Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps - History

History

The RMVCC was first formed on 14 February 1901 at the now closed Royal Marines barracks in Eastney, Portsmouth. It was formed, so the story goes, to "gainfully occupy the spare time of sons of senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs)" after an occasion when the colonel's office window was broken by a ball kicked by an SNCO's son playing outside.

The RMVCC was initially formed as the Royal Marines Artillery Cadet Corps with the motto 'Manners Maketh Man', and re-titled as the Royal Marines Volunteer Boys Corps in the mid-20th century. Girl Ambulance Corps units existed alongside RMVBC units for some time, and these were merged with the RMVBC after the Second World War, with the current title being adopted in the 1970s. However, RMVCC Portsmouth only accepted girls from the mid-1990s. The RMVCC is one of the UK's oldest youth organisations tracing its direct heritage back to 1901. It was also the first military cadet organisation to be titled 'Royal' (indeed, its cadets were 'Royal Marines Cadets' from the date of the organisation's formation). The Marine Cadets of the SCC and CCF have only recently been given this distinction.

Since 1901, units were also formed at the Royal Marines barracks in Chatham, Deal, Kent and Plymouth, Devon. Later on, another unit was formed at Lympstone, Devon (Commando Training Centre Royal Marines). RMVCC Deal closed when the Royal Marines School of Music left the town and moved to HMNB Portsmouth. RMVCC Chatham transferred to the Sea Cadet Corps when Pay & Records Royal Marines left Chatham in the 1960s.

The current Motto of the RMVCC is 'Be Worthy'.

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