The term Band Of Brothers, adopted by RNRL, was taken from Shakespeare’s Henry V by Nelson, initially referring to his Squadron Captains. However later, the term came to be more generally applied to his relationship with the captains and men under his command notably at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Nelsons ‘Band Of Brothers’ on his Flagship, HMS Victory, numbered 820 of which 165 were Royal Marines. Besides the mixture of ‘Jack’ and ‘Royal’ and whilst Nelsons fleet fought under the English flag, there were in fact 22 nationalities represented in the Ships Company with a further 48 men listed as unknown. This was not surprising as it was common policy at the time to recruit or ‘press’ men into the service from ports around the world. The various nationalities came from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Caribbean as well as other European countries and Africa.

As we reflect not only on our 25th and most successful season to date but on the history of the sport in the service we thank all those Brothers and Sisters who have pulled on the RNRL shirt since 1997 and look forward to the new season

……..and if you are celebrating ‘Traf Night’ tonight, have a good one!