Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) is the principal military training centre for the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry and also one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighti ...

. It is situated near the villages of

Lympstone Lympstone is a village and civil parish in East Devon in the English county of Devon. It has a population of 1,754. There is a harbour on the estuary of the River Exe, lying at the outlet of Wotton Brook between cliffs of red breccia.

and Exton, between the city of

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, and the town of

Exmouth Exmouth is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the 5th most populous settlement in Devon. Hi ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England.

History

The site was established in 1940 as the "Royal Marines Depot Exton" and was renamed the "Royal Marines Depot Lympstone" later in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. In February 1960 the Commando School Royal Marines, which had been based at

Bickleigh Barracks Bickleigh Barracks is a military installation at Bickleigh, South Hams which is currently used by 42 Commando. History The barracks were built by A French & Co and completed in early 1940 during the Second World War. In 1950 the Commando School ...

, moved to the site. The site was renamed the "Commando Training Centre Royal Marines" in 1972.

Organisation

Roayl Marine Recruits Rope Climbing at CTCRM MOD 45152269

CTCRM is under the full command of

Fleet Commander The Fleet Commander is a senior Royal Navy post, responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the Naval Service. The Vice-Admiral incumbent is required to provide ships, submarine ...

and responsible for providing

commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

trained officers and other ranks for the front line. CTCRM is overseen by the Commandant CTCRM, a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

, Royal Marines. CTCRM is structured with three training wings (Command Wing, Commando Training Wing and Specialist Wing) each with its own commanding officer.

Courses

Candidates who wish to become Other Ranks are required to pass Recruit Orientation Phase (ROP) for 4 weeks before beginning the mainstream 32 weeks training held at CTCRM, in addition to undergoing academic, medical and interview assessments for candidates to the British armed forces. New entry training for Royal Marines other ranks (the "commando course") is undertaken at CTCRM, at

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous P ...

, and at

Woodbury Common, Devon Woodbury Common in East Devon, England is an area of common land that is predominantly heathland adjacent to the village of Woodbury. It is bordered to the south by the edge of the towns of Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton, the hamlet of Yettingt ...

, and is conducted over thirty-two weeks. Candidates who pass the commando course receive the award of the

green beret The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of the Second World War. It is still worn by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course, and personnel from other units of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF wh ...

, the distinguishing mark of a

. Those who wish to become Royal Marine Officers must pass the Potential Officers Course (POC). This is a four day course that assesses physical and academic ability and is very similar to the PRMC. Those who pass this and then perform well at the Admiralty Interview Board (AIB) will be given a place on the Young Officer Training course. This course lasts 15 months, of which 34 weeks are spent at CTC Lympstone and the remainder at

Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

and on the West Coast of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The centre delivers new entry training to an average of 1,300 recruits a year. In addition 2,000 potential recruits and 400 potential officers attend acquaint courses.

Lympstone Commando

CTCRM is served by

Lympstone Commando railway station Lympstone Commando railway station is a railway station situated on the Avocet Line, a branch line from Exeter to Exmouth in Devon, England. The station is for the exclusive use of visitors to the Royal Marine Commando Training Centre at Lymp ...

on the "

Avocet Line The Avocet Line is the railway line in Devon, England connecting Exeter with Exmouth. It was originally built by the London and South Western Railway, and was historically known as the Exmouth branch railway. The line follows the Exe Estuary ...

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Cadets

CTCRM is the home of Lympstone Division Royal Marines

Volunteer Cadet Corps The Volunteer Cadet Corps (VCC) is a national youth organisation managed by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and sponsored by the UK's Ministry of Defence. The VCC comprises: * Headquarters VCC. Based at in Gosport. * VCC Training Centre. B ...

which is open to boys and girls aged 9 to 16 (who can serve until aged 18) from the local south east Devon area.

References

External links

CTCRM Lympstone Website
{{authority control Royal Marines training Organisations based in Devon Military academies of the United Kingdom Royal Marines bases Training establishments of the Royal Navy Commando training facilities Woodbury, East Devon