Yomp

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The iconic image of "The Yomper" shows Royal Marines heading to Stanley at the end of the Falklands War in June 1982. Heading into Port Stanley.jpg
The iconic image of "The Yomper" shows Royal Marines heading to Stanley at the end of the Falklands War in June 1982.

Yomp is Royal Marines slang describing a long-distance loaded march carrying full kit. It was popularised by journalistic coverage in 1982 during the Falklands War. The origin of the word is unclear, and there is no evidence to suggest that it derives originally from an acronym. Various backronymic definitions have however been proposed, including "young officers marching pace", "your own marching pace" and a connection with the term yump used in rally-driving in the sense of "to leave the ground when taking a crest at speed", apparently a Scandinavian pronunciation of jump . [1]

Contents

Falklands War

The word and its meaning came to national prominence in the UK during the Falklands War in 1982. After disembarking from ships at San Carlos on East Falkland, on 21 May 1982, Royal Marines and members of the Parachute Regiment yomped (and tabbed) with their equipment across the islands, covering 56 miles (90 km) [2] in three days carrying 80-pound (36 kg) [3] loads. They were supposed to be transported by helicopters, but after the Atlantic Conveyor , which carried the helicopters, was sunk by Argentinian Exocet missiles on 25 May, the soldiers had to march across the island.[ citation needed ]

Photograph

The image of Royal Marine Corporal Peter Robinson with a Union Jack fixed to his radio antenna became one of the most iconic images of the Falklands War. [4] Now known as "The Yomper", it was taken by Petty Officer Peter Holdgate, Commando Forces Photographer, whilst working as part of the Commando Forces News Team. After landing with 40 Commando at San Carlos, Holdgate accompanied British forces across the Falklands War zone taking hundreds of photographs as the Royal Marines proceeded along the Moody Brook track towards Stanley. [5]

When news of the surrender of Argentine forces was received, Marine Trev Gillingham produced a small Union bunting flag from his bergen, which he had acquired from SS Canberra's bunting locker. Marine Gillingham first tied the flag to Corporal Robinson's radio aerial, who was the last man in the patrol. It eventually blew off and was then fixed with masking tape to the radio aerial. The photograph itself was entirely spontaneous and not staged. The original Union Jack has been lost. [4]

Memorial

Memorial to "The Yomper" at the Royal Marines Museum in Eastney Esplanade, Portsmouth, UK The Yomper Falklands memorial statue, Royal Marines Museum, Portsmouth (1) cropped.jpg
Memorial to "The Yomper" at the Royal Marines Museum in Eastney Esplanade, Portsmouth, UK

The image was used as the inspiration for a statue of Royal Marine Commando that was unveiled by Margaret Thatcher at the Royal Marines Museum in Southsea, Portsmouth on 8 July 1992 to mark the 10th anniversary of the conflict. [6]

In games

In literature

In comics

In graffiti

Similar terms

British Army slang for the same marching conditions is "tab". (One suggestion is it's from the acronym: Tactical Advance to Battle). [12] )

US Military slang for this concept is to "ruck" (from the "rucksack" being carried) or to "hump" from the phrase "humping a pack". [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falklands War</span> Undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982

The Falklands War was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial dependency, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The conflict began on 2 April 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands, followed by the invasion of South Georgia the next day. On 5 April, the British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with an Argentine surrender on 14 June, returning the islands to British control. In total, 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel, and three Falkland Islanders were killed during the hostilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Marines</span> Maritime land warfare force of the United Kingdom

The Royal Marines, also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, and officially as the Corps of Royal Marines, are the United Kingdom's amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, and provide a company strength unit to the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG). The Royal Marines trace their origins back to the formation of the "Duke of York and Albany's maritime regiment of Foot" on 28 October 1664, and the first Royal Marines Commando unit was formed at Deal in Kent on 14 February 1942 and designated "The Royal Marine Commando".

The Battle of Two Sisters was an engagement of the Falklands War during the British advance towards the capital, Port Stanley. It took place from 11 to 12 June 1982 and was one of three battles in a Brigade-size operation all on the same night, the other two being the Battle of Mount Longdon and the Battle of Mount Harriet. It was fought mainly between an assaulting British force consisting of Royal Marines of 45 Commando and an Argentine Company drawn from 4th Infantry Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Marine Battalion (Argentina)</span> Argentine military unit

The 5th Marine Battalion is a battalion of the Argentine Marines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands</span> Argentine invasion of the Falklands

The Invasion of the Falkland Islands, code-named Operation Rosario, was a military operation launched by Argentine forces on 2 April 1982, to capture the Falkland Islands, and served as a catalyst for the subsequent Falklands War. The Argentines mounted amphibious landings and the invasion ended with the surrender of Falkland Government House.

This is a list of the ground forces from Argentina that took part in the Falklands War. For a list of ground forces from the United Kingdom, see British ground forces in the Falklands War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">42 Commando</span> Battalion sized formation of the Royal Marines

42 Commando is a fighting unit within the Royal Marines 3 Commando Brigade. Based at Norton Manor, Royal Marines Condor and 42 Commando are based at Bickleigh Barracks, Plymouth. Personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. All Royal Marines personnel will have completed the Commando course at the Commando Training Centre (CTCRM) at Lympstone in Devon, entitling them to wear the green beret, with most attached personnel having completed the All Arms Commando Course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">847 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

847 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It operates AgustaWestland Wildcat AH.1 helicopters and provides armed reconnaissance and light transport support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. Along with 845 and 846 naval air squadrons, it forms part of the Commando Helicopter Force. The squadron was re-formed from 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron on 1 September 1995.

