A NEW Royal Marine company is to be officially launched in Plymouth – made up entirely of commandos injured in Afghanistan.

'H' Company – named after former marine and Cockleshell Hero, Blondie Hasler – will be based at HMS Drake at Devonport Naval Base from Monday.

It will be unique in that it will act as a vehicle to help the marines recover, rehabilitate and reintegrate either back into full military life, or back to civilian life.

Major Pete Curtis, Officer Commanding H Company, said it is the first Royal Marine company to be launched in "decades" and described it as an "historic" event.

He said the company is being formed as a direct result of an increase in the number of injured military personnel in Afghanistan.

It comes after HMS Drake's South West Regional Rehabilitation Unit said it is looking to recruit more staff to deal with the expected influx of injured personnel towards the end of the year.

"When Royal Marines get injured they lose their identity by separation because their unit moves on," Maj Curtis said.

"Of course they suffer a sense of loss because of that.

"By having a new company it will give them a sense of belonging.

"There will be like-minded people who will be helping each other to recover.

"At the end of the day they are Royal Marines.

"They may have suffered horrible injuries and their role in life may just be as a casualty at the moment, but they are still marines.

"But we want to make them feel like Royal Marines again and they will be expected to be just that."

He added: "I'm extremely proud and feel very privileged to have taken on this role.

"It will be full-on and it is a daunting role, but it is an historic moment setting this up."

The company will be based in a building at HMS Drake which has undergone a £300,000 renovation.

As well as ramps and disabled toilets and showers, the building also boasts 10 special needs beds with access to a further 12 if required.

It will sit as part of the South West Regional Rehabilitation Unit which has specialist rehabilitation instructors and MoD physiotherapists, and gym equipment to help the healing process.

'H' Company will also work alongside Selly Oak Hospital and Headley Court, the military's primary rehabilitation centre for amputees.

Members can choose to take part in training, courses and 'work experience' sessions which can either lead them back into military or civilian life.

Maj Curtis said members will continue their medical programmes and physiotherapy sessions as well conduct map reading and navigational training on Dartmoor.

So far three city Royal Marines have officially joined the company. They are Marine Mark Ormrod, Marine Ben McBean and Marine Daniel Claricoates – who all live in Plymouth.

From Monday the company will begin recruiting injured marines.

Maj Curtis expects to have 15 to 20 members of the company by October.

He said he expects the company to "grow" as Britain fulfils its commitment to bringing stability to Afghanistan.

Every member of the company will have been either physically or mentally injured during operations in Afghanistan.

The HMS Drake-based South West Regional Rehabilitation Unit offers residential rehab courses and specialist consultations to all armed forces personnel in the South West.

It currently sees around 800 people a year – with injuries including spinal and limb loss – and acts in an outpatient role for Headley Court which initially treats amputees.

Maj Curtis also hit back at claims over military kit.

"Some people are slagging off the kit and yes, there are a lot of deaths," he said.

"But the kit we have is the best we have ever had. We have more seriously injured personnel because the kit is saving their lives.

"The kit is making more people survive. Because of that we are inheriting more and more disability casualties."

Major Blondie Hasler, whom 'H' Company is named after, led a daring top secret raid in Nazi-occupied Bordeaux in 1942.

Their task was to destroy as many ships in the harbour as possible to render it useless.

He was later invalided out of military life – but that didn't stop him from achieving many other things in life.

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