Commandant General Royal Marines

The Commandant General Royal Marines is the professional head of the Royal Marines. The title has existed since 1943. The Commandant General Royal Marines is responsible for advising the First Sea Lord, with professional responsibility for all Royal Marine units; however his direct reporting line is to the Fleet Commander.[1] He is assisted by a Deputy Commandant General, whose rank is brigadier.[2] This position is not to be confused with Captain General Royal Marines, the ceremonial head. The Commandant General Royal Marines is the counterpart to the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, although the latter is a full general.[3] He is based at Navy Command, as part of the headquarters staff.

Office of the Commandant General Royal Marines
Flag of the Commandant General Royal Marines
Incumbent
Major General Matthew Holmes
since 14 June 2019
Ministry of Defence
AbbreviationCGRM
Member ofNavy Command
Reports toFleet Commander
NominatorSecretary of State for Defence
AppointerPrime Minister
Subject to formal approval by the Queen-in-Council
Term length1-4 years
Formation1825
First holderMajor-General Sir James Campbell

History

The professional head of the Royal Marines was the Deputy Adjutant-General from 1825[4] until 1914 when the post was re-designated the Adjutant-General:[5][6] the post holder usually held the rank of full general.[7] Since 1943 the professional head of the Royal Marines has been the Commandant-General who held the rank of full general until 1977, the rank of lieutenant general until 1996 and the rank of major-general since then.[8]

From 1825 until 1964 his headquarters office which changed location several times was known as the Royal Marine Office.[9][10]

Role as COMUKAMPHIBFOR

The appointment has been held concurrently with that of Commander United Kingdom Amphibious Forces (COMUKAMPHIBFOR) since the creation of the Fleet Battle Staff in 2001. COMUKAMPHIBFOR was one of two deployable two-star maritime operational commanders (the other being Commander UK Maritime Forces (COMUKMARFOR), now Commander United Kingdom Strike Force,[11] with particular responsibility for amphibious and littoral warfare.[11] Unlike COMUKMARFOR, COMUKAMPHIBFOR is primarily configured to command as a combined joint task force and designed to support a single two star commander.[11]

Present Role

In April 2018 it was announced that the two separate deployable two-star maritime operational commanders (COMUKMARFOR and COMUKAMPHIBFOR) would be merged into a single, larger, organisation.[12] This took place on 1 July 2019, whereupon the incumbent COMUKMARFOR took the title of Commander United Kingdom Strike Force (COMUKSTRKFOR), and responsibility for all the deployable elements of COMUKAMPHIBFOR. The Role of Commandant General Royal Marines remains in existence as the non-deployable head of the Royal Marines and the Senior Responsible Owner for the future of amphibious warfare and littoral strike capability, or Future Commando Force.[13]

General Officers Commanding

General Officers Commanding have included:[8]

