Security· World War II
Marine Detachment American Embassy London
In 1941, the United States needed security at its embassy in London and a way to support American naval activity in Britain.
The Marine Corps answered by creating its first-ever embassy guard detachment, a small group of officers and enlisted men sent across the dangerous Atlantic to the British capital. The Marines ran security and courier work for the embassy and the naval headquarters. They guarded the building, escorted official couriers, and set up a motorcycle messenger service linking the various military offices around London. As the war went on, the detachment became the reporting home for nearly all Marines serving in Europe. Its men stood guard through German air raids and later through the V-1 and V-2 bombing of the city, kept up regular parades in dress blues, and carried out ceremonial duties until the war ended.
Podcast episodes on World War II
Record no. 594