royal Marines website; you would assume that they would get it right.

Secondly, this photograph of a number of Royal Marines outside their medical tent in Suakin in 1884. This looks like a grey not a navy blue uniform to me.

Given that they are light infantry I wanted them in rather more active poses and looking a little less regimented. They need a lot of work so I would think that it will take three weeks to get them done. Right, that's enough typing now I better get the rest undercoated!