Bermuda Regiment
Encyclopedia
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).
component of the garrison
to be reduced. This was done primarily as an economic measure, though the regular units withdrawn were required for the build-up of what would become the British Expeditionary Force.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) was withdrawn in 1954, and the two Bermudian territorials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 1 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. The Bermuda Regiment is not entitled to inherit the battle honours of the units amalgamated into it, they are not displayed on its colours, and are rarely mentioned. The battle honours it inherits from the BVRC, all from World War I
, are Ypres 1915, Neuve Chapelle, Loos, Somme 1916, Ypres 1917, Lys, Hindenburg Line, Messines 1917, Somme 1918. This is ostensibly due to the gap formed by the disbandment of the BVRC and the formation of the Bermuda Rifles, although a skeleton command structure remained after the BVRC's 1946 disbandment, and was brought back up to strength to form the Bermuda Rifles in 1948.
The latest set of Colours were presented by HRH Duchess of Gloucester, GVCO at the National Sports Centre on 13 November 2010. The former set will be retired to the Bermuda National Museum, before being formally laid up in the Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess. The third set of Colours have been donated by the Bermuda Regiment Charitable Trust.
(the symbol of rifle regiments in the British Army, and used on the white metal BVRC badge), which is set inside the wheel of a cannon (taken from the badge of the Royal Artillery). Flashes, and other colour marks used on dress and elsewhere (such as backgrounds on signs about Warwick Camp
) are red and blue, reflecting the colours of the Royal Artillery, but the stable belt
(issued only to permanent staff, officers and senior ranks) worn is rifle green, with black edges, referring to the colours used by the BVRC. http://www.stablebelts.co.uk/bermuda.html
The dress uniform itself is closer to the old Royal Artillery pattern, and to the generic No. 1 full-dress uniform
used by most British regiments today, being composed of dark blue, almost black, tunic and trousers, and differing only in the red cuffs and collar added to the tunic. The trousers have a broad red stripe running down the outside of each leg. A generic dark blue peaked cap with red hat band is worn with this uniform. During the summer months, British Army No. 3 Dress is worn (i.e., the same uniform, with the exception of a generic, white, tropical-weight tunic).
The combat uniform is now the British Army Soldier 95 uniform. This includes a lined Soldier 95 smock. For much of the Regiment's history, its dress included a mixed collection of British uniform items. As with its predecessors, the Bermuda Regiment has a tradition of wearing temperate uniforms, including combat jackets and pullovers, for much of the year, and tropical uniforms during the summer months. This is a result of the peculiar climate of Bermuda. For many years, and unusually for an infantry unit, the Regiment wore the Denison parachute smock
http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/mhicgherri/bdaregt-img5.html&date=2009-10-26+02:33:29 which it inherited from its predecessors, only adopting the 1968 pattern DPM
combat jacket in the 1980s (which it issued into the new millennia, although the 1968 uniform actually became obsolete with Regular British Army regiments in the 1980s). Green shirts and lightweight combat trousers began to be supplemented by DPM tropical uniforms in the 1980s, and by the mid nineties had been entirely replaced by them (although the green kit, like the Denison smocks, was handed down to the Regiment's Junior Leaders, and to the Bermuda Cadet Corps, which continued to wear it). The tropical DPM uniformed continued to be issued for some time after its replacement in Britain by the Soldier 95 uniform. The beret worn is the dark blue one worn by the Royal Artillery, and by various British Army units not authorised to wear distinctive colours of their own. The old 1958 pattern carrying equipment was replaced with DPM Personal Load Carrying Equipment
(PLCE), however some units have since been issued with DPM load carrying vests.
Little use is made of Service Dress
, which is only issued to a handful of permanent staff members, though which is interesting as the colour varies slightly from the standard British Army khaki (being greener), and as, during the summer months, the long trousers might be replaced with shorts. The Bermuda Regiment service dress is composed of jacket and trousers, worn with an olive green peaked cap, tan shirt, and tie. Whereas its predecessors often used tropical weight service dress during the summer months, it uses the same uniform worn in shirt sleeve order - usually, a short-sleeved tan shirt with no tie, whether worn with long trousers or shorts of the same weight and colour. A stable belt is worn in shirt sleeve order. Mess dress
is also worn for many functions by members of the Officers' Mess, and of the Sergeants' (and Warrant Officers') Mess.
