The Governor arrived at the ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage, escorted by a police motorcade and proceeded to inspect Bermuda Regiment troops one last time as Governor. Premier Paula Cox then addressed the crowd and thanked the Governor for his service to Bermuda.

Sir Richard Gozney then expressed his thanks to the Government saying that his tenure in Bermuda had been stimulating and fun. The Governor shared his plans to attend the Olympics and said he will be cheering on the Bermudian athletes.

Sir Richard Gozney strolled the grounds greeting representatives from the Regiment, Bermuda Police Service, Parliament, judiciary, visitors and children who had gathered.

A British career diplomat, Sir Richard has been Governor and Commander in Chief of Bermuda since December 2007. Before becoming Governor of Bermuda, Sir Richard Gozney was a British diplomat for 34 years, specializing in Indonesia, Africa, the Spanish speaking world, and NATO issues, working for some twenty years abroad at British Embassies and High Commissions.

For ten of those twenty years he was an Ambassador or High Commissioner including to the Southern African Kingdom of Swaziland in the 1990s and to the Republic of Nigeria from 2004.

George Fergusson has been appointed Governor of Bermuda in succession to Sir Richard who will be retiring from the Diplomatic Service. Mr Fergusson is expected to arrive in Bermuda next week.

Click to enlarge photos:

The Regiment charter jet left Montego Bay’s Sangster Airport on Saturday 12th May, with the soldiers returning to Bermuda later that afternoon, and Pte Shabazz faced the local Magistrate on Monday 14th May.

The Regiment had been in Jamaica since 29th April and the end-of-exercise leave period saw the soldiers taking their short leave in the tourist area of Montego Bay.

Pte Shabazz was fined $9,000 Jamaican dollars — equivalent to approximately $103 Bermuda dollars — and will be personally responsible for any additional costs incurred by the method of his return to Bermuda.

Speaking last week, a Regiment spokesperson said: “In order to ensure the recovery of the equipment and baggage to Bermuda goes as safely as possible all personal items are thoroughly searched and examined. Setting the example, the senior officers are the first to have their bags checked – in full view of the Privates.

“The Regimental Sergeant Major Gavin Rayner then nominates certain personnel to become baggage checkers, including a member of the Bermuda Police Service detached to the Regiment for the duration of the Camp.

“The process is simple: every soldier empties everything out of their bergan onto the floor, the bag is checked, and then every item is cleared – one piece at a time.

“Once that is done, the bags are placed in a sealed and locked container which won’t be opened again until in the presence of Bermuda Customs and Police personnel including “sniffer” dogs.”

A fake scenario was set up which involved a section leader addressing the group pretending to award a soldier for most improved during the trip.

Bermuda Regiment Private Jonathan Gibbons was called forward, and he approached his girlfriend Jessica Rains and proposed to her in front of his fellow troops and a gathered crowd who cheered him on.

Mr Gibbons said he decided to propose one night while camping out in Jamaica when he realized how much he missed his girlfriend, loved her and how much he wanted her to be a part of his life forever. The couple has a young daughter, and Mr Gibbons said he wanted to complete the family.

The troops have endured rain, heat, mud, mosquitoes, blisters, fatigue, and all the other pleasantries that have been part of Exercise Rum Runner 2012.

A Regiment spokesperson said, “To their credit, these young men and women have performed admirably, and are justly proud of all they have achieved. This isn’t just Regiment rhetoric either; for the past two days they have been observed by a high calibre team of VIPs.”

The Governor, who is the Regiment’s Commander-in-Chief, and Minister of National Security Wayne Perinchief headed a team of VIPs as they took to the hills to observe the troops in action. Included in the group was the Honorary Colonel of the Regiment Eugene Raynor, the British Defence Attaché in Jamaica and the British Assistant Military Attaché [AMA] from Washington.

The AMA – who is a Colonel from the British Army – provides military guidance and advice to the Bermuda Regiment. Annually, he and two team members perform an audit and evaluation of the Bermuda Unit, which normally coincides with the annual Joint Service Exercise on the Island.

The audit ensures that the Regiment is following current best practice and helps identify ways that the UK Ministry of Defence may be able to provide further support to the unit.

The spokesperson continued, saying, “During their visit, the VIPs saw all aspects of the Camp: living conditions, training delivery, exercise locations, and spent time talking to the soldiers in between activities. Although the Governor has visited previous Camps in Jamaica, he was especially pleased this year with the resilience the soldiers were displaying despite their challenging operating conditions.

“His Excellency is always particularly interested in speaking to the soldiers personally and hearing their first-hand accounts of the Regiment’s activities. On his first visit to an overseas camp Minister Perinchief was very pleased with the military exercise and praised the organisation for its invaluable social benefits.

“He spoke highly of the positive effect that military training had on young people and how it bonded different sections of society into a cohesive team. The VIPs were not spared the unrelenting heat or mud and were fully immersed in the event in just a few hours; by noon their boots were as mud caked as any soldier. Making no special dining concessions for the VIPs they were issued ration packs for lunch.”

The final phase of the overseas camp is 36 hours of rest and recuperation. Although some question why it is needed, a Regiment spokesperson said, “It is an essential part of post military recovery. After almost 2 weeks participating in a gruelling exercise it is important for the soldiers to decompress before returning home.”

“In order to ensure the recovery of the equipment and baggage to Bermuda goes as safely as possible all personal items are thoroughly searched and examined. Setting the example, the senior officers are the first to have their bags checked – in full view of the Privates.

“The Regimental Sergeant Major Gavin Rayner then nominates certain personnel to become baggage checkers, including a member of the Bermuda Police Service detached to the Regiment for the duration of the Camp. The process is simple: every soldier empties everything out of their bergan onto the floor, the bag is checked, and then every item is cleared – one piece at a time.

“Once that is done, the bags are placed in a sealed and locked container which won’t be opened again until in the presence of Bermuda Customs and Police personnel including “sniffer” dogs. Although a long and labour intensive operation, the Regiment wants to ensure it does everything it can to prevent banned substances entering Bermuda.”

Click to enlarge photos:

A Regiment spokesperson said, “The aim of the final phase of Exercise Rum Runner was to confirm the skills that the soldiers had learned during the camp and the months prior to deploying. To add incentive and encouragement, the phase – named Portland Patrol – is set up as a competition.

“Over three days, the soldiers move as platoons to various staging areas to complete assigned tasks: medical treatment, emergency evacuation, abseiling, river crossing, navigation, shot gun range, and military knowledge skills and knowledge tests.

“Naturally, having the “stands” near to each other would diminish the challenge and were spaced several kilometres from each other. While most Bermudians wouldn’t consider walking that distance in the best conditions, the soldiers were given the extra burden of transporting their kit and weapons with them – which totalled a load around 50lbs per person.

“A group of VIPs led by the Governor, who is the Regiment’s Commander-in-Chief, and The Minister of National Security The Hon Wayne Perinchief visited the troops in Jamaica. The group visited a local infirmary where the members of the Assault Pioneers – under the command of Sergeant Edwards – had spent two weeks performing a renovation on the dilapidated building and its surrounds.

“Corporal Furbert, Lance Corporal Burgess and Private Raynor were tasked with doing much of the masonry work which involved creating a perimeter fence, rebuilding steps to one of the accommodation buildings, and repairing many of the walls.

As the floors were in a particularly poor state, Pte Burgess assisted Sergeant Edwards in the refurbishment and tiling of the floors in the washing and cleaning facilities. Speaking about the project, LCpl Burgess said, “It felt good to help out the community here; the nurses, patients, and especially the elderly really appreciated it.”

