Bermuda Regiment 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 ) . History . The BVRC and the BMA were raised at the end of the 19th century in order to allow the Regular Army 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 This was done primarily as an economic measure , though the regular units withdrawn were required for the build - up of what would become the British Expeditionary Force .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 closure of the Royal Navy ' s dockyard commenced in 1951 ( a process that lasted ' til 1958 , leaving only a small naval base , HMS Malabar , within the former dockyard ) , the military garrison , which had existed primarily to protect the Royal Navy base , was also closed . The last regular unit ( a detachment from the DCLI ) was withdrawn in 1957 , and the two Bermudian territorials ceased to have any military role under Imperial defence planning ( with 1953 being the last year an Imperial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 " ( the BMA had no battle honours specific to itself to hand down , although its contingents had taken part in battles such as Vimy Ridge and the Somme , and as part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery , it had the honour " ubique " ; " everywhere " ) . 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 1951 . Originally a volunteer unit , the BVRC ( and BMA ) had also been briefly disbanded after the First World War . On that occasion , it had been re - embodied as a territorial ( a process that had taken place in Britain and Ireland in 1908 , when the Volunteer Force , Militia , and Yeomanry had been merged , their units linked to Regular Army regiments , and terms of service introduced for recruits , who were no longer permitted to quit their service with 14 days notice ) although it had continued to be titled as a " volunteer " rifle corps ' til 1951 . The latest set of Colours were presented by HRH Duchess of Gloucester , GCVO 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 . Badge . The badge of the Bermuda Regiment combines elements from those of the Royal Regiment of Artillery , and the BVRC . The full badge , as displayed on the Colours , features two crossed cannons creating an X behind a Maltese cross ( the symbol of rifle regiments in the British Army , and used on the white metal BVRC badge ) , set on a circular shield with " THE BERMUDA REGIMENT " inscribed around it , and the whole enclosed within a wreath and surmounted by the Crown . The cap badge is bi - metal - all brass , except a white metal Maltese cross , which is set inside the wheel of a cannon ( taken from the badge of the Royal Artillery ) , with a half - wreath about the lower hemisphere of the badge . 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 . Dress . The dress uniform itself is closer to the old Royal Artillery pattern , and to the generic 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 was worn ( i . e . , the same uniform , with the exception of a generic , white , tropical - weight tunic ) . Most of the public parades for which dress uniform is worn take place during the summer months . Due to the budgetary restraints resulting from the current economic recession , the No . 1 uniform is no longer on general issue , and can be worn only with the permission of the Commanding Officer . The No . 3 uniform is now worn for ceremonial pareds year round . The combat uniform is now the British Army Multi - Terrain Pattern . For much of the Regiment ' s history , it ' s 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 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 . 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 . Organisation . Leadership . 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 . Brian Gonsalves was appointed on 28 May 2009 , to serve for a standard three - year tenure . In some cases that tenure can be extended by the Governor for a further year . In Lieutenant Colonel Gonsalves case , he filled the role until passing command to Lieutenant Colonel Foster - Brown in June 2013 . 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 ( 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 . 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 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 non - Bermudians , 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 . 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 Defence 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 local government , as of 2013 , has committed to ending conscription , although it is likely to be phased out gradually in order to prevent the manpower of the battalion ( which had already seen its numbers fall below strength , from four to three companies , as a delayed result of birth rates decreasing following the Baby boom generation ) plummeting . Currently , three - quarters of the strength of the Bermuda Regiment is made up of conscripts , although many soldiers , whether they initially volunteered or were conscripted , elect to re - engage annually after their initial three years and two months term of service has been completed , with some serving for decades . 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 Defence . The review noted that equipment was substandard and major items would be deemed to be unserviceable 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 . Bermuda Regiment Junior Leaders and the Bermuda Cadet Corps . The Bermuda Regiment operated its own Junior Leaders programme for many years , until it was absorbed into the separate Bermuda Cadet Corps in the 1990s . The Junior Leaders had been part of the Bermuda Regiment , wearing the same cap badge and operating from Warwick Camp , whereas the Bermuda Cadet Corp was a separate organisation , operating through the island ' s Secondary Schools ( having been reformed from the old Cadet Corps in 1965 , at the same time as the amalgamation of the BVRC and BMA ) . In 2012 , due to financial constraints , the Bermuda Cadet Corps was disbanded and replaced by the resurrected Bermuda Regiment Junior Leaders . Many of the Bermuda Regiment ' s officers , warrant officers , and NCOs began their service in the Junior Leaders , including the present Commanding Officer , Lieutenant - Colonel Brian Gonsalves . 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 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 , and is involved in many cultural events on the island , especially in parades . Overseas connections . During World War I , 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 ( renamed 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 its Staff Officer , and 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 ) , 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 ) . The Bermuda Regiment shares this unusual heritage of a combined infantry and artillery unit with the Royal Gibraltar Regiment . Corps Warrant . In late 2001 , the Bermuda Regiment and the Royal Gibraltar Regiment were presented with Corps Warrants dated 21 February 2000 . 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 , 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 had been Jamaica , although in March , 2013 , it was announced that a new location would be sought . This was due to the cost of deploying to Jamaica , given the budgetary constraints , and as Jamaica provided little opportunity for training in Internal Security roles , such as is available at USMCB Camp Lejeune with its " Military Operations in Urban Terrain " ( MOUT ) facility . 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 ) . Specialist Bermuda Regiment sub - units , such as the Reconnaissance Platoon and the Medics , have trained with equivalent US Marine Corps units at Camp Lejeune . 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 . In 2007 , for the first time , the annual camp was held in England , with detachments training at the Cinque Ports Training Area ( CPTA ) ; part of the Defence Training Estate ( DTE ) South - East , near Dover . 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 no 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 normally chosen from amongst the Major s of the Battalion , and is promoted to Lieutenant - Colonel . Following the tragic death of Major Christian Wheddon in a motor accident in England in 2012 , while training in preparation for assuming command , Lieutenant - Colonel Michael Foster - Brown , a professional soldier from The Rifles , assumed command in June , 2013 , the first non - Bermudian to fill the role . Gallery . Many of the pictures displayed are dated , and at the very least over 12 years old .