As Bermuda is a British overseas territory, and defence is therefore the responsibility of the United Kingdom
, the Bermuda Regiment is under the control of the Governor
and Commander-in-Chief of the island. However, pay and financing is the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing. The Bermuda Regiment is listed in the British Army Order of Battle as number 28 in order of precedence.
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, in 2004 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, Brian Gonsalves, was appointed on 28 May 2009, to serve for a standard two-year tenure. In some cases, that tenure can be extended by the Governor for a further year.
. 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 (A, B, and C) and a support company. Initially, the three rifle companies rotated through the role of training company. Eventually, C Company was renamed permanent Training Company. Recruits spent their first year in Training Company, then transferred as a unit to whichever rifle company was losing its third-year conscripts, or were reassigned individually to other sub-units.
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 609, with a full time administrative component of 30. After a review in the late 1990s, the Bermuda Regiment had its establishment reduced to its present format:
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.
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 through the ages of 18 to 23, with exemptions granted to Police and Prison officers, members of the British regular forces (or men who have served for two years), church ministers, prisoners or those who have been judged to be of "unsound mind". Temporary deferment is granted for full-time students (attending either the Bermuda College
or schools abroad), for the length of their studies, and individuals currently medically unfit but likely to become fit again. Conscientious objectors have the opportunity to either serve in a non-combatant
role or perform an alternative community service chosen by the Governor.
This practice (of conscription) is frequently criticised by both Bermudians and aware foreigners, particularly for its sexism and its similarity to slavery (a sensitive issue given the historic background of Bermuda), and has been noted in the British Parliament
.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/cgi-bin/search.pl It receives support from the community, however, and is hailed for causing interaction between social and racial groups. A recent Bermuda Supreme Court decision has upheld that conscription is a lawful process, as presently administered by the Defense Department, although it required an earlier Supreme Court decision in 1995 to establish conscientious objection on an equal basis with that obtaining in Britain during conscription. Moral issues aside, however, this leaves 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.
. The review noted that equipment was substandard and major items would be deemed to be unservicable by 2010 (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.
A subsequent inspection in 2008 revealed that nothing had changed on the equipment issues, with the predicted consequences from the previous report being shown to be true. It was stated that Command and control was better than the previous study, albeit with some way to go yet.
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 Bermuda Regiment successfully deployed a platoon of internal security trained soldiers to Barbados in 2007. There they took part in forming the security infrastructure for the WCC Cricket World Cup
. They worked alongside soldiers from Barbados, Guyana, India and South Africa, in ensuring a secure environment for the Super 8 series of matches. Although little has been made of this deployment, this was the first time since the First World War that a formed unit from Bermuda has deployed overseas for an operation other than disaster relief (the Second World War drafts from the BMA, BVRC, and BVE were all absorbed into other units, and the cadre of officers and NCOs sent to Belize in the 1980s were attached to a battalion of the Royal Anglians
).
The Regiment also performs a wide variety of community service operations. It is also involved in many cultural events on the island, especially in parades.
, 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 Force
in 1908, its 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 consent 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
s (PSI), now called full time instructors (FTI) 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. Its first nine Adjutants (1965–1984) were all seconded from the Royal Anglians. Nine of its Regimental Sergeant Majors have been seconded, including three from the Royal Anglians. In 1996, its 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. Although joint training has occurred in the past, and short-term loans of NCOs from the Lincoln & Welland Regiment have been frequent (especially for Recruit Camps and Overseas Camps), numerous attempts to formalise the affiliation with the Bermuda Regiment have been unsuccessful.
Members of the ceremonial Gun Troop carry out occasional ceremonial training with the Royal Regiment of Artillery, which provides its Sergeant Major Instructor of Gunnery to conduct local courses, 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).
were presented with Corps Warrants dated 21 February 2000.