“Another team member, Pte Wilson, who is a painter by trade, was tasked with the resealing, priming and painting of all the walls and newly made ceiling. The soldiers said there were a lot of challenges with the project as much of the materials were in short supply.”

Pte Raynor said, “We had to be more resourceful than in Bermuda and had to modify items to fit the task. It was also really hot and we all lost a few pounds, but we are really proud of what we did.”

“All the soldiers from the section were very pleased with the results, and just before leaving the site the Mayor of Port Antonio, the local Chief Constable and other dignitaries stopped by to personally thank the Bermudians for their hard work and reconfirm the respect and fondness that they have for the Bermudian Unit.

“While the Community Project was concluding, some soldiers of “A Company” were having a charitable experience of their own. As the soldiers transited to different training sites they were able to view the state of poverty that many of the locals in the Portland area live in.

“Deciding that the locals were in far more in need of food then they were, they would give them part of the their rations. However, rather than go hungry themselves they were able to employ the skills that they had learned over the past ten days and start living off the land.

“In scenes that would be almost impossible to place in Bermuda, the soldiers were combing the jungle for edible flora, fauna, and fruits and cook or eat raw as appropriate. Fortunately, their Jamaica Defence Force hosts were able to guide them away from the dangerous items and towards more palatable ones.

“The final day of the Portland Patrol saw the troops participate in a raft building and river navigation exercise. Armed with wire and cutters, the sections were given stacks of bamboo and directions on how to construct an “almost” authentic river raft. The experience was a welcome break from the difficulties they had been facing over the previous 10 days.

LCpl Nigel Smith of 3 Section 3 Platoon said, “It was a fantastic experience. All the sections were in an unofficial competition to build the best craft – everyone was fully engrossed with the activity. We were completely soaked by the time we got the end of the 3km course.

“We had to ensure that we were working together the entire time – looking out after each other, communicating effectively, all trying to keep the raft afloat and balanced. However, we ran into some difficulties when we attempted to cross some turbulent rapids, that’s when it went a little wrong and before we knew it we had capsized.

“This was my first time as a Section Commander and I really enjoyed it. I am due to finish my conscription period later this year, but when they offer me a leaving certificate I will refuse it; in its place I want a reengagement form, there is more for me to learn. I think the Regiment offers a platform for anyone to enjoy experiences that you wouldn’t normally get.”

LCpl Smith also said that he was aware that some people have a distorted view of the Regiment, “If anyone thinks that this was just two weeks of chilling out, they are 100% wrong. My guys have worked exceptionally hard and we are so proud of what we have achieved.

“I dare anyone who thinks this is a waste of time or money to come out here and try it themselves. This was a character developing experience for me.

“My whole Regiment service has been a constant learning experience, not just the hard military skills, but the soft and intrinsic skills too – I think anyone who wants to challenge themselves and realise their true potential should join. Once you have realised what are really capable of, you will never settle for anything less – I keep on amazing myself with what I have achieved with the Regiment.”

Mr Lee preceded his service to the Regiment with his involvement in Junior Leaders where he and Mr Rayner first met and became friends. Although Mr Lee has served in many posts in the Regiment during his 18 year career, members of the public will probably know him best for his participation in public parades.

WO1 Gavin Lee handing command over to RSM Designate WO2 Gavin Rayner:

Highlights include the Presentation of New Colours in 2010 and the visit by HM The Queen and HRH Prince Phillip as the apogee of the 400th Anniversary celebrations. During his service he has represented Bermuda on attachments to the Royal Anglian Regiment, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, and served for seven months in Sierra Leone as part of the International Military Advisory Training Team.

WO1 Rayner enlisted in 1994 and spent his first years of service balancing his civilian career as a culinary specialist with his military career. However, in 1997 the then Corporal Rayner was taken onto full time staff and began a steady career towards his current post as the RSM.

Mr Rayner has a career serving in all fields including skill at arms, Adventure Training / Outdoor Field Skills, logistics, and training. His ability was noticed by his commanders and was selected to serve with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment during their Exercise Grand Prix (Kenya) in 1998.

WO1 Rayner moved to the UK in 2008, and was posted to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment, serving in their Training Wing as the Weapon’s Warrant Officer. During his two year service with the Vikings (the 1st Battalion’s nickname) he also assumed posts as the Platoon Commander of Minden Platoon and the Operations Warrant Officer.

Upon returning to Bermuda WO1 Rayner spent most of the following year in the Quartermaster’s Company, initially as the Company’s Sergeant Major and then promoted to the Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (RQMS). However, his time as RQMS was shorter than anticipated when he was identified last month as the designated RSM.

When asked about WO1 Rayner’s promotion, Commanding Officer of the Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Gonsalves said, “Mr Rayner has a depth of knowledge and experience, and the Regiment will be the direct beneficiary of his skills.

“I have known him since he joined the Unit and it pleases me greatly to see him move up the ranks; he has all the qualities needed for his post, has good vision, always looks for best practice, and is just the person we need during this intense period of advancement of the Regiment. It is an exciting time to join the Regiment and WO1 Rayner will be one of the commanders at the heart of it.”

Senator Smith published “In The Hour Of Victory” — based on letters his grandfather Major Toby Smith sent to his family during the Second World War [1939-1945] — earlier this year.

The book and the forthcoming film tell the story of Major Smith who was a member of the first contingent of Bermudian troops to travel to the UK in 1940. He was killed in Holland in October, 1944.

Trailer for the “In the Hour of Victory” film:

Sen. Smith has said the 300-plus letters home begin with Major Smith’s voyage to the UK — when the ship carrying Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps and Bermuda Militia Artillery troops came close to being torpedoed by a German U-boat — and end just two days before his death leading his men into battle in Holland.

He recently said: “I never knew my grandfather. My father lost his father when he was five years old. I knew when I picked up the very first letter, that there was a story to be told here.”

The film’s synopsis says, “Untouched for 50 years, a family finds a bundle of letters setting them on a journey into their past, and the rediscovery of a tragic love story amid the turmoil of World War II. Bermudian, Major Toby Smith lost his life at the battle of Overloon during the final Allied push for victory.

“This film weaves a haunting portrait etched in Toby’s own words through the letters he lovingly and dutifully wrote to his wife and five children as he agonised over loyalty to them and the war against the Nazis during four years of service abroad.

“This first-hand account uniquely re-captures the war-time era and its impact on a family, leaving a lasting legacy of what it means to serve one’s King and Country. Based on the book by Major Smith’s grandson, Jonathan Smith. Lucinda Spurling and Jonathan Smith will attend the screening.

The film will screen on at 7pm on Saturday April 21st, and you can download a Bermuda Documentary Film Festival guide here [PDF].Tickets are available at BDAtix.com.

The course – under command of Major Dwight Robinson – qualifies the participants for three-years as safe handlers of the equipment in the event of hurricane or other natural disasters where debris clearing might be required in Bermuda.

After a review of the Regiment’s operating and safety equipment, the soldiers sat a written test. The requirements for passing included being able to confidently identify parts of the devices, state all related safety procedures and precautions, and explain all proper maintenance processes and repairs for each tool.

While the examinees took the written portion, accompanying officers began setting up the test area by cutting down hazardous trees and placing them in a section of the road at Morgan’s Point.

A spokesperson said, “The practical portion was conducted in true military style: a workable plan was carefully thought out; a team of soldiers were directed what needed to be achieved (and why their role was important); and the plan was implemented with vigour and conducted with steady momentum.

“They efficiently and safely worked to clear each obstacle in their path. In groups of three or four, one member sawed while others removed the cut up branches. While doing so, the overseeing officers were there to provide step by step instruction. This was to make sure troops were proceeding safely and correctly as they progressed.

