Bermuda Regiment
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| The Bermuda Regiment | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Active | September 1, 1965 |
| Country | Bermuda |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | Disaster Relief, Community Service, Ceremonial |
| Size | One Battalion |
| Garrison/HQ | Warwick Camp |
| March | Quick - The Bermuda Regiment March |
| Anniversaries | Beat the Retreat, Bermuda Day, Peppercorn Ceremony, Queen's Birthday, Labour Day, Convening of the Legislature, Remembrance Day |
| Commanders | |
| Commanding Officer | Lt. Col. William White |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HRH The Duchess of Gloucester |
| Honorary Colonel | Col. Eugene Raynor |
The Bermuda Regiment is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is a single territorial infantry battalion that was formed by the amalgamation in 1965 of two originally-voluntary units, the all white Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps (BVRC) and the mostly black Bermuda Militia Artillery (BMA).
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[edit] History
The BVRC and the BMA had been raised at the end of the 19th Century in order to allow the Regular Army component of the garrison to be reduced. The regular units withdrawn were required for the build-up of what would become the British Expeditionary Force. In 1953, when the coastal artillery batteries were taken out of use, the BMA, while still wearing the Royal Artillery cap badge, converted to the infantry role. This left the Colony wastefully maintaining two separate infantry units. After the Royal Navy's dockyard was closed in 1950, the military garrison, which had existed primarily to protect the Royal Navy base, was closed down. The last regular unit (a detachment from the DCLI was withdrawn in 1954, and the two Bermudian territorials ceased to have any military role under Imperial defence planning (with 1953 being the last year an Imperial Defence Plan, under which their roles were assigned, was issued). Although the Colonial government had only formed the two units at the behest of, and under pressure from, the British government, it chose to continue maintaining them entirely at its own expense.
The amalgamation of the forces took place on 1st September, 1965. The new Bermuda Regiment's stand of colours was presented by Princess Margaret. Princess Margaret presented a second stand of colours to replace the first in 1990, to mark the Bermuda Regiment's 25th anniversary.
[edit] Organisation
[edit] Leadership
As Bermuda is a British overseas territory, and defence is therefore the responsibility of United Kingdom, the Bermuda Regiment is under the control of the Governor of the island. However, pay and financing is the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety, and the command of the Regiment, along with that of the Bermuda Police Service, is delegated to a minister of the Bermuda Government for day-to-day purposes.
On its formation, the Regiment's Honorary Colonel was HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, who became Colonel-in-Chief in 1984. After her death in 2002, the position was assumed by HRH The Duchess of Gloucester. The unit is directly commanded by a Lieutenant-Colonel, as is typical of a battalion in the British Army, who is appointed by the Governor upon the advice of a Defence Board. The current commander, William White, was appointed on May 27th, 2006 to serve for a standard three-year tenure. In some cases, such as that of White's predecessor Lt. Col. Edward Lamb, that tenure can be extended by the Governor.
[edit] Manpower and structure
The Regiment's original strength was about 400, including all ranks. Following discipline problems during an exercise in the West Indies, a report on the unit was commissioned from Maj-General Glyn Gilbert, the highest-ranking Bermudian in the British Army. Maj-Gen. Gilbert also took into account the difficulties the Regiment had experienced in meeting its obligations when embodied during the civil unrest of 1977. He made a number of recommendations, including the increase of the Regiment's strength to a full battalion of about 750, with three rifle companies and a support company.
Today, following a steady reduction in the number of 18 year old males eligible for conscription each year, the Regiment has a strength of approximately 530, with a full time administrative component of 30. After a review in the late 1990's, the Bermuda Regiment had its establishment reduced to its present format:
- A Company: Second and third year soldiers.
- Training Company: First year soldiers.
- Support Company: Boat Troop, Regimental Police, Signals, Guns/Assault Pioneers, Medics and Motor Transport section.
- Quartermasters Company: Logistics and stores.
One of the units amalgamated into the Bermuda Regiment, the BMA, was nominally an artillery unit, although it had converted to the infantry role in 1953. Other than a ceremonial Gun Troop, equipped with two 25-pdr. field guns, the Bermuda Regiment is wholly an infantry unit.