, 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, after 2001, by US forces preparing for deployment to Iraq
and Afghanistan
, the Bermuda Regiment moved the location for its annual camps to Florida
, where it was developing a relationship with the Florida National Guard
, although it has since recommenced the use of Camp Lejeune.
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). Over the last few years, a relationship has also been developed with the Royal Gibraltar Regiment
, and small detachments sent with that regiment on its annual training deployments to Morocco
. http://www.bermynet.com/Pictures/October25-November28-2006-ExcerciseJeebelSahara/ In 2007, for the first time, the annual camp was held in England
, with detachments training at the Cinque Ports
Training Area (CPTA) near Dover
. http://www.bermudanetworknews.com/index.php/press_releases/detail/regiment_off_to_uk_for_annual_overseas_camp/
- The Jamaica Defence Force
limit to the term of a commander, but, following Lieutenant-Colonel Gavin Shorto's six years in the office, a three-year limit was introduced. The Commanding Officer is chosen from amongst the Major
s of the Battalion, and is promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Overseas Territory of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. It is a single territorial infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion that was formed by the amalgamation in 1965 of two originally voluntary units, the all white Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps
Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps
The Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps was created in 1894 as an all-white racially segregated reserve for the British Regular Army infantry component of the Bermuda Garrison...
(BVRC) and the mostly black Bermuda Militia Artillery
Bermuda Militia Artillery
The Bermuda Militia Artillery was a unit of part-time soldiers organised in 1895 as a reserve for the Royal Garrison Artillery detachment of the Regular Army garrison in Bermuda.-Foundation:...
(BMA).
History
The BVRC and the BMA were raised at the end of the 19th century in order to allow the Regular ArmyRegular Army
The Regular Army of the United States was and is the successor to the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional military establishment. Even in modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army...
component of the garrison
Bermuda Garrison
The Bermuda Garrison was the military establishment maintained on the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda by the regular British Army, and its local militia and voluntary reserves from 1701 to 1957. The Garrison existed primarily to defend the Royal Naval Dockyard and other facilities in Bermuda...
to be reduced. This was done primarily as an economic measure, though 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
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
cap badge, converted to the infantry role. This left the Colony wastefully maintaining two separate infantry units. After the Royal Navy's dockyard
Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
HMD Bermuda was the principal base of the Royal Navy in the Western Atlantic between American independence and the Cold War. Bermuda had occupied a useful position astride the homeward leg taken by many European vessels from the New World since before its settlement by England in 1609...
was closed in 1950, the military garrison, which had existed primarily to protect the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
base, was closed down. The last regular unit (a detachment from the DCLI
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles....
) was withdrawn in 1954, and the two Bermudian territorials
Bermuda Volunteer/Territorial Army Units 1895-1965
The Volunteer Army units raised in Bermuda were created as part of an Imperial military garrison that existed primarily to protect the Royal Naval base, centred about the HM Dockyard on Ireland Island....
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 1 September 1965. The new Bermuda Regiment's stand of colours was presented by Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II and the younger daughter of King George VI....
. Princess Margaret presented a second stand of colours to replace the first in 1990, to mark the Bermuda Regiment's 25th anniversary. The Bermuda Regiment is not entitled to inherit the battle honours of the units amalgamated into it, they are not displayed on its colours, and are rarely mentioned. The battle honours it inherits from the BVRC, all from World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, are Ypres 1915, Neuve Chapelle, Loos, Somme 1916, Ypres 1917, Lys, Hindenburg Line, Messines 1917, Somme 1918. This is ostensibly due to the gap formed by the disbandment of the BVRC and the formation of the Bermuda Rifles, although a skeleton command structure remained after the BVRC's 1946 disbandment, and was brought back up to strength to form the Bermuda Rifles in 1948.
The latest set of Colours were presented by HRH Duchess of Gloucester, GVCO at the National Sports Centre on 13 November 2010. The former set will be retired to the Bermuda National Museum, before being formally laid up in the Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess. The third set of Colours have been donated by the Bermuda Regiment Charitable Trust.
