Go tell it to the Marines

Dissatisfied with my sense of Grandad's character,I decided to get his military record, expecting it to come easy, after all,I have his military number.

My search took me to the national archive at Kew.Spent an hour or two fruitlessly, but persistently entering William Clark's service number, name, birthdate etc into the Royal Naval Seamens records online, before realising that marines records were not included.

I have learnt a lot researching this story, that's possible because I started from a base of astonishing ignorance, with a history education mostly by Hollywood.

Hollywood confused me because how could Grandad have been in a marine band? , he wasn't American!

But I learn- marines are naval soldiers who defend their ships, (American or not even the ancient Athenians had marines.) They were generally considered an elite force, but you have to counter that with one of my maternal grandmothers favourite sayings, 'Go tell it to the marines' (19th century British seaman thought Marines to be gullible).If Gran was also comenting on her daughter's father-jn-law, I can't say-it's possible she was a sly one.

Grandad must have run away and joined the Navy in the 1880's, the Royal Marine Band was not formed until 1902, up until then he would have been part of one of several naval bands.

I hope to get to Kew when I visit Mum shortly and find Grandads service record.

Well, now I know that Grandad ended up in Kent because it was the Royal Marine band's base , there he met Amelia, and retired to farm life, an old soldier's dream...