The Royal Marines Terms of Service Regulations 1988

Explanatory Note

(This is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations make provision as to terms and conditions of service for other ranks in the Royal Marines. They repeal provisions of Schedule 7 to the Army Act 1955 and Regulations made thereunder relating to terms and conditions of such service. A person who entered before these Regulations come into force is not affected by these Regulations unless he makes an election under regulation 6.

Regulation 3 provides for terms of enlistment in Royal Marines service to be of a duration of not more than 22 years. Previously the maximum initial term of enlistment was 9 years.

Regulation 4 continues to enable persons who have completed a term of service in the Royal Marines to be enlisted for a further term of up to 5 years service. A person serving such a term of service may obtain his discharge by giving 6 months notice.

Regulation 5 enables persons serving in the Royal Marines Reserve to enlist for a special term of up to one year, which term can in certain circumstances be extended to a total of 2 years. This is a new form of enlistment.

Regulation 6 enables persons who have enlisted under a term provided by earlier Regulations to elect to be treated instead as if they had enlisted under regulation 3, except that a person who has restricted his right to give 18 months notice in return for higher training will have to complete any remaining term of service under the new term before he is eligible to be transferred to the reserve.

Regulation 7 enables all persons enlisted under regulation 3 to transfer to the reserve on 18 months notice, after completing 2½ years' trained adult service. Previously enlistment was on either a notice engagement (9 years' service from age 18, with the right to give notice after completion of 18 months' service), or a career engagement (9 years' service, with no notice right).

Regulation 8 provides that the right to transfer to the reserve can be restricted by agreement.

Regulation 9 provides that a person’s period of service in the reserve following transfer under regulation 7 shall be 3 years or the unexpired portion of his engagement, whichever is the shorter. Previously reserve liability ceased 12 years from the date of enlistment.

Regulation 10 continues to confer on recruits the right to claim discharge from Royal Marines service, ordinarily within 6 months of the date of attestation.

Regulation 11 enables persons who have completed periods of Royal Marines service to remain in Royal Marines service with the consent of the competent authority for a period not exceeding 15 years (increasing by 5 years the previous maximum period of service). Such a person cannot leave at the end of his original term unless he has given 18 months notice of the fact. If he is within 12 months of completing his original term, the notice period will be that unexpired portion of his original term plus 6 months. A person who is continued in service under this regulation and serving beyond his original term will be required to give 6 months notice to obtain his discharge but this is not necessary if he has already given notice during his original term.

Regulation 13 repeals the enactments mentioned in the first paragraph above with savings relating to persons who enlisted before these Regulations come into force.

Parts of the Regulations referred to below were made under the enactments which are repealed under regulation 13 and those parts, subject to the savings, cease to be operative. The remaining parts of those Regulations are revoked, subject to similar savings, by the Army Act 1955 (Royal Marines) Regulations 1988 (not a statutory instrument) which have the same commencement date as these Regulations. The Regulations (not statutory instruments) made under those repealed enactments are:

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations 1964;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 1964;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (2nd Amendment) Regulations 1968;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (3rd Amendment) Regulations 1970;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (4th Amendment) Regulations 1971;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 1972;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (2nd Amendment) Regulations 1972;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (3rd Amendment) Regulations 1972;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 1973;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (2nd Amendment) Regulations 1973;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (3rd Amendment) Regulations 1973;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 1979;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (2nd Amendment) Regulations 1979;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (3rd Amendment) Regulations 1979;

• The Royal Marines Enlistment and Service Orders and Regulations (Amendment) Regulations 1980.