Dress
The badge of the Bermuda Regiment combines elements from those of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, and the BVRC. The badge is bi-metal - all brass, except a white metal Maltese crossMaltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
(the symbol of rifle regiments in the British Army, and used on the white metal BVRC badge), which is set inside the wheel of a cannon (taken from the badge of the Royal Artillery). Flashes, and other colour marks used on dress and elsewhere (such as backgrounds on signs about Warwick Camp
Warwick Camp (Bermuda)
Warwick Camp was originally the rifle ranges and a training area used by units of the Bermuda Garrison based elsewhere in the colony. Today, the Camp is the home of the Bermuda Regiment. The base was located on a strip of land obtained during the mid-Nineteenth century by the War Office along the...
) are red and blue, reflecting the colours of the Royal Artillery, but the stable belt
Stable belt
A stable belt is an item of uniform used in the armed forces of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries. Stable belts or similar derivatives are also worn by the armed forced of other nations such as Denmark....
(issued only to permanent staff, officers and senior ranks) worn is rifle green, with black edges, referring to the colours used by the BVRC. http://www.stablebelts.co.uk/bermuda.html
The dress uniform itself is closer to the old Royal Artillery pattern, and to the generic No. 1 full-dress uniform
Dress uniform
Dress uniform , is the most formal military uniform, typically worn at ceremonies, official receptions, and other special occasions; with order insignias and full size medals...
used by most British regiments today, being composed of dark blue, almost black, tunic and trousers, and differing only in the red cuffs and collar added to the tunic. The trousers have a broad red stripe running down the outside of each leg. A generic dark blue peaked cap with red hat band is worn with this uniform. During the summer months, British Army No. 3 Dress is worn (i.e., the same uniform, with the exception of a generic, white, tropical-weight tunic).
The combat uniform is now the British Army Soldier 95 uniform. This includes a lined Soldier 95 smock. For much of the Regiment's history, its dress included a mixed collection of British uniform items. As with its predecessors, the Bermuda Regiment has a tradition of wearing temperate uniforms, including combat jackets and pullovers, for much of the year, and tropical uniforms during the summer months. This is a result of the peculiar climate of Bermuda. For many years, and unusually for an infantry unit, the Regiment wore the Denison parachute smock
Denison smock
The Denison smock was a coverall jacket issued to Special Operations Executive agents, the Parachute Regiment, the Glider Pilot Regiment, Air Landing Regiments, and other Commonwealth airborne units, to wear over their Battle Dress uniform during the Second World War.The smock was initially worn...
http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/mhicgherri/bdaregt-img5.html&date=2009-10-26+02:33:29 which it inherited from its predecessors, only adopting the 1968 pattern DPM
Disruptive Pattern Material
Disruptive Pattern Material is the commonly used name of a camouflage pattern used by British forces as well many other armies worldwide, particularly in former British colonies....
combat jacket in the 1980s (which it issued into the new millennia, although the 1968 uniform actually became obsolete with Regular British Army regiments in the 1980s). Green shirts and lightweight combat trousers began to be supplemented by DPM tropical uniforms in the 1980s, and by the mid nineties had been entirely replaced by them (although the green kit, like the Denison smocks, was handed down to the Regiment's Junior Leaders, and to the Bermuda Cadet Corps, which continued to wear it). The tropical DPM uniformed continued to be issued for some time after its replacement in Britain by the Soldier 95 uniform. The beret worn is the dark blue one worn by the Royal Artillery, and by various British Army units not authorised to wear distinctive colours of their own. The old 1958 pattern carrying equipment was replaced with DPM Personal Load Carrying Equipment
Personal Load Carrying Equipment
Personal Load Carrying Equipment is the current tactical webbing system of the British Army. It consists of a belt, yoke and a number of pouches. Associated with PLCE webbing is a series of other similar load carrying equipment and rucksacks .The purpose of PLCE is to hold everything a soldier...
(PLCE), however some units have since been issued with DPM load carrying vests.