[edit] Conscription
The majority of the Regiment is made up of conscripts, making it unique among all of the land forces still under the British Crown. Conscription is based on a random lottery of men over the age of 18, with exemptions granted to Police and Prison officers, members of the British regular forces (or who have served for two years therein), church ministers, prisoners or those who have been judged to be of "unsound mind". Temporary deferment is granted for students (attending either the Bermuda College or schools abroad, full-time, for the length of their studies, for members of the Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps, and individuals currently medically unfit but likely to become fit again.
This practice (of conscription) is frequently condemned, particularly for its sexism and its similarity to slavery, by both Bermudians and by aware foreigners, and has been noted in the British Parliament. It does receive a fair amount of support from the community, however, and is hailed for causing interaction between social and racial groups. Moral issues aside, however, this does leave the force dependent on the qualities of senior officers, whereas similar units – the British Army, in particular, upon which the Regiment is modelled – emphasise the initiative of junior members.
Towards the end of 2005, the Regiment received further criticism from the UK, this time in the form of an inspection by the Ministry of Defence. The review noted that equipment was substandard (half of the vehicles and signal equipment were noted to be "out of action") and that command and control was poor, though it also noted high morale and firearms proficiency.
[edit] Operations
The primary role of the Regiment has recently become disaster relief. Other roles include ceremonial duties, and supporting the Bermuda police department in internal security issues (both in the forms of riot-control and anti-terrorism). In 2001, following the September 11 attacks on the nearby United States, the Bermuda Regiment was embodied, taking over responsibility for the security of the Bermuda International Airport (Bermuda has always been a point of importance in trans-Atlantic aviation, and a large number of aircraft diverted to the Island when US airspace was closed) and other potential targets. In 2004 and 2005 the Regiment deployed to the Cayman Islands and Grenada to assist in post Hurricane Ivan restoration efforts.
The Regiment also performs a wide variety of community service operations, such as graffiti clean-up[1] and assisting residents moving out of condemned buildings and into new homes[2]. It is also involved in many cultural events on the island, especially in parades.
[edit] Overseas connections
[edit] Alliances
During the Great War, the Bermuda Regiment's predecessor, the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps (BVRC) sent two drafts to serve with the Lincolnshire Regiment on the Western Front. After the War, the connection to the Lincolns was made official. When the Volunteer Army had been reorganised into the Territorial Army in 1908, it's battalions were linked to British (Regular) Army regiments which adopted paternal roles, providing the part-time units (which, in most cases, were renamed as additional battalions of the Regular Army regiment) with loaned warrant officers and NCOs, and sometimes officers, and taking other steps to give them the benefit of their experience. During war-time, the Territorials would send drafts of volunteers to the Regular battalions, or (once the restriction on sending Territorials overseas without their consents was lifted) the entire TA battalion might be sent. The role the Lincolns adopted with the BVRC was similar to that it played with its own TA battalions, although the BVRC remained a separate unit. The BVRC again provided two drafts to the Lincolns during the Second World War. When the BVRC (re-named the Bermuda Rifles) was amalgamated with the Bermuda Militia Artillery (BMA), to create the Bermuda Regiment, the Royal Anglian Regiment, into which the (Royal) Lincolnshire Regiment had itself been amalgamated , continued the paternal role. Throughout the Bermuda Regiment's history, the Royal Anglians have provided it with Permanent Staff Instructor (PSI) Warrant Officers (WO2) for each of its companies, as well as other personnel on long-term and short-term attachments (although it should be noted that other Regiments have occasionally provided personnel on loan). Although the Bermuda Regiment has always managed to provide commanding officers from within its own strength, it has occasionally had to use seconded officers when unable to provide its own personnel to fill roles such as Second-In-Command (2-i-c), Staff Officer, Adjutant, Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM), and Training Officer. It's first nine Adjutants (1965-1984) were all seconded from the Royal Anglians. Nine of it's Regimental Sergeant Majors have been seconded, including three from the Royal Anglians. In 1996, it's Second In Command, Staff Officer, and Adjutant were all on loan from the Royal Anglians. This frequent resort to seconded officers is due to a problem common to many Territorial units in Britain, also. These positions are all full-time ones, ideally filled by officers who volunteer from within the regiment, but whose service in these roles is restricted to three years. As relatively few officers can afford to leave their civil careers for three years, the problem is not so much caused by a lack of suitable officers, as a lack of willing ones.