“Along the way, officers asked the troops questions about possible scenarios in order to have them problem solve while working. Each participant was encouraged to use the knowledge they had gained and apply it to the situation at hand in order to accomplish their goal. Officers also tested troops’ leadership abilities by asking about public safety and how troops should handle bystanders while trying to complete the job. In just a few short hours, the troops walked away proudly with another certification under their belts that would be a benefit to them and their country in the event of an emergency.

“When asked about their positive work ethic, one soldier said, “When the hurricane hits, we know who gets called up first – it’s us. I am a volunteer and this is how I have chosen to serve my country. It may not be the most glamorous role in the Regiment, but I am proud to do it – and someone has to be there to put the island back together.”

“When asked if the soldier was concerned about leaving his family alone when he gets called to duty the reply was, “Of course I am. However, I have chosen to put the needs of my country before my own and my family supports me in my decision. More importantly, the Regiment knows where my family live and they have a team that goes to check on them. Seems like a good deal – I get paid to serve my country while a team of guys will go sort out my house and take care of my family if they need anything.”

“Adjutant to the Bermuda Regiment, Captain Ben Beasley added, “The Bermuda Regiment has been performing post hurricane relief locally and overseas since it was formed. We’ve been overseas several times in recent years to help sister islands who don’t have a body like to the Regiment to rely on – Cayman is a good example.”

“As important as the Assault Pioneers are, they are just one part of how the Regiment is serving Bermuda in 2012; we conduct maritime patrols and safety operations, support the police at civic events, parade several times a year, provide an excellent Cadet leadership program, and provide services to numerous public development programmes to name just a few items.”

“When the soldiers leave the Regiment I whole heartedly believe that they leave as better citizens. Of course, there are many who choose to serve far beyond their initial period or as outright volunteers, and I am proud to be considered one of them.”

“Obtaining certifications such as these are just some of the opportunities that the Regiment affords its volunteers. Many recruits who have taken Regimental certification courses have commented that these skills have benefitted them in their work experience and beyond. They have also aided in obtaining competitive job opportunities where such experience is required.”

The international Naval Dockyards Society and the National Museum of Bermuda are jointly hosting the conference — titled “Bermuda Dockyard and the War of 1812″ –from Thursday, June 7 until Tuesday, June 12

Bermuda became the Royal Navy’s warm water North Atlantic base in the 1790s, supporting trade routes and colonies after Britain lost control of its American colonies and ports during the American War of Independence.

Following the French and Napoleonic wars, persisting tensions with America and France escalated into maritime trade disagreements and ultimately full-scale naval conflict.

During the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States, the Royal Navy’s “North America Station” in Bermuda was the staging area for the British attack on Washington and Baltimore.

It was in Bermuda, in the summer of 1814, that the British naval fleet was amassed with 5,000 army troops and Royal Marines and then set sail to invade the United States.

Reaching the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland on August 11, the British forces routed the disorganised American army at the Battle of Bladensburg and then marched into Washington, DC, burning down the White House, Capitol Building, and Library of Congress, the only time in American history since the Revolutionary War that a US city was occupied by an invading army.

History Channel War of 1812 Documentary, Part 1

As Baltimore historian James G. Howes has written: “British forces then sailed up the Patapsco River in a two-pronged naval and land attack on Baltimore, spearheaded by the British army and marines who came ashore east of this major American seaport near Sparrows Point on September 12, advancing as far as present-day Patterson Park in Baltimore.

“There they encountered a large force of 10,000 Americans behind hastily-built fortifications. While the British forces engaged the determined American defenders on land for two days, British warships simultaneously drew closer to Fort McHenry, strategically located at Baltimore’s harbor entrance.”

Beginning on the morning of Tuesday the 13th, the Royal Navy warships unleashed a heavy 24-hour bombardment by cannons and rocket batteries.

“All through the day and rainy night, the defenders of Baltimore withstood these land forces and the naval attack on Fort McHenry, knowing that surrender meant the same fate for Baltimore as the capital had suffered,” Mr. Howes continued.

“As the morning of the 14th dawned and the guns firing on Fort McHenry fell silent, a Baltimore lawyer named Francis Scott Key, held prisoner on a British ship eight miles away, anxiously peered through a spyglass at the embattled fort.

“Seeing the large American flag still flying above Fort McHenry’s ramparts, he knew the besieged gallant defenders had withstood the British assault and Baltimore was saved.”

Painting Of The British Assault On Fort McHenry

So inspired by the sight was Francis Scott Key, as he gazed at the Stars and Stripes, that he began to pen some verses.

“Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

Published shortly afterwards in the Baltimore American newspaper, Key’s stirring poem, written on a British vessel from Bermuda in Baltimore Harbor on September 14, 1814, would become the United States’ National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”.

The dockyard and military defences developed at Bermuda during this intense period survive largely intact today and arguably merit World Heritage status.

The National Museum of Bermuda and Naval Dockyards Society anticipate that these monuments and the Atlantic context of the War of 1812 will inspire new histories and connections during the conference.

The international conference on the theme of Bermuda’s Dockyard and the War of 1812 will be enhanced by Bermuda heritage tours, enriched by the expertise of National Museum of Bermuda executive director Dr. Edward Harris and other local heritage professionals and tourism ambassadors.

History Channel War Of 1812 Documentary, Part II

A member of the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry [DCLI] attached to the 1st Special Air Services Regiment [SAS] with the acting rank of captain, the 23-year-old was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order [DSO] for his valour during a battle with German forces following the Allied invasion of Italy in September, 1943.

He is pictured here at the time, sporting the legendary SAS Parachute Wings badge.

The DSO was established by Queen Victoria in 1886 to recognise individual instances of meritorious service under fire and is often regarded as an acknowledgement that recipients only just missed out on the Victoria Cross, the highest military honour Britain bestows.

A 1984 obituary by Derrick Harrison noted: “It was during the battle to hold Termoli, when the German counter attacked in division strength, that Tony Marsh showed most clearly those natural qualities of command that earned him the respect of all who operated with him.”

Commanding troops from the SAS’ Special Raiding Squadron, according to his DSO citation:” Captain Marsh, with 56 men, was holding a front of one mile on the right flank of the Sector west of Termoli.

“At mid-day on the 5th October 1943, his positions were subjected to very heavy and accurate shelling and mortar fire, at the height of which, his position was further weakened by the transfer of one of his sections to another sector.

“At this time the enemy was developing a determined counter-attack on his left flank. Despite the intensity of enemy fire he held fast and with his own fire pinned down groups of the enemy infantry which attempted to infiltrate into his position. Later in the afternoon several of his men were badly wounded, whilst some distance away on his right flank his remaining other section was being gradually forced back.

“Although by this time, Captain Marsh’s position had become untenable, he refused to move until he was able to communicate his intention to the troops on his left. Meanwhile, with his few remaining men, he succeeded in beating off further attacks on his position by German Infantry.

“Striking north to join up with his right hand section he came across two wounded men. From them he learned that he was completely cut off, but pushed on, taking the wounded men with him, until finally pinned down by machine gun fire. He eventually succeeded in evacuating all the wounded men to our own lines under cover of darkness although only 150 yards from an enemy post.

“Throughout Captain Marsh showed great coolness and determination. His high standard of courage and complete disregard for personal safety throughout the operation played a decisive part in saving a very dangerous situation.”

After the D-Day Landings on June 6, 1944 he was parachuted in behind enemy lines to help organise the French resistance forces and he continued to operate behind the German lines in Belgium, Holland, Germany and finally Norway.

British-born Lt.Col. Marsh first came to Bermuda in the 1950s when he commanded the “A” Company of the DCLI then stationed on the island at the old Prospect British military garrison.

