Gents, good afternoon. Please excuse the intrusion but as you will be aware this thread has an "international following"!! I did register the other day, wrote a post but was beaten to the wire by the thread being locked. Without wading through the whole thread again, being very aware that my credentials are no more apparent than his, please accept from memory the following;
1. In the time frame of this saga all RM new entrants, OR and officer, have joined at CTCRM (previously ITCRM) Lympstone (standfast juniors, see below). The only reference I have to Melville in 1965 is as the home of the Pay and Records office. Additionally I am unaware of any age limit, stated as 17 1/2, for joining. I and many thousands of other Junior Mnes joined at 16. Juniors used to join at RMB Deal, then move to CTC after 3 months IIRC.
2. Historically RM officers did not have Service or Regimental number theirs being for administrative purposes only. This changed a while ago. The N prefix is the RN identifier for RM officers. This system has been ratified in recent years, ie the V female officer prefix has gone amongst others. ORs used to have Divisional numbers identifying where they joined, Chatham (CHX?), Portsmouth(POR?) or Plymouth (PLY). These changed maybe 35 years or more ago and the current P0XXXXXA system came into use. Those with the old style numbers (possibly below 18XX ) changed to the new format. Rejoins did get new numbers if the gap between leaving and rejoining was over a certain time (I don't know what but I know guys that have been in both camps)
3. The M & AW Cadre left Condor over 20 years ago. It moved to RMB Stonehouse, was then subsumed into BPT and was eventually reborn as the ML training sect. This has subsequently evolved and has moved to CTCRM.
4. In this context I have never heard of the RM JTI.
5. In all my (too) long service I have never r never heard a Royal Marine refer to a sentry duty as a Stag. If memory serves this would include my training team that had served variously since the early 60s. The word watch would be used in other circumstances ie a radio watch.
6. Other than those who shall not be named I am unaware of any major RM "bayonet" involvement in the Balkans until Kosovo.
7. In the late 70s the Corps was in dire straits as far as future employability, there had been a lack of investment in AW and even less practise. The Forces as a whole were suffering under a financial moratorium and as a young marine even I was aware of the threat to our existence. HOWEVER at no time do I recall, at my pondlife level, any real talk of amalgamation with the Para Regt. As an aside, RM personnel are exempt from having to do P coy in order to complete the BPC. Given the nature of P Coy, and the kudos that goes with completing it and the inevitable sense of superiority of those who are PARA I just don't see 2 PARA doing it again. Question posed on Arrse.
Hope these points are relevent, as you would hear on this side of the pond, why let the truth stand in the way of a good dit!!
My regards to all those who have, who are and who will serve alongside UK forces and especially those that have paid the ultimate price. The response from the Canadian public to these returning warriors is an example that unfortunately is not followed elsewhere.
IMD
Walthunting should be an Olympic sport :skull: 
