THE DUKE OF SUSSEX TO VISIT 42 COMMANDO ROYAL MARINES AND CARRY OUT GREEN BERET PRESENTATION
Bickleigh and Dartmoor National Park, Devon
Wednesday 20th February, 2019
The Duke of Sussex, Captain General Royal Marines, will visit 42 Commando Royal Marines at their base in Bickleigh and then carry out a Green Beret presentation on Dartmoor for recruits on completion of their basic Royal Marines training.
Since assuming the role of Captain General Royal Marines from his grandfather The Duke of Edinburgh in December 2017, The Duke of Sussex has already visited new recruits at the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone and most recently met Marines during a training exercise in Norway. This visit will allow His Royal Highness to see first-hand the capability of the specialist teams within the Royal Marines and the display of commando spirit amongst all ranks.
His Royal Highness will first visit 42 Commando to learn about the specialist teams within the unit that are at high readiness to deploy around the world to deliver maritime security, support and training to foreign nations and specialist amphibious support across Defence. The Duke will see first-hand a Joint Personnel Recovery (JPR) demonstration in which Royal Marines will disembark from a Merlin helicopter and simulate the rescue of an F35 pilot from the new HMS Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier, who has become isolated in a high threat operational environment. There will then be an opportunity to meet some of the Royal Marines currently serving with the unit.
The Duke will then meet with members of the training team from the Commando Training Centre and see a recruit troop finishing their final Commando Test on Dartmoor. The final test, a 30-mile march, starts at the north end of Dartmoor and finishes near Plymouth. Recruits have eight hours to complete the test, carrying around 40lbs of equipment. On completion of the test, The Duke will salute the recruits and present their coveted Green Berets, which symbolically marks the completion of their commando training.