Then DCLI Bermuda Company Commander Major Anthony Marsh Accompanies Princess Margaret As She Inspects Troops At Prospect, 1955

He retired from the British military in 1958 but returned to Bermuda to work for the Trade Development Board, forerunner to the Tourism Ministry.

Six months later he was commissioned into the Bermuda Militia Artillery which he commanded until the amalgamation of the island’s forces into the Bermuda Regiment in 1965.

Lt. Col. Marsh died in Bermuda in 1984 at the age of 64.

As the aircraft were departing, one jet appeared to abort an attempted take-off and took the plane to a side area where the fire service attended after the plane came to a stop. Fire service personnel did not appear to do anything but seemed to be there as a precaution.

That jet plane returned to the airport terminal area where it joined two other jets that did not leave today. A total of five jets and two larger Air Force aircraft left the island at different times throughout the day.

Four fighter jet type aircraft parked on the north ramp and a large Royal Air Force aircraft parked at the main terminal. Military personnel were seen removing bags and luggage from the Royal Air Force plane.

The large plane appeared to take on fuel before departing the island a short time later. The jets also received fuel and were secured as the crew left the airport.

Click to enlarge photos:

In his 2011 book “In The Hour Of Victory”, Senator Jonathan D. Smith has presented an absorbing transcription of wartime letters sent home by his grandfather, the Second World War Bermudian soldier Major Anthony F. [Toby] Smith — mostly to his wife, Faith, during the course of his military service in England and — very briefly, just prior to his being killed in combat — in North-Western Europe.

Together with Jonathan Smith’s own not-very-extensive but helpful background notes, the letters conjure-up a Bermudian wartime experience that was noteworthy and even highly exemplary — though not, as we shall see, a wartime experience that was beyond criticism.

Although set against a backdrop of dramatic world events, and infused with Toby Smith’s high sense of patriotism and duty, the tenor of the letters is predominantly domestic and administrative. Of no great historical consequence, the letters nonetheless offer the modern reader an intimate and often touching glimpse of real life during the war. They usefully remind us that not all wartime service was heroic in the clichéd, cinematic action-hero sense. Importantly, they bring home — literally as well as figuratively — the wrenching personal costs of war, in terms of relationships strained or violently broken; of family histories whose paths were poignantly and forever affected by the toll of assorted human miseries that war imposes.

During his prolonged years of service overseas, the writer of these wartime letters was often frustrated, embittered, and melancholic, but ultimately he always took satisfaction in doing his best, both militarily and matrimonially, whilst always also drawing comfort from his unshakeable beliefs in God and in England. There is much poignancy and pathos in the letters. Despite his eagerness for battle against the Axis forces, Captain Smith [who came to hold the temporary rank of Major] saw very little combat during his more than four years of wartime service in the regular British Army. Indeed, it was his misfortune to be killed in what was evidently his very first encounter with the enemy, in Holland in October 1944.

As a quite junior officer, whose duties were chiefly as a company-commander of Lincolnshire Regiment troops deployed in England’s East Anglia, and, for a time, as an instructor of officer cadets, Toby Smith was not one of those military officers whose deeds and decisions influenced the course of the Second World War in any grandiose or even in any direct way, although he no doubt exerted a very creditable influence on those platoon-leaders and other young officers who benefited from his evident professionalism, and from his passion for soldiering in defence of freedom.

As its raw material is as much marital as martial, the book is perhaps more interesting psychologically than historically. Toby’s letters home are mostly personal and mundane in nature, and although he was evidently kept very busy with his various military duties, the wartime security protocols and official censorship in operation at the time ordained that the letters tell us relatively little of hard-edged military matters, and they are by no means the stuff of high drama.

They are also unfortunately one-sided in nature: for in Toby’s letters home we sometimes get echoes of his wife’s letters to him, but her letters are not reproduced in the book [perhaps because they were not available to Jonathan Smith, although he does not elucidate this shortcoming].

While frustrating, such one-sidedness is also, in its way, a rewarding challenge to the reader, who, denied sight of the wife’s half of this prolonged long-distance matrimonial dialogue, must to some extent infer and intuit his or her way though Toby’s letters in order to appreciate the totality of the couple’s wartime experiences.

The book does cast a degree of light on the broader history of Bermuda and Bermudians in the Second World War, and also on the Home Front in England, with all its tedium, its quotidian worries and cheers, and the banal and slightly surreal quasi-normalcy of life carrying on, enlivened by letters and periodicals from home and by occasional air-raids, as well as by the BBC radio news. To me, however, the book is of interest chiefly for its revealed insights into the mind of its subject, and rather less so as a contemporaneous historical memoir, or as a history book in the conventional sense [although Jonathan Smith’s various notes and commentaries do help to make the book useful as history too]. Reduced to its essence, “In the Hour of Victory” is an intimate, poignant and fragmentary record of feelings and of family relations, evoking for the reader the fleeting and fragile nature of human happiness, and capturing the various preoccupations of rather ordinary people coping as best they could with not-so-ordinary circumstances.

The character of Toby, as it gradually reveals itself to us through his letters to his wife, is of an appealing complexity that imparts strong human interest to an otherwise mundane and historically inconsequential chronicle — rather more so, indeed, than is the case with the more elaborately literary and historical kinds of soldierly memoirs usually written after the end of hostilities], where it is the selectively-remembered adventures and misadventures of the battlefield, the camaraderie and black humour of the troops, and the grand sweep of events, that are most in focus.

That very mundaneness, and especially also the tenderness, of Toby’s frequent letters impart their own sad but special charm to the book, whilst his private outbursts about various pet hates [most notably, some of his fellow Bermudians] add spice to the general blandness [from a letter dated November, 14, 1940: "I wish some of the money-grubbers there [Bermuda] could get a few bombs on their dear old shops and precious belongings and have a few planes zooming down out of the sky in the dawn with machine guns blasting at them and then [maybe?] they might realise that their grasping, dirty profiteering doesn’t count for much … It makes me boil when I think of men like Trott, Spurling, Vesey and your Coxes and whatnots simply coining money while a nice, safe distance in this war, and the last thing they talk of, freedom, while their medieval and plutocratic “ideals” still live on and they amass fortunes.”]

Front Street, Bermuda, 1941: While Toby Smith Was Serving Overseas In The Military, The Island’s Elite Fêted The Visiting Magda Lupesca, Mistress of Romania’s King

Through no fault of his own — in fact, very much against his own wishes — Toby’s wartime career took the form mostly of worthy diligence far away from the battlefronts. For the most part, his experiences took place in the comparative safety of England’s East Anglia –- being trained himself, and then training other, more junior, British Army soldiers or Home Guard volunteers –- rather than taking the form of dramatic exploits and collective adventures on foreign battlefields. Toby met his death in a brief probing action against occupying German forces in Holland, not long after his arrival on the North-Western European front-line in the early autumn of 1944.

Of course, that sudden and tragic finale is not encompassed in Toby’s own letters. Rather, it is left to others –- in condolence letters and later recollections that are helpfully appended to the main body of the book — to furnish such facts as are known of his final moments, and to extol him as the well-meaning, brave, diligent, and family-loving soldier that he so evidently was.

The psychological tension that successfully holds together this fragmentary and otherwise not especially significant collection of correspondence stems from Toby’s fateful decision soon after the outbreak of war, whilst still living in peaceful Bermuda as an officer of the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps, to volunteer for immediate service overseas in the regular British Army.

In this regard, it should be borne in mind [for it is very much the crux of the book] that the outbreak of war in the late-summer of 1939 found Toby married since 1933 to an American woman, Faith, with whom he had four young children — soon to be five, although sadly he never saw the youngest of them. Prior to the outbreak of war, he had been the manager of the Horizons cottage-colony in Paget — a job he evidently disliked and was glad to escape.