Little use is made of Service Dress
Service Dress (British Army)
Service Dress was the new style of khaki uniform introduced by the British Army for use in the field from the early 1900s, following the experiences of a number of imperial wars and conflicts, including the Second Boer War. This variant of uniform continues to be worn today, although only in a...
, which is only issued to a handful of permanent staff members, though which is interesting as the colour varies slightly from the standard British Army khaki (being greener), and as, during the summer months, the long trousers might be replaced with shorts. The Bermuda Regiment service dress is composed of jacket and trousers, worn with an olive green peaked cap, tan shirt, and tie. Whereas its predecessors often used tropical weight service dress during the summer months, it uses the same uniform worn in shirt sleeve order - usually, a short-sleeved tan shirt with no tie, whether worn with long trousers or shorts of the same weight and colour. A stable belt is worn in shirt sleeve order. Mess dress
Mess dress
Mess dress is the military term for the formal evening dress worn in the mess or at other formal occasions. It is also known as mess uniform and mess kit...
is also worn for many functions by members of the Officers' Mess, and of the Sergeants' (and Warrant Officers') Mess.
Leadership
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Bermuda Regiment is under the control of the Governor
Governor of Bermuda
The Governor of Bermuda is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government...
and Commander-in-Chief of the island. However, pay and financing is the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour, Home Affairs and Housing. The Bermuda Regiment is listed in the British Army Order of Battle as number 28 in order of precedence.
On its formation, the Regiment's Honorary Colonel was HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, who became Colonel-in-Chief
Colonel-in-Chief
In the various Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional visits to its...
in 1984. After her death in 2002, the position was assumed, in 2004 by HRH The Duchess of Gloucester. The unit is directly commanded by a Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant-Colonel (UK)
Lieutenant colonel is a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines which is also used in many Commonwealth countries. The rank is superior to major, and subordinate to 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, Brian Gonsalves, was appointed on 28 May 2009, to serve for a standard two-year tenure. In some cases, that tenure can be extended by the Governor for a further year.
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 ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. 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 (A, B, and C) and a support company. Initially, the three rifle companies rotated through the role of training company. Eventually, C Company was renamed permanent Training Company. Recruits spent their first year in Training Company, then transferred as a unit to whichever rifle company was losing its third-year conscripts, or were reassigned individually to other sub-units.
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 609, with a full time administrative component of 30. After a review in the late 1990s, 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.
- Band Company: Music and Ceremonial.
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.
Conscription
Bermuda College
Bermuda College is a community college in Paget Parish, Bermuda. The only post-secondary educational institution in Bermuda, Bermuda College offers a variety of academic, technical and professional courses in the Divisions of Applied Science & Technology, Business Administration & Hospitality,...
or schools abroad), for the length of their studies, and individuals currently medically unfit but likely to become fit again. Conscientious objectors have the opportunity to either serve in a non-combatant
Non-combatant
Non-combatant is a term in the law of war describing civilians not taking a direct part in hostilities, as well as persons such as medical personnel and military chaplains who are regular soldiers but are protected because of their function as well as soldiers who are hors de combat ; that is, sick,...
role or perform an alternative community service chosen by the Governor.
This practice (of conscription) is frequently criticised by both Bermudians and aware foreigners, particularly for its sexism and its similarity to slavery (a sensitive issue given the historic background of Bermuda), and has been noted in the British Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/cgi-bin/search.pl It receives support from the community, however, and is hailed for causing interaction between social and racial groups. A recent Bermuda Supreme Court decision has upheld that conscription is a lawful process, as presently administered by the Defense Department, although it required an earlier Supreme Court decision in 1995 to establish conscientious objection on an equal basis with that obtaining in Britain during conscription. Moral issues aside, however, this leaves 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.
Recent Assessments
Towards the end of 2005 the Regiment took part in a fitness for role exercise this time in the form of an inspection by the Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. The review noted that equipment was substandard and major items would be deemed to be unservicable by 2010 (half of the vehicles and signal equipment were noted to be "out of action") and that command and control
Command and Control (military)
Command and control, or C2, in a military organization can be defined as the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commanding officer over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission...
was poor, though it also noted high morale and firearms proficiency.
