Est 1963
Fort Cumberland Guard
About Us (1)
Who Are We:
We may not look like it but we are a friendly bunch of chaps who come from all walks of life but have a common interest in local military history of the surrounding area of Portsmouth and therefore we keep history alive by specialising and portraying the life & work of a sea-soldier, The Royal Marines of the 1830s and 1860s.
Background:
The Royal Marines can trace their history back to 28th October 1664 with the formation of the Duke of York and Albany’s Maritime Regiment of Foot soon to becoming known as the Admiral’s Regiment.
The Guard started in 1963 by members of the 'Fort Cumberland Preservation Society' making us possibly the oldest reenactment/display unit in the UK.
We present a colourful display at a time when this was not as well-known a concept and because of this we had to be vetted and approved by the police national security service ‘Special Branch’.
The Guard originally wore the uniforms and accoutrements of the Royal Marines Light Infantry (Reds) of the 1830/40 period, which was chosen because the Royal Marines have a very close association with Portsmouth/Gosport in particular Forton Barracks 1848 - 1923 and the Royal Marines Artillery (Blues) at Eastney Barracks (Royal Marines Museum) 1862 - 1923 where the two branches then amalgamated.