A fundamentally good man but somewhat insecure and, in his correspondence with his wife, rather controlling, Toby clearly paid a high price for his fateful decision to leave Bermuda and join more directly in the good fight against Hitler: a price that must be reckoned not just in terms of Toby’s eventual sudden death in action, but in several years of acute loneliness, frustration, and wearisome toil leading up to that final moment.

Indeed, Toby’s letters become full of sentimentality [one that perhaps gave more solace to he himself than to the recipient of the letters, but which certainly renders his eventual death all the more poignant]. As the years of painful separation elapsed, Toby fantasised so often about being reunited with Faith and the children, and he invoked so many pious and fervent prayers to that end, that it seems almost indecent that his fondest hopes should finally have been so utterly and comprehensively dashed.

To read this collection of letters with the empathy and objectiveness they deserve is to be emotionally drained by them.

One minor objection I have is that Jonathan Smith decided to edit “most” of Toby’s letters, apparently to remove “repetitive” sections from them. It would probably have been wiser for him to have included everything, rather than presuming silently to improve upon what was actually written by Toby. It seems improbable that the omitted passages would have been so very lengthy or out-of-keeping with the general tenor of the book.

Better, surely, to have let Toby’s own very human voice carry comprehensively through, repetitions included. Conceivably such omitted passages might have added to our understanding of, and admiration for, that brave, well-meaning and sadly frustrated warrior, Anthony F. [Toby] Smith [1907-1944], whose memory and example are otherwise so well preserved in Jonathan Smith’s absorbing and worthwhile book.

Bermudian Jonathan Land Evans is a lawyer, writer and historian, with an academic background in international relations and international economics; educated at Saltus Grammar School, the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the School of Advanced International Studies [SAIS] in Washington DC, and University College, London University.

A spokesperson said, “Teams will start at Warwick Camp and follow a route that includes Warwick Long Bay, Horseshoe Bay, the sands dunes behind the beaches and, as a finale, the Regiment’s assault course. Working together, team members will tackle obstacles along the route.

“You will get wet and sandy! You will need to climb walls, lift objects, wriggle through tunnels and, generally, prove your worth whilst having fun!

“The purpose of the event is to raise money for charity, so team members will be reaching out into the community for pledges of support. The winning teams will be determined through a points system that adds the points a team receives based on its running time to the points it receives based on the amount of money it raises.

“So, a team can take its time going around the course but still reach the podium by raising a lot of money for charity.

“The selected registered charities for this inaugural event are Raleigh International, Knowledge Quest and the Bermuda International Film Festival.

“I am thrilled to bring the Island Challenge to Bermuda and to be working with the Bermuda Regiment in doing this. It would not be possible to stage this without the Regiment. It is a truly unique team building experience that, yes, will test the participants but in a way that is fun, unusual, satisfying and a wee bit daring,” says event organiser Aideen Ratteray Pryse.

“The best part is that you don’t actually have to be fit, you just have to be willing to try. These are tough times for charities and this is a terrific way for everyone to help.”

Island Challenge has three divisions: General, Company and Youth, where ‘youth’ refers to teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18. Teams will compete for first prize in either the all men, all women or co-ed categories of the General division, while the Company and Youth divisions offer a first prize too. Sponsors of this inaugural event include ACE Bermuda Limited and KRyS Global.

“Launching a new event can be daunting and I extend a enormous ‘Thank you’ to the companies that stepped forward,” Ms Ratteray Pryse continued.

“I will look for these companies and many others to sign up teams to compete in the Companies Division and decide who is the best among Bermuda’s business elite!”

The event is limited to 75 teams so early sign up is recommended. There are two ways to sign up. A team can enter online in 2 steps: first, by paying the entry fee through Premier Tickets at www.ptix.bm and then using the online payment order number (your receipt number) to complete the entry form online at www.islandchallenge.org.

Online entries will be accepted up to noon on Thursday, 8 March. Alternatively, teams can collect one from Sportseller in Washington Mall, complete it and drop it off (with a cheque) at the Sportseller no later than 5:00PM Wednesday, 7 March

Once a team is registered, with a team name, it will be listed on the Donations page of Premier Tickets and friends and familty can donate to the team of their choice. Sponsor pledge forms can be downloaded from the Island Challenge website too.

For a course map, sign up details and information on what to do with pledges, check www.islandchallenge.org or follow the Facebook page, Island Challenge.

The statement said, “His Excellency the Governor of Bermuda and Commander in Chief of the Bermuda Regiment, Sir Richard Gozney, KCMG CVO, is glad to announce that, in the light of advice from the Bermuda Regiment’s Promotions Board, he has extended the contract of Lt Col Brian Gonsalves with the Bermuda Regiment.

“Lt Col Gonsalves will continue as Commanding Officer of the Bermuda Regiment for a further year when his current contract expires on 30 May 2012.”

Pte Smith was given two sentences of three months imprisonment, which were to run concurrently. However, Senior Magistrate Archie Warner suspended the two sentences for eighteen months, telling the soldier: “If you follow the rules, you have nothing to worry about. But if you play the fool, then this Court will deal with you.”

DPP Prosecutor Susan Mulligan read into evidence that, as a man of the Regiment, Pte Smith had failed to comply with a Regimental order to complete five extra duties; and that, on thirteen occasions, he had disobeyed orders to attend for training. These two charges were placed under the Defence Act, 1965.

The Magistrate was told that Pte Smith, who had commenced service in December 2009, had only completed a total of 54 drills in the two years that he had already served although the minimum that he had been required to do was 80 drills in that same timeframe; and that he had a history of absences that had commenced in 2010.

In his defence, Pte Smith said that he had called Warwick Camp several times and had left voicemail messages. Pte Smith admitted that he had not followed up on his calls. Pte Smith also said that he been sick with the stomach flu and could not produce the required medical certificate because at the time, he had no job, no insurance, and no doctor; and that he saw no sense in turning up without a medical certificate because he knew that the Regiment would ask for one.

Magistrate Warner pointed out that if he had failed to turn up for an ordered Court appearance and claimed that he had been sick; that he too, as Magistrate, would ask for reasonable proof.

Also in Plea Court this morning was 27-year-old Lamont Winslow Marshall. Mr Marshall was charged with failing to pay a June 2011 $500 fine that been levied on him by the Bermuda Regiment’s Commanding Officer. Mr Marshall also faced a second charge of disobeying an order to attend at the Bermuda Regiment on 6th January 2012. He pleaded not guilty to both.

The Magistrate noted that he had never seen a person is prosecuted in his court for failing to pay a fine to the Commanding Officer, and that it seemed to be an internal matter.

Following a short discussion on Court powers in relation to the Defence Act, 1965 and the powers of a Civil Court, Magistrate Warner adjourned the Marshall case until Tuesday 7th February 2012.

Governor and Commander-in-Chief Sir Richard Gozney, Premier Paula Cox, Opposition Leader Craig Cannonier and other dignitaries sat through a light rain as they watched the two platoons, Numbers 7 and 8, complete their last military training exercise by taking part in the Platoon Drill Competition which was also won by No 7 Platoon. Also on hand were about hundreds of family and friends of the men and women on parade.

The men and women had been under command of Captain Duncan Simons with WO2 Oldenburg, on Loan Service from the UK and, for the duration of the camp only, Sgts Goodman and Knight from the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment; and Sgt Thomas from 2nd Battalion, The Jamaica Defence Force.

Near the end both Sir Richard and Regiment Commanding Officer Lt/Col Brian Gonsalves addressed the 73 soldiers who were passing into Training Company. Both thanked the men and women for their efforts, said they were making a contribution to Bermuda, and that with the right attitude, they could derive personal benefit from their three years of part-time military service.

