43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines

43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines
Cap Badge of the Royal Marines
Active	1943–1946 1961–1968 1980 – present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Type	Commando
Role	Force protection Maritime Interdiction Operations Nuclear Security
Size	790 personnel
Part of	3 Commando Brigade
Base	HMNB Clyde
Nickname(s)	FPG
Motto(s)	Per Mare Per Terram (By Sea By Land) (Latin)
Colours (Lanyard)	Red and Old Gold
March	Quick – A Life on the Ocean Wave Slow – Preobrajensky
Anniversaries	Lake Comacchio, 3 April 1945
Website	43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines
Commanders
Captain General	HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Commandant General	Major General Robert Magowan CBE
Superior Commander	Commander Operations, Fleet Headquarters
Current Commander	Colonel Graeme 'Jock' Fraser MBE

The 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (43 Cdo FP Gp RM), formerly Comacchio Company Royal Marines (1980–1983), Comacchio Group Royal Marines (1983–2001) and Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines (2001–2012), is a 550-man unit of the Royal Marines responsible for guarding the United Kingdom's Naval nuclear weapons and provide Royal Marine Boarding Teams and the very high readiness Fleet Contingent Troop to conduct maritime interdiction operations in support of the Royal Navy. The Unit, based at HM Naval Base Clyde, is part of 3 Commando Brigade.

Early Commando units were all from the British Army but by February 1942, the Royal Marines were asked to organize Commando units of their own, and 6,000 men volunteered.

43 Commando was formed in July 1943 after the decision was made to convert the battalions of the Royal Marine Division into commando units. The initial intake of personnel was drawn from the 2nd Battalion, Royal Marines, and following commando training at Achnacarry in Scotland, the unit consisted of about 450 men organized into a headquarters, five infantry troops consisting of three officers and 63 other ranks, along with a heavy weapons troop—armed with Vickers machine guns, 3-inch mortars and 6-pounder anti-tank guns—and a signals platoon.

Along with No. 2, No. 9 and No. 40 (Royal Marine) Commandos, 43 Commando formed the 2nd Special Service Brigade. Throughout the course of 1943–45, No. 43 (Royal Marine) Commando served in Italy, Yugoslavia and Greece.

Corporal Thomas Peck Hunter was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during Operation Roast at Lake Comacchio, Italy during the Second World War. Hunter cleared a farmhouse containing three Spandau machine-guns on his own, firing a Bren Gun from his hip. Hunter then proceeded to draw enemy fire until most of his troop had taken cover. The Commanding Officer, Lt Col Ian Riches RM was also awarded the DSO in this action. He went on to be Commandant General Royal Marines between 1959 and 1962.