A subsequent inspection in 2008 revealed that nothing had changed on the equipment issues, with the predicted consequences from the previous report being shown to be true. It was stated that Command and control was better than the previous study, albeit with some way to go yet.
Cadet Corps
The Bermuda Regiment operates its own Cadet Corps programme which took over from its Junior Leader programme from the mid-1990s. Its structure is currently under review with a new Commandant and Deputy Commandant.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 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on the nearby United States, the Bermuda Regiment was embodied, taking over responsibility for the security of the Bermuda International Airport
Bermuda International Airport
L.F. Wade International Airport , formerly named Bermuda International Airport, is the sole airport serving Bermuda, a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is located in the parish of St. George's and is northeast of Bermuda's capital city of Hamilton. In 2006, L.F. Wade...
(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
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
and Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
to assist in post Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
restoration efforts.
The Bermuda Regiment successfully deployed a platoon of internal security trained soldiers to Barbados in 2007. There they took part in forming the security infrastructure for the WCC Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
. They worked alongside soldiers from Barbados, Guyana, India and South Africa, in ensuring a secure environment for the Super 8 series of matches. Although little has been made of this deployment, this was the first time since the First World War that a formed unit from Bermuda has deployed overseas for an operation other than disaster relief (the Second World War drafts from the BMA, BVRC, and BVE were all absorbed into other units, and the cadre of officers and NCOs sent to Belize in the 1980s were attached to a battalion of the Royal Anglians
Royal Anglian Regiment
The Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on 1 September 1964 as the first of the new large infantry regiments, through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the East Anglian Brigade.* 1st Battalion from the...
).
The Regiment also performs a wide variety of community service operations. It is also involved in many cultural events on the island, especially in parades.
Overseas connections
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Bermuda Regiment's predecessor, the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps
Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps
The Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps was created in 1894 as an all-white racially segregated reserve for the British Regular Army infantry component of the Bermuda Garrison...
(BVRC) sent two drafts to serve with the Lincolnshire Regiment
The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment
The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was raised on June 20, 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751 it was numbered like most other Army regiments and named the 10 Regiment of Foot. After the Childers Reforms of 1881 it became the Lincolnshire...
on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. After the War, the connection to the Lincolns was made official. When the Volunteer Army had been reorganised into the Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
in 1908, its 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 consent 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
Bermuda Militia Artillery
The Bermuda Militia Artillery was a unit of part-time soldiers organised in 1895 as a reserve for the Royal Garrison Artillery detachment of the Regular Army garrison in Bermuda.-Foundation:...
(BMA), to create the Bermuda Regiment, the Royal Anglian Regiment
Royal Anglian Regiment
The Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on 1 September 1964 as the first of the new large infantry regiments, through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the East Anglian Brigade.* 1st Battalion from the...
, 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
Permanent Staff Instructor
A permanent staff instructor is a warrant officer class 2 , or senior non-commissioned officer , of the Regular British Army who has been selected to instruct Territorial Army soldiers...
s (PSI), now called full time instructors (FTI) 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. Its first nine Adjutants (1965–1984) were all seconded from the Royal Anglians. Nine of its Regimental Sergeant Majors have been seconded, including three from the Royal Anglians. In 1996, its 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
The Lincoln and Welland Regiment
The Lincoln and Welland Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces based in St Catharines and Welland, Ontario.The Regimental Colonel-in-Chief is The Countess of Wessex and...
of the Canadian Army. Although joint training has occurred in the past, and short-term loans of NCOs from the Lincoln & Welland Regiment have been frequent (especially for Recruit Camps and Overseas Camps), numerous attempts to formalise the affiliation with the Bermuda Regiment have been unsuccessful.
Members of the ceremonial Gun Troop carry out occasional ceremonial training with the Royal Regiment of Artillery, which provides its Sergeant Major Instructor of Gunnery to conduct local courses, 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).
