Cdr Tyack's father's cane to RM museum

Commander Terry Tyack RN, the Executive Officer at the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton, presented his father's RSM Cane to the Royal Marines Museum at a ceremony in Somerset.

On hand to receive the prestigious heirloom from Yeovilton’s XO was the present Corps Regimental Sergeant Major, WO1 (RSM) Ally McGill MBE QGM Royal Marines. “It’s important we safeguard our traditions and this is a good way to preserve the legacy”, he said.

RSM Roger Tyack RVM served as Regimental Sergeant Major in three jobs. Fleet RSM at Royal Marines Eastney, 45 Commando Royal Marines at Arbroath in Scotland and The Depot Royal Marines at Deal in Kent. He went on after his time in the Corps to be a Yeomen of the Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard.

In additional to the RSM’s cane Commander Tyack handed over a painting of his father with the Drum Major from Deal at the time, believed to be Alfie Lambing. The painting had previously hung in the Sergeant Mess at Royal Marines Deal for many years and had been bestowed to the Tyack family when the Barracks closed. George Forster a former Corps RSM himself was on hand to update the RSM register, which records the lineage of over 600 names since 1898 that have held similar appointments and functions, with up to 250 since World War two when the rank was formalised.

RSM (WO1) Roger Tyack’s cane and the painting will be formally handed over the Royal Marines Museum in Southsea, Portsmouth by RSM Ally McGill RM who will look into the possibility of a unique presentation of the artefacts in the near future.” The Museum and the Royal Marines family are very indebted to Commander Terry Tyack and his most generous contribution to our Corps History”.