To understand the identity of the Marine Corps and how it was constructed, there needs to be some discussion of how, why and which men decided to serve in the British Marine Corps. Recruitment provides an important insight into the construction of Marine manpower. Manpower would shape the Corps's identity, but it would also impact the ability of marines to fulfil their operational doctrine. This chapter looks at the manpower of the Marines over the 47-year period of 1755–1802. Throughout this period, marines were recruited from the same manpower pool of potential recruits as the Army, Militia, Ordnance service (i.e. Artillery and Engineers) and Navy's recruitment services. This meant that the potential pool of quality recruits was highly sought after, and therefore the Marines had to provide incentives to get these men into their service.

The subject of Marine manpower can be separated into four main areas: the ‘recruiting service’, pay, social background and desertion and retention. The Marine ‘recruiting service’ was the first point of call for nearly all recruits, hence it gives some insight into what type of recruit the Navy felt made the best marines. As expectations and demands upon the Marine Corps changed over time, so did the recruiting service's structure. The basic recruitment structure had a number of similarities with those of the other military branches, but differences also began to emerge.