It is sometimes forgotten that back in the 18th and 19th centuries it wasn't enough to have good ships; you needed boarding parties to serve as infantry so that you could take over enemy ships as well. They also served to protect shore parties which went ashore for supplies.

It's sometimes also forgotten that there are marines other than the US ones. Britain, being a naval power, had a Marine Corps long before the USMC existed. However like the USMC the British marines were sometimes deployed as standard infantry. That happened during the Boer War in South Africa, and also in China during the Boxer Rebellion, both of 1899.

Originally this monument was dedicated to the British marines who fought in both of those campaigns. However in 2000 it was rededicated to all who had served in the Royal Marines.