Following a short Sunset Ceremony mounted by the Band and Drums of the Bermuda Regiment, the four flags that had been flying for the past two weeks were lowered, the Governor and Premier departed, and the Camp was officially over.

Click to enlarge photos:

This year the best recruit team set a precedent in that the four soldier team was made up of two men and two women. These four outshot all the other recruits.

They were W/Pte Ieysha Berkeley, W/Pte Tonya Smith-Zuill, Pte John Patton and Pte Antoine Richards. All four were from No 8 Platoon, No 5 Section.

The Falling Plate competition involves the team running about 75 metres, lying down, and then firing at ten 12″ x 12″ metal plates that are 100 yards away. The first team with all plates down wins.

If all plates are not knocked down, it’s the team with the most plates down. Each of the four riflemen gets 5 rounds to shoot at the ten plates.

The Falling Plate shoot is close to operational shooting in that the shooter is winded, is shooting against time limits, and is under the duress of competition.

There were six guest teams from Government House [HE Sir Richard Gozney, Captain Powell ADC, and the Government House driver Colour/Sergeant Whorms]; Bermuda Customs; Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service; Bermuda Police Service; Bermuda Cadet Corps; and a scratch team from the defence Board.

Senior Magistrate Archie Warner called it a minor offence which occurred in the heat of a controversy, and also noted Mr Marshall has no previous convictions.

On the day of the offence, 19th January 2012, Lodge was performing duties as a Colour Sergeant of the Bermuda Regiment.

Crown Counsel Cindy Clarke read into evidence that Mr Marshall was present when C/Sgt Lodge and two Regimental policemen came to the Marshall residence to arrest his son. Ms Clarke said that Mr Marshall had shouted: “Not today. You won’t be taking my son today.”

The evidence was that Mr Marshall continued shouting at C/Sgt Lodge that: “You’re nothing but a dumb n%$#er taking orders from a white man.” Ms Clarke said that Mr Marshall was showing anger and caused C/Sgt Lodge to fear that he would harm him.

The Crown Prosecutor said that Mr Marshall had said to C/Sgt Lodge: “I’m going to remember you and take it out on your family.”

Following this outburst, C/Sgt Lodge and the two RP’s left the residence, with Mr Marshall still yelling at them as they left.

After a complaint was lodged, Mr Marshall was arrested on 21st January 2012. At the Police Station Mr Marshall admitted making comments to the Regimental personnel.

Having read in her evidence, Ms Clarke told the Magistrate that the Crown was suggesting that the matter could be dealt with by way of a Conditional Discharge.

In mitigation, Mr Marshall’s lawyer, Mr Philip Perinchief, said that his client has been under tremendous pressure but admitted the threatening words. The lawyer pointed out that Mr Marshall had been cooperative throughout the police investigation, and suggested that the matter could be dealt with by way of a Conditional Discharge.

For himself, Mr Marshall said: “I apologize for my actions. It was out of character and unbecoming behaviour for me. I have been under pressure for 5 – 6 years. I was fearful of my boy being arrested. I apologize for my actions. I only asked him if had family. For the other racial remarks I apologize. It’s not like me.”

Before ruling, Senior Magistrate Archie Warner said: “This is a minor offence. This offence occurred in the heat of and relating to a controversy that this Court in not involved in and does not wish to get involved in and has no interest in. The defendant has no previous convictions and says that he is remorseful.

“It was his son who was involved. The Crown is aware of all the facts and if the Crown felt that a Conditional Discharge is appropriate, why bring the matter to Court in the first place?”

The Magistrate continued that, given the facts, there was little point in convicting and then ordering a Conditional Discharge that would come with attached conditions. The Magistrate concluded: “In all the circumstances, I order an Absolute Discharge and I’ll not waste any more of the court’s time.”

Inspired by a family tradition of military service,  engineering student Walter J. Floss Jr. enlisted in the US Naval Reserve on his 17th birthday, February 13, 1940 — more than 18 months before America entered World War Two [1939-1945] following the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbour in Hawaii.

His father had served in the Army’s 106th Field Artillery in France during World War I, and before that, one of Floss’ grandfathers had fought for the North in the Civil War.

He trained to be a crew member on a PBY Catalina, an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft that proved to be one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II [he is pictured above with fellow fliers].

During the war, PBYs were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts, search and rescue missions and cargo transport.

By May 1942, Mr. Floss had been assigned to the US Naval Operating Base [NOB] in Southampton, Bermuda [now Morgan's Point], where the PBYs patrolled the Atlantic in search of German submarines seeking to sink US troop ships headed to England.

Along with a major base the East End, the NOB was one of two American military installations established here during the Second World War

Documentary On The PBY-Catalina Flying Boat Which Flew Out Of Bermuda

“We got a few of the subs until the Germans realised our depth charges hung on racks under our wings,” Mr. Floss told the Buffalo newspaper. “Our depth charges were set to detonate at 100 feet underwater, but we couldn’t change the setting of the charge while in flight.

“The Germans then stayed on the surface, and we were horribly outgunned by the subs. Three of our planes were shot down. We switched to a Navy version of the B-24 bomber, and the ordnance men could set the depth charges to whatever was required inside the plane’s bomb bay.”

Shortly after Mr. Floss left Bermuda during an early morning gunnery exercise on January 10, 1943, a PBY Catalina belonging to his old unit attempted a pass over the target area on the Great Sound and unexpectedly dove into the water at a high rate of speed near Grace Island. The entire eight-man crew was killed in the first ever deadly air crash in Bermuda.

Mr. Floss eventually ended up flying above the Mediterranean—from Port Lyautey in Morocco to the Rock of Gibraltar—to fight off German subs trying to sink troop ships preparing for the Allied invasion of Italy.

After that invasion, he was sent to England to preparare for the invasion of northern France on D-Day.

Following the war he returned to the Buffalo area and worked as an insurance salesman and at Bell Aerospace before embarking on a career in local politics which culminated in his election to the New York State Senate.

The Premier visited ‘The Parade Square’, where she witnessed active soldiers marching, and she also took time out to tour areas at the camp which included the Company Officer’s Training Wing, the Quartermaster’s Department, the Sergeants and Officers Mess and the Medical Infirmary to name a few.

Reflecting on the role of the Bermuda Regiment the Premier said, “The Bermuda Regiment continues to remain relevant to the needs of the Government and the people of Bermuda.

“Their attention to environmental issues, with their focus on recyclables and the use of Public Works road crews to realise upgrades to their present facilities are two indicators that our military are more than willing to do their part to provide a disciplined training environment for their recruits.

“The new recruits looked fresh and eager and I appreciate them for answering the call to serve and committing to increase their skills as soldiers and citizens in ways that will benefit them personally and our Country as a whole.”

Speaking before the Camp began, Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Brian Gonsalves said, “As you know due to budget cuts, we had to basically halve our enlistment process, so we have just over about 70 recruits and a good number of volunteers.And there are a few females that have volunteered.

“The programme is, for the most part, is the same. The only tweaking has been instead of catering to 160 to 170 recruits, we are now only catering to about 70 or 80 recruits. So the training they leave with will be the same.

“But I believe it will be better. Because there are reduced soldiers, and we have a little more instructors, so the – if you will – recruit to instructor ratio is a little better than it has been in previous years. So I told the Company Commander I expect a better turned out recruit come the end of the camp.”

Click to enlarge photos:

Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Brian Gonsalves said, “As you know due to budget cuts, we had to basically halve our enlistment process, so we have just over about 70 recruits and a good number of volunteers.And there are a few females that have volunteered.