The Skirmish at Top Malo House took place on 31 May 1982 during the Falklands War between Argentine special forces from 602 Commando Company and the British Royal Marines of the Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC). Top Malo House was the only planned daylight action of the war, although it was intended to take place in darkness. The Argentine commandos were part of an attempt to establish a screen of observation posts. A section that occupied Top Malo House was sighted by a British observation post of the Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre that was screening the British breakout from the lodgement around San Carlos. The action at Top Malo House was one of a series of mishaps and misfortunes that afflicted the Argentine effort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Thompson (Royal Marines officer)</span> Royal Marines officer and historian

Major General Julian Howard Atherden Thompson, is a military historian and former Royal Marines officer who commanded 3 Commando Brigade during the Falklands War.

The history of the Royal Marines began on 28 October 1664 with the formation of the Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot soon becoming known as the Admiral's Regiment. During the War of the Spanish Succession the most historic achievement of the Marines was the capture of the mole during the assault on Gibraltar in 1704. On 5 April 1755, His Majesty's Marine Forces, fifty Companies in three Divisions, headquartered at Portsmouth, Chatham and Plymouth, were formed by Order of Council under Admiralty control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British logistics in the Falklands War</span> 1982 combat service support operations

The 1982 British military campaign to recapture the Falkland Islands depended on complex logistical arrangements. The logistical difficulties of operating 7,000 nautical miles from home were formidable. The Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands came at a time when the Royal Navy was experiencing a reduction in its amphibious capability, but it still possessed the aircraft carriers HMS Hermes and Invincible, the landing platform dock (LPD) ships HMS Fearless and Intrepid, and six landing ship logistics (LSL) ships. To provide the necessary logistic support, the Royal Navy's ships were augmented by ships taken up from trade (STUFT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Benjamín Menéndez</span> Argentinian military officer (1930–2015)

Mario Benjamin Menéndez was the Argentine governor of the Falklands during the 1982 Argentine occupation of the islands. He also served in the Argentine Army. Menéndez surrendered Argentine forces to Britain during the Falklands War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loaded march</span> Relatively fast march over distance carrying a load

A loaded march is a relatively fast march over distance carrying a load and is a common military exercise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluff Cove air attacks</span> Aerial bombing of British ships by the Argentine Air Force during the Falklands War (1982)

The Bluff Cove air attacks occurred 8 June 1982, during the Falklands War. British troop transport ships were bombed by the Argentine Air Force (FAA) while unloading at Bluff Cove, with significant damage and casualties.

The Battle of Mount Kent was a series of engagements during the Falklands War, primarily between British and Argentine special forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Beach Military Cemetery at San Carlos</span> Cemetery in the Falkland Islands

Blue Beach Military Cemetery at San Carlos is a British war cemetery in the Falkland Islands holding the remains of 14 of the 255 British casualties killed during the Falklands War in 1982, and one other killed in early 1984. It is situated close to where 3 Commando Brigade had its initial headquarters after landing on 21 May 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartmoor Yomp</span> Annual charitable fundraising event in Devon, England

The Dartmoor Yomp is an annual charitable fundraising event run in aid of the various charities that support injured British Armed Forces Royal Marines. The Yomp is a daytime trek held in the Dartmoor National Park in the county of Devon, England, usually some 12 miles (19 km) in length, and is undertaken by disabled servicemen joined by able-bodied former and serving Royal Marines and their immediate families. The challenge is usually held over two days in September: a get-together on the Friday and the actual Yomp on the Saturday. The Dartmoor Yomp takes its name from the Royal Marines slang term "yomp", meaning a route march carrying full kit. It was founded in 2008.

The 25th Mechanized Infantry Regiment is an infantry unit of the Argentine Army belonging to the 9th Mechanized Brigade, 3rd Army Division, and based at Sarmiento, Chubut, Argentina. This Regiment was the first army unit to land in the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982 and fought in the Falklands War.

<i>Eagle Trap</i>

Eagle Trap is a novel by British writer Geoffrey Archer, published in 1993 by Bantam Press. The story concerns an Royal Marines officer tasked to stop a nuclear Terror attack.

References

  1. Ayto, John (2006). Movers And Shakers: A Chronology of Words That Shaped Our Age. Oxford University Press. p. 225.
  2. Freedman, Lawrence (1990). "The Bridgehead and Beyond". Signals of War, the Falklands Conflict of 1982. London: Faber and Faber: Chapter 21. ISBN   978-0-571-14116-6. "There were two considerations. First, the distance between Stanley and San Carlos was some 56 miles and given the problems posed by the terrain it would take at least eight days to cover the ground. Movement would be 'under constant enemy fire from the air, in an area without cover, wood, drinking water or means of subsistence'. When his men arrived, worn out by the long trek, they would have to go into immediate action against an enemy well prepared and supported by field artillery."
  3. Bernard Fitzsimons, ed. (1987). Modern Land Combat. Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN   978-1-85501-165-6.
  4. 1 2 "Falklands veteran on the victory picture that went global". BBC News. 7 April 2020.
  5. "Memorials and Monuments in the Royal Marines Museum, Portsmouth (The Yomper)" (ISO-8859-1). 20 December 2006.
  6. "Memorials and Monuments in the Royal Marines Museum, Portsmouth (The Yomper)" (ISO-8859-1). 20 December 2006.
  7. "Yomp - World of Spectrum". Sinclair Infoseek. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  8. Winn, Raynor (22 March 2018). The Salt Path. Penguin Books, Limited. ISBN   978-0241349649.
  9. Higson, Charlie (2010). The Dead. Puffin Books. p. 5 of 6, Chapter 25.
  10. Westall, Robert (1987). Urn Burial. Mammoth. p. 179 of 248.
  11. "YOMP?". yomper.neocities.org.
  12. "TAB". Acronym Finder.
  13. "Hump". www.acronymsandslang.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.