Recalling Bermuda’s Sacrifice: Two World Wars

In the two World Wars, 1914 – 1918 and 1939 – 1945, around 600 Bermudians volunteered and served overseas in various military contingents, many making the ultimate sacrifice.

All the soldiers who went overseas had to volunteer because under Bermuda law of that time, no Bermudian soldier could be sent overseas into a combat zone without a special Act being passed.

Marked by the Bermuda flag is the grave of S. S. Swan at the Étaples Military Cemetery in France. Mr Swan died in WWI and is the only Bermudian buried among the 11,000 soldiers:

These 600 volunteers were mostly spread between the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps [Overseas Contingents] of 1915-1918, and 1943-1945; and the Bermuda Militia Artillery contingents, the BCRGA of 1916 – 1918, and the BMI contingent of 1943-1945.

Pictured below, in Porperinghe, Belgium, is the grave of J. Mussenden, of the Bermuda Contingent of the Royal Garrison Artillery who died during WWI on November 3rd, 1917 at only 20-years-old.

Mr J Mussenden’s grave in Belgium, marked with the Bermuda flag:

Gunners William Augustus Conder and William Edward Easton were two men of the BCRGA who both died during their service in France.

Condor died on 28th June 1917, while Easton was killed on 8th June 1917. Of the nine men of the BCRGA who died whilst on active service, only these two lie in the same cemetery.

The grave, in France, of Bermudian William Edward Easton who was killed in 1917:

The inscription on Gunner Easton’s headstone shows that his family in Bermuda sent their personal tribute to the soldier and, as was the custom, this was inscribed on his headstone.

In the well-kept Commonwealth War Graves Commission British Military Cemetery at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France; the two men lie separated by soldiers from other countries.

The grave, in France, of Bermudian William Augustus Conder who was killed in 1917:

Compared to some nations who lost hundreds of thousands [late entrant USA lost 300,000 men in its 1917 to 1918 participation in WW1], Bermuda’s numerically smaller sacrifice was extremely high on a per capita basis.

The small and dwindling band of men who will march tomorrow [Nov 11] on Remembrance Day are living reminders of Bermuda’s large sacrifice in those two wars.

The Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, with the two Bermudian’s graves marked with the Bermuda flag:

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