Arbroath-based Royal Marines from 45 Commando have a new Commanding Officer with Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Forbes assuming command from Lieutenant Colonel Tony Turner.
In true Commando fashion, Lieutenant Colonel Turner’s departure was marked by a leisurely ten-mile run, with Royal Marines covering the distance from their headquarters at RM Condor to the sweeping sands of Lunan Bay.
Among the sand dunes Lieutenant Colonel Turner addressed the assembled marines before officially handing over command to Lieutenant Colonel Forbes.
The Lunan Bay run is a rite of passage for 45 Commando Group ranks. A ten mile course from RM Condor to Lunan Bay, it is often followed by a compulsory dip in the North Sea.
After his address, Lieutenant Colonel Turner and Regimental Sergeant Major, Warrant Officer 1 David Young took the plunge, swimming out to awaiting boats which whisked the pair away.
New Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Forbes, joins the unit after serving as Military Assistant to The Secretary of State for Defence, The Right Honourable Sir Michael Fallon KCB MP.
RM Condor in Arbroath is home to 45 Commando Royal Marines, part of 3 Commando Brigade. The site also houses 7 (Sphinx) Battery, part of 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, 2 Signals Squadron from 32 Signals Regiment and 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group Royal Military Police Detachment.
To become a Royal Marine you need to undergo one of the longest and most physically gruelling infantry training regimes in the world. Training takes 32 weeks for Marines, with Royal Marine officers undertaking 60 weeks.
Training ends with the infamous Commando Course, a 30-mile march across Dartmoor with equipment and rifle which needs to be completed in less than eight-hours. Those who are successful earn the right to wear the coveted Green Beret.
