Yomp is
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 light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
slang describing a long-distance
loaded march
A loaded march is a relatively fast march over distance carrying a load and is a common military exercise.
A loaded march is known as a forced foot march in the US Army. Less formally, it is a ruck march in the Canadian Armed Forces and the US Ar ...
carrying full kit. It was popularised by journalistic coverage in 1982 during the
Falklands War
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
. The origin of the word is unclear, and there is no evidence to suggest that it derives originally from an acronym. Various
backronymic definitions have however been proposed, including "young officers marching pace", "your own marching pace" and a connection with the term ''yump'' used in rally-driving in the sense of "to leave the ground when taking a crest at speed", apparently a Scandinavian pronunciation of ''
jump''.
Falklands War
The word and its meaning came to national prominence in the UK during the
Falklands War
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
in 1982. After disembarking from ships at
San Carlos on
East Falkland, on 21 May 1982, Royal Marines and members of the
Parachute Regiment yomped (and tabbed) with their equipment across the islands, covering in three days carrying loads. They were supposed to be transported by helicopters, but after the ''
Atlantic Conveyor'', which carried the helicopters, was sunk by Argentinian Exocet missiles on 25 May, the soldiers had to march across the island.
Photograph
The image of Royal Marine Corporal Peter Robinson with a
Union Jack fixed to his radio antenna became one of the most iconic images of the Falklands War.
Now known as "The Yomper", it was taken by Petty Officer Peter Holdgate, Commando Forces Photographer, whilst working as part of the Commando Forces News Team. After landing with 40 Commando at
San Carlos, Holdgate accompanied British forces across the Falklands War zone taking hundreds of photographs as the Royal Marines proceeded along the Moody Brook track towards
Stanley.
When news of the
surrender of Argentine forces was received, Marine Trev Gillingham produced a small Union bunting flag from his
bergen, which he had acquired from
SS Canberra's bunting locker. Marine Gillingham first tied the flag to Corporal Robinson's radio aerial, who was the last man in the patrol. It eventually blew off and was then fixed with masking tape to the radio aerial. The photograph itself was entirely spontaneous and not staged. The original Union Jack has been lost.
Memorial
The image was used as the inspiration for a statue of Royal Marine Commando that was unveiled by
Margaret Thatcher at the
Royal Marines Museum in
Southsea, Portsmouth on 8 July 1992 to mark the 10th anniversary of the conflict.
Similar terms
British Army slang for the same marching conditions is "tab". (One suggestion is it's from the
acronym: Tactical Advance to Battle).
US Military slang for this concept is to "ruck" (from the "
rucksack" being carried) or to "hump" from the phrase "humping a pack".
See also
*
Dartmoor Yomp
*
Loaded march
References
{{Falklands War , style=wide
Royal Marines
Falklands War
Military slang and jargon