1739 House of Commons Debates

In 1739, war with Spain was the order of the day. This war was destined to be advertised as a largely colonial affair by its proponents. During King George II's Address to Parliament on 16 November 1739, he outlined his desire for the creation of six new Marine regiments. He proclaimed:

These debates had a very political edge to them. The crown and some politicians saw the vote for six new regiments as a way to subvert the standing army controversy. Others felt by marines being used in the sea service they would be seen as protectors of Britain rather than terrorisers, as the Army were seen by some. Importantly for this chapter, the debates also dwelt on the very nature of the need, structure and operational use of the Marine regiments. These ideas would continue to affect their progeny, the Corps of Marines, in the latter half of the century.