Deputy Adjutant General Royal Marines

Adjutant General Royal Marines

Commandant General Royal Marines
No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)		 Term of office Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1 General
Sir Thomas Hunton
(1885–1970)		 January 1943 1946 2–3 years –
2 General
Sir Dallas Brooks
(1896–1966)		 1946 May 1949 2–3 years –
3 General
Sir Leslie Hollis
(1897–1963)		 1949 1952 2–3 years –
4 General
Sir John Westall
(1901–1986)		 1952 1955 2–3 years –
5 General
Sir Campbell Hardy
(1906–1984)		 1955 1959 3–4 years –
6 General
Sir Ian Riches
(1908–1996)		 1959 1962 2–3 years –
7 General
Sir Malcolm Cartwright-Taylor
(1911–1969)		 1962 1965 2–3 years –
8 General
Sir Norman Tailyour
(1914–1979)		 1965 1968 2–3 years –
9 General
Sir Peter Hellings
(1916–1990)		 1968 1971 2–3 years –
10 General
Sir Ian Gourlay
(1920–2013)		 1971 9 June 1975 6–7 years –
11 General
Sir Peter Whiteley
(1920–2016)		 1975 1977 1–2 years –
12 Lieutenant General
Sir John Richards
(1927–2004)		 1977 1981 3–4 years –
13 Lieutenant General
Sir Steuart Pringle
(1928–2013)		 1981 1984 2–3 years –
14 Lieutenant General
Sir Michael Wilkins
(1933–1994)		 1984 1987 2–3 years –
15 Lieutenant General
Sir Martin Garrod
(1935–2009)		 1987 1990 2–3 years –
16 Lieutenant General
Sir Henry Beverley
(born 1935)		 1990 1994 3–4 years –
17 Lieutenant General
Sir Robin Ross
(born 1939)		 1994 1996 1–2 years –
18 Major General
David Pennefather
(born 1945)		 1996 1998 1–2 years –
19 Major General
Robert Fulton
(born 1948)		 1998 2001 2–3 years –
20 Major General
Robert Fry
(born 1951)		 2001 2002 0–1 years –
21 Major General
Tony Milton
(born 1949)		 May 2002 February 2004 1 year, 9 months –
22 Major General
David Wilson
(born 1949)		 February 2004 August 2004 6 months –
23 Major General
James Dutton
(born 1954)		 August 2004 June 2006 1 year, 10 months –
24 Major General
Garry Robison
(born 1958)		 June 2006 June 2009 3 years –
25 Major General
Andy Salmon
(born 1959)		 26 June 2009 February 2010 7 months –
26 Major General
Buster Howes
(born 1960)		 February 2010 December 2011 1 year, 10 months –
27 Major General
Ed Davis
(born 1963)		 December 2011 13 June 2014 2 years, 6 months [16][17]
28 Major General
Martin Smith
(born 1962)		 13 June 2014 4 June 2016 1 year, 11 months [17][18]
29 Major General
Robert Magowan
(born 1967)		 4 June 2016 19 January 2018 1 year, 7 months [18][19]
30 Major General
Charles Stickland
(born 1968)		 19 January 2018 14 June 2019 1 year, 4 months [19][20]
31 Major General
Matthew Holmes
(born 1967)		 14 June 2019 Incumbent 1 year, 7 months [20]

References
  1. Government, H.M. "MOD roles and salaries: 2016 - GOV.UK - Navy Command senior". www.gov.uk. Royal Navy, MOD, April 21016. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  2. 08/11/2013 (2014-06-09). "Statement from Deputy Commandant General Royal Marines". Royal Navy. Retrieved 2014-06-14.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. "Marine Corps Leadership". Marine Corps. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  4. "Royal Marines historical time line". Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  5. "British Admiralty". Naval History. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  6. "Punch, or the London Charivari". 11 February 1914. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  7. "Navy List". Admiralty. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  8. "Senior Royal Navy appointments" (PDF). Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  9. Office, Admiralty (December 1827). "Royal Marine Office". The Navy List. London, England: John Murray. p. 124.
  10. Archives, National (1688–1983). "Records of Royal Marines". nationalarchives.gov.uk. London, England: The National Archives. Retrieved 3 January 2019. Division within ADM
  11. "Fleet Battle Staff". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2016.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. "Jane's – UK Amphibious Headquarters to Disappear in Merger". 20 April 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  13. "Future Amphibious Force". BMT. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  14. "No. 33983". The London Gazette. 3 October 1933. p. 6355.
  15. "No. 34329". The London Gazette. 6 October 1936. p. 6363.
  16. City brigadier will lead Royal Marines Archived 2011-12-09 at the Wayback Machine This is Plymouth, 5 November 2011.
  17. "Commandant General Royal Marines Supersession". royalnavy.mod.uk. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  18. "Supersession of the Commandant General Royal Marines (CGRM)". theroyalmarinescharity.org.uk. The Royal Marines Charity. 13 June 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  19. "Supersession of the Commandant General Royal Marines (CGRM)". theroyalmarinescharity.org.uk. The Royal Marines Charity. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  20. "Supersession of the Commandant General Royal Marines (CGRM)". theroyalmarinescharity.org.uk. The Royal Marines Charity. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
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