Ascension 3 - the RMLI

VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Mon 15 Feb 2016 06:18
The Royal Marines Light Infantry garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent any French attempt to rescue Napoleon from St Helena. Prior to this there had never been human inhabitants. The RMLI had to get water from the summit by mule to survive, and built a barracks on the ridge to run a farm. This proved cold and damp and was abandoned after thirty years to become a cowshed. It is probably the only cowshed in the world with the RMs' badge:

JPEG image




The Marines moved down the hill in the 1860s to a nice new farm barracks known as the Red Lion:

JPEG image




They also built the church, full of poignant reminders of service life and death in this remote outpost of empire:

JPEG image


Sent from my iPad