Commando Training Centre Royal Marines

Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) is the principal military training centre for the Royal Marines. It is situated near the villages of Lympstone and Exton, between the city of Exeter, and the town of Exmouth in Devon. The centre delivers new entry training to recruits.

Commando Training Centre Royal Marines
Lympstone, Devon
Entrance to Commando Training Centre Royal Marines
Commando Training Centre Royal Marines
Location within Devon
Coordinates50.663971°N 3.438024°W / 50.663971; -3.438024
TypeRoyal Marines Base
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Navy
Site history
Built1940
Built forAdmiralty
In use1940-Present
Not to be confused with Commando Basic Training Centre (United Kingdom).

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.[1] In February 1960 the Commando School Royal Marines, which had been based at Bickleigh Barracks, moved to the site.[2][3] The site was renamed the "Commando Training Centre Royal Marines" in 1972.[1]

Organisation
Royal Marine Recruits Rope Climbing at the Commando Training Centre

CTCRM is under the full command of Fleet Commander and responsible for providing commando trained officers and other ranks for the front line. CTCRM is overseen by the Commandant CTCRM, a colonel, Royal Marines.[4] CTCRM is structured with three training wings (Command Wing, Commando Training Wing and Specialist Wing) each with its own commanding officer.[4]

Courses

Candidates who wish to become Other Ranks are required to attend the Potential Royal Marine Course (PRMC), held at CTCRM, in addition to undergoing academic, medical and interview assessments for candidates to the British armed forces. PRMC lasts four days and assesses the candidate's physical ability and intellectual capacity to undertake the recruit training.[5] New entry training for Royal Marines other ranks (the "commando course") is undertaken at CTCRM, at Dartmoor, and at Woodbury Common, Devon, and is conducted over thirty-two weeks.[4] Candidates who pass the commando course receive the award of the green beret, the distinguishing mark of a commando.[4]

Those who wish to become Royal Marine Officers must pass the Potential Officers Course (POC).[6] 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[7] and the remainder at Britania Royal Naval College, in the United States with the USMC, and on the West Coast of Scotland.[7]

Lympstone Commando

CTCRM is served by Lympstone Commando railway station on the "Avocet Line".[8]

Cadets

CTCRM is the home of Lympstone Division Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps which is open to boys and girls aged 9 to 16 (who can serve until aged 18) from the local south east Devon area.[9]

References
  1. "75 years of Commando Training at Lympstone". Royal Navy. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  2. "Royal Marines History" (PDF). Marine Society and Sea Cadet Marine Cadet Section. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  3. "RMITC / CTCRM - Lympstone". Exeter Flotilla. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  4. "Commando Training Centre". Royal Navy. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  5. "Getting Ready to be a Royal Marines Commando". Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  6. "Royal Marine Commando Officer | Guide to the Joining Process". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  7. "Royal Marines Commando | Officer Training | What to Expect". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  8. FOI request sent through Whatdotheyknow
  9. "Lympstone Division RMVCC". Retrieved 6 April 2017.
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