Whaplode brothers look forward to taking unique place in British military history
A band of brothers from Whaplode are set to take their place in British Armed Forces history on Armistice Day tomorrow.
As the country observes a two-minute silence to commemorate the end of World War I, Sam (33), Jack (24) and George Fowler (22) will see their younger brother Joe (20) presented with his Green Beret and officially qualify as a Royal Marine.
The brothers, all of them former University Academy Holbeach students, will become only the fourth quartet from the same family to "pass out" in the 356-year history of the elite Commando Force, which is part of the Royal Navy.
Sam, the first of the Fowlers to pass out in November 2012, said: "I never really thought about all my brothers going into the Royal Marines.
"I knew Jack was interested but I never expected George and Joe to follow suit.
"There's quite a big age gap between us and when I went to do my training, Joe was only 12.
"But all of us enjoy pushing ourselves a little bit harder and when I joined the Royal Marines in March 2012, the slogan was '99.99 per cent need not apply'.
"To be in the 0.01 per cent of the population who could achieve passing out and the Green Beret was a draw to me."
Joe has spent the past 36 weeks at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines in Lympstone, Devon, where exercises in camouflage and concealment, weapons handling and marksmanship, map reading and close quarter fighting all take place.
Sam, Jack and George will all return to Devon tomorrow and see Joe complete a 30-mile march across Dartmoor, which has to be done inside eight hours while carrying a rifle and equipment.
Jack said: "I always wanted to join the military, but I didn't know anything about the Royal Marines until Sam looked them up on a computer.
"When he made the decision to join, I was hooked from there onwards and it was inevitable that I'd end up in the military.
"People always us what it's like and how hard it is, but you can't put it into words and unless you're physically in that situation, you can't really prepare for it."
As well as the 30-mile march, Joe will have earned his Green Beret only after successfully getting through a two-mile endurance course made up of tunnels, pools, streams, bogs and woods, then a four-mile run and a shooting test.
A nine-mile speed march, to be done inside 90 minutes, along with a "Tarzan" aerial assault course to be completed in 13 minutes - carrying equipment and a rifle during both tests - make up the Commando course.
George said: "When I was 14, I was a million miles away from being a Royal Marine because of the environment I was in.
"But I wanted to prove people wrong and so, when I got to the age of 16, I stopped everything I was doing before and got ready to join the Royal Marines.
"I'd tell anyone who has the desire to be one of that 0.01 per cent who do pass out to join the Royal Marines and achieve something that you can't get in any other branch of the British Armed Forces."