Corps Warrant
In late 2001, the Bermuda Regiment and the Royal Gibraltar RegimentRoyal Gibraltar Regiment
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is the home defence unit for the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It was formed in 1958 from the Gibraltar Defence Force as an infantry unit, with an integrated artillery troop.-Formation:...
were presented with Corps Warrants dated 21 February 2000.
Other
The Bermuda Regiment also developed a relationship with the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, which had supplied a detachment to Bermuda for many years to guard United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
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
Camp Geiger
Camp Geiger is a United States Marine Corps Base. Although not geographically connected, Camp Geiger is part of the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune complex, and is home to the United States Marine Corps School of Infantry East for all Marines recruited through the Eastern Recruiting Region. Located...
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, after 2001, by US forces preparing for deployment to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, the Bermuda Regiment moved the location for its annual camps to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, where it was developing a relationship with the Florida National Guard
Florida Army National Guard
The Florida Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
, although it has since recommenced the use of Camp Lejeune.
The location of annual camps in alternate years is Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. 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). Over the last few years, a relationship has also been developed with the Royal Gibraltar Regiment
Royal Gibraltar Regiment
The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is the home defence unit for the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. It was formed in 1958 from the Gibraltar Defence Force as an infantry unit, with an integrated artillery troop.-Formation:...
, and small detachments sent with that regiment on its annual training deployments to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. http://www.bermynet.com/Pictures/October25-November28-2006-ExcerciseJeebelSahara/ In 2007, for the first time, the annual camp was held in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with detachments training at the Cinque Ports
Cinque Ports
The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest...
Training Area (CPTA) near Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
. http://www.bermudanetworknews.com/index.php/press_releases/detail/regiment_off_to_uk_for_annual_overseas_camp/
Alliances
- The Royal Anglian Regiment - The Lincoln and Welland RegimentThe Lincoln and Welland Regiment
The Lincoln and Welland Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces based in St Catharines and Welland, Ontario.The Regimental Colonel-in-Chief is The Countess of Wessex and...
- The Jamaica Defence Force
Commanding officers
The Commanding Officer of the Bermuda Regiment (as also the Quartermaster, Training Officer, the Staff Officer (UK Loan Service), the Adjutant, the Aide-de-camp, 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 nolimit to the term of a commander, but, following Lieutenant-Colonel Gavin Shorto's six years in the office, a three-year limit was introduced. The Commanding Officer is chosen from amongst the Major
Major (UK)
In the British military, major is a military rank which is used by both the British Army and Royal Marines. The rank insignia for a major is a crown...
s of the Battalion, and is promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant-Colonel (UK)
Lieutenant colonel is a rank in the British Army and Royal Marines which is also used in many Commonwealth countries. The rank is superior to major, and subordinate to colonel...
.
- Lieutenant-Colonel John Brownlow Tucker, OBE, TD, MCP (ex-BVRCBermuda Volunteer Rifle CorpsThe Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps was created in 1894 as an all-white racially segregated reserve for the British Regular Army infantry component of the Bermuda Garrison...
, ex-LincolnsThe Royal Lincolnshire RegimentThe Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was raised on June 20, 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751 it was numbered like most other Army regiments and named the 10 Regiment of Foot. After the Childers Reforms of 1881 it became the Lincolnshire...
, ex-BMABermuda Militia ArtilleryThe Bermuda Militia Artillery was a unit of part-time soldiers organised in 1895 as a reserve for the Royal Garrison Artillery detachment of the Regular Army garrison in Bermuda.-Foundation:...
) - Lieutenant-Colonel J. Anthony Marsh, DSO, OBE (ex-DCLIDuke of Cornwall's Light InfantryThe Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles....