“The programme is, for the most part, is the same. The only tweaking has been instead of catering to 160 to 170 recruits, we are now only catering to about 70 or 80 recruits. So the training they leave with will be the same.

“But I believe it will be better. Because there are reduced soldiers, and we have a little more instructors, so the – if you will – recruit to instructor ratio is a little better than it has been in previous years. So I told the Company Commander I expect a better turned out recruit come the end of the camp.”

Lt. Col. Gonsalves spoke on the new uniforms, “For over a decade the Bermuda Regiment has used the easily recognisable green British Military uniform called “Combat Soldier ’95”. The Regiment has historically followed the UK uniform dress because our soldiers are most likely to operate with UK Forces, attend British training centres, follow British training doctrine, and to a lesser degree our Regimental traditions link us to UK Forces.

“However, the UK Ministry of Defence is in the process of transitioning its Service Personnel from Combat Soldier ’95 to a new design called Multi Terrain Pattern. Multi Terrain Pattern is based on a combination of The US Forces MultiCam pattern and the British Combat Style and has been thoroughly tested over a number of years.

Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Brian Gonsalves said, “Of all the specifics that we require from new recruits, an open mind and positive attitude are equally the most important. The Regiment offers young men and women a unique opportunity to work together in a structured, proactive, and rewarding environment.

“We know that some members of the public like to ‘show-off’ to potential recruits by fabricating stories – my advice to 2012’s recruits is to ignore those negative individuals and look forward to a challenging two weeks conducted by professional and dedicated staff.”

The Regiment said recruits are reminded that in accordance with the instructions they were issued in October or November 2011 they are to be at Warwick Camp for a 7:45am start dressed in their combat uniform, and be clean shaven with a “regulation haircut.” Recruits are also expected to have their kit they were issued and “come with an open mind and positive attitude.”

For soldiers who have not been issued uniform, they are to report to the Quarter Master’s Department at Warwick Camp this Saturday [Jan.7] from 9:00 – 11:00am. If you have any questions about Recruit Camp, you can visit the website at www.bermudaregiment.bm, or contact Sergeant Major Pereira at lapereira@gov.bm or 238-3883 ext 244.

It’s too late for this year but his Georgia family hope Alan Lee Morse [pictured] will finally be  reunited with them for the holiday season in 2012.

George Morse told the “Atlanta Journal-Constitution” his son left home from US Navy leave in October, 1989 and never returned to his base in Bermuda. He hasn’t been seen since.

Alan Lee Morse has been Absent Without Leave for 22 years now.

In 1989 the one-time air traffic controller at the old US Naval Air Station in Bermuda bid his family farewell to return back to duty.

Days later, a superior called Mr. Morse’s father from Bermuda asking where he was.

The elder Mr. Morse went to police, “but they said it’s not illegal for an adult to go missing.” He did not file a police report.

Five years ago, the Navy called, telling George Morse they would not press charges of having gone AWOL against his son. The elder Mr. Morse hired a private eye trying to track down his son.

He found that his son had visited a friend after leaving his family in 1989. That friend said he took Alan to a bus station. That was his last sighting.

George Morse hopes his son is alive and hiding, still believing he is a fugitive.

“I’d be delighted to find out he’s alive,” said his father. “But I’d be relieved to find out whatever. It’s a heart-breaking story. He’d be a 42-year-old now. He’s been missing longer than he was with us.”

Anyone in Bermuda who might have information about Alan Lee Morse’s current whereabouts is urged to contact Georgia authorities.

Official Alan Lee Morse Missing Person Report

Date Of Birth: January 21, 1970
Age at Time of Disappearance: 19 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 6′ 2″; 155 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; brown eyes.
Marks, Scars: None
Fingerprint: Available
Dentals: Available
Circumstances of Disappearance

Morse was last seen in Austell, Georgia in October 1989.

At the time of his disappearance Alan Lee Morse was an Air Traffic Controller for the US Navy stationed at Naval Air Station in Bermuda.

Morse came home to Cobb County, Georgia on leave in October 1989 and at the end of his leave period was to have returned to Bermuda. At the end of his leave Morse told his mother he would see her at Christmas and left. That night someone from the NAS in Bermuda called Morse’s father looking for Morse.

It was soon learned that Morse had told his mother that his father would take him to the airport for the return trip and told his father that his mother would take him. Based on this inconsistency, the assumption was made that Morse had gone AWOL.

Early efforts to list Alan as missing met with reluctance since there was no apparent evidence of foul play.

Alan’s disappearance and subsequent lack of contact with family is completely out of character for Alan in that he enjoyed an unusually close relationship with other family members. A missing person report was taken in 2007.

The US Navy has advised Alan’s family that they will not prosecute Alan for being AWOL.

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Cobb County Police Department
Detective David Mulkey
770-499-3900

The Regiment’s Commanding Officer [CO] was addressing his troops as they mustered for their annual end-of-year Regimental Night on Wednesday [Dec.7].

The CO mentioned how the Regiment’s Boat Troop was working with the Bermuda Police Service, utilising skills learned while working with US Marines at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina. He also touched on the numerous promotions and commissions earned by the men and women of the Regiment over the last 12 months.

A highlight of the evening were the long service awards given to the Service personnel who had reached milestones in their soldiering careers; 14 awards in all for those who had completed from five to 25 years of service to the country.

“The Regiment has faced many challenges during the past year, but their Senior Officer praised them for their tenacity, esprit de corps, selflessness, and similar attributes that separated them from their civilian counterparts,” said a Regiment spokesman. “And it was plain to see that this wasn’t just rhetoric or empty words; these were men and women who were extremely proud of a year of service to their country.”

Although the Christmas “Regimental Night” is the symbolic dismissal until the New Year, Warwick Camp’s Full Time Staff [FTS] continue their duties until the end of the year.

And yesterday [Dec.8] the 29 FTS donned their uniforms to tend to their next annual duty — taking place at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

“However, this duty was far from patrolling the waterways or repairing the island after a hurricane — they were off to sing Christmas Carols to the patients on Children’s Ward and Continuing Care Unit,” said the Regiment spokesman. “Led by the Director of Music, Major Dwight Robinson the team gave a heartfelt performance of numerous Seasonal favourites to the cheers and applause of the patients and staff in the units.

“Major Robinson is better known to the public and visitors for leading the Regiment Band at the Beat Retreat ceremonies and numerous other musical performances throughout the year and was one of the officers promoted this year.” T

The visit to Children’s Ward was a fitting balance to the duties of the previous day when Warwick Camp opened its gates to assist the Warwick Parish Council host the not-so-young members of the community for their annual Senior Citizens’ Lunch Party. Approximately one hundred older Bermudians enjoyed the mid-day meal which was enhanced by excellent music.

“A few hours after returning to Warwick Camp from KEMH, the Regiment hosted a visit by Alan Gorbutt who was representing the Committee of 25 — the Bermuda children’s charity,” said the Regiment spokesman. “Throughout the year –- on the last Friday of the month — the FTS are permitted to participate in their equivalent of ‘dress down day’ which the soldiers call ‘civilian dress day’.

“Although they are always proud to wear their uniforms, the break from their daily wear — which they pay $5 to do -– is greeted as a pleasant opportunity. Over the year they collected $1,000 which will go to the help the charity’s on-going projects and routine work.”

The CO commented that he was extremely pleased at the efforts of the soldiers and officers while carolling for the patients and was humbled at the generosity of his staff.

Finally, Col. Gonsalves said would like to wish “Happy Holidays” to all of the members of the Regiment, their friends and family, their employees, and all those who have supported the Regiment over the past year.

The book and a forthcoming documentary tell the story of Major Toby Smith — the Senator’s grandfather — who was a member of the first contingent of Bermudian troops to travel to the UK in 1940.