The Lincolnshire Regiment was also affiliated to The Lincoln and Welland Regiment of the Canadian Army, and this affiliation is continued by both the Royal Anglian Regiment and the Bermuda Regiment. The Lincoln & Welland Regiment also loans personnel to the Bermuda Regiment for short-term attachments, especially for the Bermudian unit's two-week annual camps.
Members of the ceremonial Gun Troop carry out occasional training with the Royal Regiment of Artillery in Britain, although the troop has no combat artillery role. As one of the units amalgamated into the Bermuda Regiment, the BMA, was an artillery unit (which history the Gun Troop commemorates), members of the Regiment are entitled to join The Royal Artillery Association (RAA), which has a branch located on the grounds of the former St. George's Garrison (which had been predominantly a Royal Garrison Artillery establishment).
[edit] Corps Warrant
In late 2001, the Bermuda Regiment was presented with a Corps Warrant dated 21st February, 2000, by the British Army. The Warrant allowed the Regiment closer ties with the British Army, enabling it to participate in United Nations missions and making members eligible for decorations such as the Queen's Jubilee Medal. Some also speculated that the Regiment could receive financial support from the British Government. However, to date little has come of this. The only other overseas force to be included on the Warrant was the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.
[edit] Other
The Bermuda Regiment also developed a relationship with the United States Marine Corps, which had supplied a detachment to Bermuda for many years to guard United States Navy facilities. In addition to occasional training with the US Marines in Bermuda, the Bermuda Regiment used facilities and training areas of the US Marines' Camp Lejeune, and Camp Geiger for
training, with the two rifle companies having been sent there every second year for their annual camps, and the Training Company's Potential Non-Commissioned Officers (PNCO) Cadre being sent there each June (it had previously been sent to Canada). Following the increased usage of those bases by US forces preparing for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bermuda Regiment has recently moved the location for its annual camps to Florida, where it is developing a relationship with the Florida National Guard. The location of annual camps in alternate years is Jamaica. The Bermuda Regiment's training in the USA and in Jamaica is self-contained, rarely involving local units, but friendly relationships have been developed with both the US Marine Corps, and the Jamaican Defence Forces (JDF).
[edit] Commanding Officers
The Commanding Officer of the Bermuda Regiment (and also the Second-In-Command, the Staff Officer, the Adjutant, and the Regimental Sergeant Major) is a full-time position, requiring those appointed to the role to take leave of their civilian employments. Originally, there was no
limit to the term of a commander, but, following Col. Gavin Shorto's six years in the office, a three-year limit was introduced. The Commanding Officer is chosen from amongst the Major of the Battalion, and is promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. Upon retiring from the role, Commanding Officers are given an honorary promotion to Colonel.
- 1965-1966 Lieutenant-Colonel John Brownlow Tucker, OBE, TD, MCP (ex-BVRC, ex-Lincolns, ex-BMA)
- 1966-1970 Lieutenant-Colonel J. Anthony Marsh, DSO, OBE (ex-DCLI, ex-SAS).
- 1970-1974 Lieutenant-Colonel Michael L. Darling, OBE, ED, JP
- 1974-1977 Lieutenant-Colonel Colin C. Curtis, OBE, ED
- 1977-1980 Lieutenant-Colonel Brendan O'D. Hollis, OBE, ED
- 1980-1984 Lieutenant-Colonel Eugene Raynor, OBE, ED
- 1984-1990 Lieutenant-Colonel A. Gavin Shorto, ED, JP
- 1990-1993 Lieutenant-Colonel D. Alan Rance, OBE, ED
- 1993-1997 Lieutenant-Colonel David A. Burch, OBE, ED, JP
- 1997-2000 Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick Outerbridge ED
- 2000-2002 Lieutenant-Colonel David Gibbons ED
- 2002-2006 Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Lamb ED
- 2006-Present Lieutenant-Colonel William White ED
