RM Instow
{{Short description|Royal Marines base in Devon, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = RM Instow
| ensign = RoyalMarineBadge.svg
| ensign_size = 90px
| native_name =
| partof =
| image = Royal Marines' Base, Instow - geograph.org.uk - 717805.jpg
| caption = Royal Marines Base, Instow
| type = Royal Marines Barracks
| map_type = Devon#UK
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within Devon
| pushpin_relief = 1
| location = Located near Instow in Devon
| coordinates = {{Coord|51.05815|N|4.17588|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| code =
| built = {{Start date|1939}}
| builder =
| built_for = Admiralty
| materials =
| height =
| used = 1939-Present
| demolished =
| condition = Operational
| ownership = Ministry of Defence
| operator = {{Navy|UK}}
| open_to_public =
| controlledby = {{Marines|UK}}
| garrison =
| current_commander =
| commanders =
| occupants = 11 Amphibious Trials and Training Squadron
| battles =
| events =
| image2 =
| caption2 =
}}
RM Instow, also known as Arromanches Camp, is a military installation operated by the Royal Marines at Instow in North Devon located {{convert|5.2|mi}} south west of Barnstaple, Devon, and {{convert|3.2|mi}} north east of Bideford, Devon, England.
History
The site, which was established in 1939, was used as a training facility for troops preparing for the Normandy landings at Arromanches on Gold Beach in June 1944 during the Second World War. In the 1970s the towns of Instow and Arromanches instigated an arrangement whereby families visited each other's town every other year staying with a host family.{{cite web|url=http://instow-cps.devon.sch.uk/docs/news/1314/07%2002%2014%20newsletter.pdf|title=Instow – Arromanches Twinning Association|publisher=Instow News|date=7 February 2016|accessdate=3 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220061109/http://instow-cps.devon.sch.uk/docs/news/1314/07%2002%2014%20newsletter.pdf|archive-date=20 December 2016|url-status=dead}}
Operations
The site is split into two different areas, firstly the camp where the workshops and accommodation are located and secondly the beach located {{convert|1.2|mi}} south-west which is where the main landing craft are based. The site is occupied by 11 Amphibious Trials and Training Squadron and the Amphibious Trials and Development Wing (ATDW), both of which are part of 47 Commando (Raiding Group), which carries out training for operations which include disembarking from landing craft, wading across a water gap of up to {{convert|1.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} in depth, an activity known as fording, and arriving at a beachhead.{{cite web|url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2013/august/02/130802-amphibious-centre-opening|title=Prince Harry opens Royal Navy Amphibious Centre of Excellence|date=2 August 2013|publisher=Royal Navy|accessdate=3 December 2016}} The site is also used for trialling new landing craft: the Royal Marines have been moving away from the use of flat-bottomed landing craft or DUKWs to armed powerboats.{{cite web|url=http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/royal-marines-combat-boat-test-north-devon/story-14228856-detail/story.html|title=Royal Marines put combat boat to the test off North Devon|date=24 December 2011|publisher=Western Morning News|accessdate=3 December 2016}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The site is available for filming.{{cite web|url=http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/DefenceEstateandEnvironment/MODFilmLocations/SouthWest/Instow.htm |title=Instow |publisher=Ministry of Defence |accessdate=1 August 2012 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305003955/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/DefenceEstateandEnvironment/MODFilmLocations/SouthWest/Instow.htm |archivedate=5 March 2011 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}{{Royal Navy shore establishments}}
Category:Royal Navy bases in England
Category:Military history of Devon
Category:1939 establishments in England