The 4th Regiment of Marines was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

regiment that saw service between 1739 and 1748. The regiment served during the

War of Jenkins' Ear The War of Jenkins' Ear, or , was a conflict lasting from 1739 to 1748 between Britain and the Spanish Empire. The majority of the fighting took place in New Granada and the Caribbean Sea, with major operations largely ended by 1742. It is con ...

and fought at the Battle of Cartagena.

History

The 4th Regiment of Marines was raised on 17 November 1739 as ''John Wynyard's Regiment of Marines''. Following the 18th century tradition of naming British regiments for their

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

, the regiment was renamed as ''Byng's Regiment of Marines'' in 1742. The regiment embarked from

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

on 4 November 1740 ''en route'' for the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

for service in the

. It fought at the

Battle of Cartagena de Indias The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ( es, Sitio de Cartagena de Indias, lit=Siege of Cartagena de Indias) took place during the 1739 to 1748 War of Jenkins' Ear between Spain and Britain. The result of long-standing commercial tensions, the war w ...

in March 1741. The regiment was ranked as the 47th regiment of the line in 1747 and was also known as the ''4th Marines''. The regiment was disbanded on 8 November 1748 when the British Army disbanded its marine regiments. The final commander of the 4th Marines was Colonel James Long.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Infantry regiments of the British Army Disbanded marine forces Military units and formations established in 1739 Military units and formations disestablished in 1748 1739 establishments in Great Britain Marine regiments