, ex-SASSpecial Air ServiceSpecial Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
). - Lieutenant-Colonel Michael L. Darling, OBE, ED, JP
- Lieutenant-Colonel Colin C. Curtis, OBE, ED
- Lieutenant-Colonel Brendan O'D. Hollis, OBE, ED
- Lieutenant-Colonel Eugene Raynor, OBE, ED
- Lieutenant-Colonel A. Gavin Shorto, OBE, ED, JP
- Lieutenant-Colonel D. Alan Rance, OBE, ED
- Lieutenant-Colonel David A. Burch, OBE, ED, JP
- Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick Outerbridge ED
- Lieutenant-Colonel David Gibbons, OBE, ED
- Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Lamb ED
- Lieutenant-Colonel William White ED
- Lieutenant-Colonel Brian N Gonsalves ED
Pistols, shotguns and sniper rifles
- Beretta 92Beretta 92The Beretta 92 is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. The model 92 was designed in 1972 and production of many variants in different calibers continues today...
self-loading pistol - Mossberg 500Mossberg 500Mossberg 500 is a series of shotguns manufactured by O.F. Mossberg & Sons. The 500 series comprises widely varying models of hammerless, pump action repeaters, all of which share the same basic receiver and action, but differ in bore size, barrel length, choke options, magazine capacity, and...
shotgunShotgunA shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug... - L42A1L42A1The L42A1 was a British Army sniper rifle chambered for the 7.62mm NATO cartridge which entered service in 1970. It served until replacement by the Accuracy International L96 in the early 1990s...
sniper-rifle (a 7.62mm Lee-EnfieldLee-EnfieldThe Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century...
)
Rifles and machine guns
- Ruger Mini-14Mini-14The Mini-14, Mini Thirty, and Mini-6.8 are small, lightweight semi-automatic carbines manufactured by the U.S. firearms company Sturm, Ruger. The Mini-14 non-target versions can fire both the .223 Remington cartridge and the similar military 5.56x45mm cartridge. The target model Mini-14 rifles are...
self-loading rifle (standard issue to riflemen) - L1A1 self-loading rifle (obsolete, but stocks still held)
- L85A1 SA-80 (used for familiarization training)
- Uzi submachine gunUzi submachine gunThe Uzi is a family of Israeli open bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns. Smaller variants are considered to be machine pistols. The Uzi was one of the first weapons to use a telescoping bolt design which allows for the magazine to be housed in the pistol grip for a shorter weapon.The first Uzi...
). - Colt M4 (not issued, but stocks held)
- H&K G36 (not issued, but stocks held)
- FN MAGFN MAGThe FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...
General-purpose machine gun.
Vehicles
- Toyota Land CruiserToyota Land CruiserThe is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation. It is not related to the Studebaker Land Cruiser car produced in the US from 1934-1954....
light trucks - Toyota DynaToyota DynaThe Toyota Dyna is a light truck for commercial use. In the Japanese market, the Dyna is sold alongside its twin called Toyoace. The original Toyoace of 1956 was an improvement over the Toyopet SKB Truck...
lorries - Rigid RaiderRigid RaiderThe Rigid Raider is a series of fast patrol/assault boat made by RTK Marine, a subsidiary of Halmatic . They are in service with many armed forces, including the Royal Marines, the SBS and Royal Engineers...
boats - Halmatic RHIB boats
- Chris-CraftChris-CraftFor the NASA flight director, see Christopher C. Kraft, Jr.Chris-Craft, Inc. is a privately held American manufacturer of civilian powerboats based in Sarasota, Florida...
boats
External links
- Official Website of the Bermuda Regiment
- Official Website of the Bermuda Defence Department
- Foreign & Commonwealth Office: The Bermuda Regiment
- Ministry of Defence: Royal Anglian soldiers boost Bermuda Regiment
- The Camp Lejeune Globe: Bermuda Regiment soldiers conduct training aboard MCB Camp Lejeune.
- St. Augustine Record: Bermuda Regiment will train at Camp Blanding. 1 May, 2002.
- Land Forces of Britain, The Empire & Commonwealth: The Bermuda Regiment
- POTSI: The Bermuda Regiment
- Official list of Royal Artillery Association branches.
- The Royal Gazette: "The closest thing to a plantation in Bermuda is Warwick Camp"
- Law Info: "Bermudian premier criticizes youths seeking to end draft "
- 21 Square: Prisoners?