British Army Generals identification

Can anyone identify the two Generals shown in the attached. Photo taken at Stonehouse Royal Marine Barracks, Plymouth somewhere in range 1939-1946?

 

I would hazard a guess at the right-hand one being Chief of the Imperial General Staff Edmund Ironside, commander Home Forces.
No ideas on the other one.

 

Thanks Gordon. We appear to be getting a little closer, but I guess the hunt does continue in order to be sure. Certainly General Ironside does bare a resemblance.. I put this same post on the RN Forum and a suggestion there was that the Major General on the left may have been Sir Henry Pownall.
All further suggestions are very welcome and much appreciated. prb

 

Whos on parade?

 

Plymouth Royal Marines with accompanying Generals????

 

Forgot to add, if it is Ironside while he was CIGS, that makes it summer 1940.

 

I'd have thought that maybe the French or English were the first to use Marines...? Anyone know who first instituted this branch of the military?

 

Royal Marines are British branch of the military and it is my understanding that they were the first Marines established worldwide. (English rather than British in those days)

 

As I suspected...thanks.

 

You do mean formally instituted as a branch right, rather than just soldiers who serve on ships?

 

Yep...specifically called Marines.

 

Formally instituted 1755, but can trace their origins back to 1664-
Royal Marines - Wikipedia

 

Venice-but they no longer exist, then Spain, they have the oldest existing Marine Corps, then Portugal as third oldest.

 

If it wasn't for the specific title "Marines" I would think some of the Roman troops who trained for ship board combat might qualify or even those who manned the "wooden walls" of Athens. The Roman ones might even have incorporated the Latin version of Marine in some of their unit names but it wouldn't have been a separate institution from the Legions I think. Could be wrong there though.