Originally Posted by
Steve Stubbs
Regarding their use by the Royal Marines, that's another question - the commandos were originally army units, set up for combined operations with the RAF and the Navy, but their role was transferred to the navy after WWII, for reasons never quite explained other than the Senior Service, knowing that air power had replaced the surface fleet in a large number of areas, felt the need to have some more 'turf' and had the political pull to do so.
Ask anyone who's gone through Lympstone and they'll tell you - the birth of The Corp - 1664, same as the beer they drink. Then became part of the Naval force in 1755. I hope you know the ''long'' history of the RAF in more detail.
Cheers, Saucepan