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By Sean Rayment
Royal Marine recruits are increasingly turning to Christianity – and are even using their assault course’s water tank to perform baptisms, National Security News has learnt.
Commando fledglings attempting to earn the coveted green beret are now regularly attending Sunday services at the training centre in Lympstone, Devon.
In the past 18 months, church attendance at the base has risen rapidly and now often exceeds the chapel’s 150-person capacity.
At least 26 recruits underwent full-immersion baptism earlier this year in the training centre’s Regain Tank – a 4ft-deep pool with ropes suspended above it, which candidates must traverse as part of their assault course.
The increase in church attendance appears to be driven by young men searching for meaning and direction, rather than by fears of deployment to a combat zone or a future war with Russia, recent studies by the Bible Society suggest.
Details of the recruits’ new-found interest in Christianity have been revealed in an article entitled The Quiet Revival, published in The Globe and Laurel magazine – the official journal of the Royal Marines.
In the article, the Reverend A. Gascoyne, the Royal Naval chaplain at Lympstone, wrote: “Church attendance has risen from just a handful of regulars 18 months ago to a full chapel every Sunday, often threatening to exceed our 150 max capacity. When on camp many recruits drop into the Bible session on Thursday nights, bringing their questions and sharing their experiences.”
He also revealed that in April, 26 recruits were baptised by full immersion in the Regain Tank.
Revd Gascoyne stated that all of the recruits he had spoken to about their reasons for baptism said they were searching for a new moral code.
He continued: “All of them unashamedly expressed that they had found a living and personal faith in Christ.”
He added: “My impression from talking with recruits is that many are unimpressed by the ‘fridge magnet’ slogans and philosophies that litter social media feeds. They are looking for a lived experience and a moral code that is both coherent and can stand up under pressure.
Many have had little to no opportunity to explore the teaching and mindsets of Jesus Christ, and when introduced, find there is a bedrock there that they feel they can build a strong life upon.”
The Revd added that recruits – some of whom admitted to previously being a “bad person” – often explained how they had “found God”.
One recruit told him: “I’ve done a lot of bad things that I regret. I feel ashamed and embarrassed to tell people what I’ve done. But I’ve found God and I was found. He is someone I can vent to. He called me by my name. He forgave my sin.”
The chaplain suggested that part of the attraction of attending church and being baptised was the chance of starting life afresh.
He added: “For those of us with a messy past, this kind of new start with a clean slate can be a powerful gift.”
Elsewhere in the armed forces, the number of troops attending church services is also increasing.
One chaplain who works closely with special forces, and has held field services in war zones, also confirmed the growing interest in religion.
He said: “Service personnel are often asked to undertake difficult and dangerous missions. I think it makes them reflect on their own mortality. They want to feel that there is real meaning behind what they do. They want to believe that God is on their side.”
The disclosure that young commando recruits are going to church is part of a wider trend sweeping across the UK.
In 2018, four per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds reported that they attended church monthly, compared with 16 per cent in 2024. For men, this rose from four per cent to 21 per cent, and for women from three per cent to 12 per cent, according to a Bible Society report published in April.
