On the 28 October 1664 The Duke of York and Albany’s maritime regiment of foot was formed…

…It was to become the Royal Marines. 

 Corps amphibious operations

The Royal Corps of Signals  has a strong tradition of amphibious operations as well as one of working closely with the Royal Marines.

Sgt Philip Court earned the Military Medal for his cumulative gallantry on the Landing Ship HQ HMS Bulolo On D Day 6 June 1944 off Gold Beach, on which he had been the Section Sergeant of No. 1 Ship Signal Section during the landings in North Africa (Op Torch), Sicily (Op Husky), Anzio (Op Shingle), and Normandy (Op Neptune). He would later be awarded the BEM for his conduct during the landings in Malaya (Op Zipper). Following the tradition established by No. 1 Ship Signal Section on HMS Bulolo, 601 Signal Troop (Ship), consisting of a captain, a Yeoman of Signals and 15 operators, was part of the Royal Naval Amphibious Warfare Squadron. Their function was to provide communications between the HQ Ship and HQs ashore. Detachments went to sea in a variety of Squadron ships, from landing craft and assault ships to frigates. On board members of the Troop were regarded as part of the ship’s company and, in addition to working alongside Naval communicators, performed other ship duties including manning the guns.

In the mid-1960s the Royal Navy built two Landing Platform Dock ships (LPDs), HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid, to provide an amphibious capability. As the Army had at least one brigade earmarked for amphibious operations, each ship included a signal troop as part of her complement. These were 621 Signal Troop (LPD) and 661 Signal Troop (LPD). 

Royal Signals stepped in to support Navy communications at the onset of the Falklands War, see On this day 5th April.

Op HERRICK

In 2011 the Task Force Helmand signal squadron that supported 3 Commando Brigade on Op HERRICK 14 in Afghanistan was formed by amalgamating elements of 30 Commando (Information Exploitation) Communications Squadron Royal Marines and 7th Armoured Brigade (The Desert Rats) HQ and Signal Squadron. Major Mansel Thewlis observed: ‘We were formed from two very different signal squadrons, one in Plymouth serving 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines and the other half a continent away supporting an armoured brigade. By the end of the tour, we’d integrated fully and long lasting friendships had been forged.

When 18th (UKSF) Signal Regiment was formed in 2005 the Regiment subsumed the Special Boat Service (SBS) Signal Squadron. The SBS Signal Squadron had been formed in 2000 and included a specialist troop of Royal Marines signallers that had been formed in the 1980s. It operated across the full spectrum of UKSF operations in support of the SBS.