He was killed in Holland in October, 1944 — just a few months before the end of the war in Europe.

Sen. Smith drew on the 300-plus letters his grandfather sent home during the war, beginning with his voyage to the UK — when the ship carrying Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps and Bermuda Militia Artillery troops came close to being torpedoed by a German U-boat — and ending just two days before his death leading his men into battle in Holland.

Sen. Smith will be sharing copies of his book with all of Bermuda’s middle and senior schools.

Dame Jennifer’s full remarks appear below:

Good afternoon,

I am delighted to be a part of this book presentation to T.N. Tatem Middle School.

The book – “In the Hour of Victory” – is a story of courage, honour, bravery, dedication and determination, written by former Police Commissioner and Senator Jonathan Smith about his grandfather, Major Toby Smith.

Senator Smith, I know that your grandfather would be proud of the man you have become – because you exhibit the very qualities described in your book.

Major Smith was one of the first contingent of Bermudian soldiers to travel to the United Kingdom in 1940. He was killed in action as his troops won a battle in Holland in 1944 — seven months before the war in Europe ended.

It is my hope that students reading “In the Hour of Victory” will feel inspired like Bermudian film-maker, Lucinda Spurling, who plans to make the book into a documentary.

Senator Smith, it has not escaped our attention that your contact with M1 student, Ashley Z. Smith, was so impressive that you could not wait for today and gave her a book on the spot!

We in Education know that it is critical to preserve our heritage, in all its forms, so that future generations can gain some insight into the people who made this country.

Senator Smith, thank for sharing your family’s legacy with Bermuda.
It is my hope that by reading “In the Hour of Victory” our students will learn more about the role that Bermuda played in World War II. It is also my hope that they will be inspired to research their own family histories.

On behalf of the Ministry of Education, thank you for this generous donation to our schools and students.

The surprise air strike was conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions Japan was planning in Southeast Asia.

Eight US Navy battleships were damaged in the attack — four of them sunk. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. One hundred eighty-eight US aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 Americans were killed and 1,282 wounded.

The Pearl Harbour attack brought America in World War Two [1939-1945] after two years of neutrality.

In January, 1942 it was announced US and Bermudian workers at the Fort Bell [later Kindley Air Force Base and the US Naval Air Station] in the East End and at the Naval Operating Base in Southampton would contribute funds for a new combat aircraft in memory of those killed at Pearl Harbour.

The Bermuda bases had been included as an addendum to the US-UK Destroyers For Bases deal between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in September, 1940. Considered vital to trans-Atlantic shipping, aviation and to coordinating action against Nazi submarines in the Battle of the Atlantic, an enemy attack on Bermuda could not be discounted.

Consequently Britain had been forced to maintain defensive forces here, including the Bermuda Garrison. The deal allowed Britain to hand much of the defence of Bermuda over to the still-neutral US, freeing British forces for redeployment to more active wartime theatres. It also enabled the development of strategic facilities at US expense which British forces would also utilise.

Hundreds of Bermudians worked alongside American engineers on the construction of the new facilities.

And in 1942 these local workers volunteered to have a day’s pay deducted to help raise $10,000 towards the cost of a new US aircraft.

In each worker’s January, 1942 pay envelope was a printed slip which read: “To the Pay Roll Department: In memory of those men at Pearl Harbour who will never again draw a day’s pay, I hereby authorise you to deduct from my pay cheque one day’s compensation as my contribution to a fund for purchase of a military aircraft plane — one that will really give them hell.”

Short Documentary On The Pearl Harbour Attack

“Bermuda Memorial Inscriptions” by H.R and R.C. Tulloch looks at inscriptions from all the memorials found in the naval, military and historic cemeteries of Bermuda, as well as memorials of sailors, soldiers, airmen, servants, slaves, merchants, mariners, convicts and ambassadors from the island’s parish and community cemeteries.

The volume also includes short histories of each of the dozen naval, military and historic cemeteries now managed by the Bermuda National Trust.

The husband-and-wife team of Hilary and Dick Tulloch both come from military and families and were both military officers. While resident in Bermuda they noticed that many headstones in the local cemeteries were deteriorating and took it upon themselves to record the inscriptions.

The result is what National Museum director Dr. Ed Harris describes as a “magisterial study” by the Tullochs who researched most of the military gravestones and other memorial writings throughout Bermuda, ranging from the British Army graveyards at St. George’s to the Royal Naval Cemetery at the West End.

“Together they have unveiled the mysteries of military abbreviations and deciphered whimsical verses and poignant epitaphs,” said The National Trust.

The 358-page hardcover book is available at the Trust for $35 and at local bookstores.

British Military Cemetery In St. George’s

In May, 1941 Britain’s World War Two Naval Intelligence Director Admiral John Godfrey and his personal assistant Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming [pictured] — a pre-war foreign correspondent and future author of the James Bond novels — arrived in New York from Bermuda on a mission that ended up changing American espionage operations forever.

“The two men flew KLM [from the UK] to Lisbon and then took the Pan Am Boeing 314 seaplane via the Azores to the British colony of Bermuda, 600 miles east of North Carolina, where the first American garrisons were building a base to help protect what President Roosevelt called ‘the Western Hemisphere’,” writes author Nicholas Rankin in his newly-published book “Ian Fleming’s Commandos”, the story of the 007 author’s real espionage activities during World War Two [1939-1945].

Admiral Godfrey and Commander Fleming spent several days on the island, being briefed on the activities of the massive British espionage infrastructure which set up in Bermuda soon after the outbreak of war between Britain amd Nazi Germany.

“Hamilton, Bermuda was where the British had set up the Imperial Censorship and Contraband Control Office to read the world’s mail, taken off transatlantic ships and planes,” says Mr. Rankin.

“Fifteen hundred British ‘examiners’, also known as ‘censorettes’ because most were women, worked in the waterfront Princess Hotel, processing 100 bags of mail a day — around 200,000 letters — and testing 15,000 for microdots and secret ink messages, before sending on the bags on the next plane or ship.”

With his journalist’s eye for detail, Commander Fleming is said to have stored away details of a floor-to-ceiling aquarium at the Princess Hotel in his mental files — retrieving them in 1958 when he installed a million-dollar fish tank in the villain’s lair in his 007 novel “Dr. No.”

Author Nicholas Rankin Discusses “Ian Fleming’s Commandos”

In his just released Oxford Unversity Press book, award-winning former BBC producer Mr. Rankin says while the US first objected to the censorship system, the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] soon realised how useful the Bermuda operation was when it began to expose foreign enemy agents on US soil.

The US was officially neutral in World War Two until December, 1941. But after the US provided 50 destroyers to the Royal Navy in 1940 in return for 99-year leases on a chain of strategic Atlantic bases in Bermuda, the Bahamas, Antigua, St Lucia, Jamaica, Newfoundland, Trinidad and British Guiana, ties between the British and American militaries began to rapidly strengthen.

There were secret military and naval staff talks codenamed ABC – the American-British Conversations. And following these, the Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Intelligence Committee in London sent Admiral Godfrey and Ian Fleming to Bermuda and then to Washington DC to help set up what was described as “a combined intelligence organisation on a 100 per cent co-operative basis.”

On arriving in New York from Bermuda, Admiral Godfrey and Commander Fleming met “Little Bill”, the Canadian industrialist and espionage chieftain William Stephenson, and his American friend and ally “Wild Bill”, Colonel William J. Donovan.

“The bullish Bill Donovan — a WW1 Medal of Honor winner and New York lawyer — had twice travelled to the war-zone on unofficial inquiry missions for the US president,” says Mr. Rankin. “All doors had been opened for him: Winston Churchill was eager for American help. Donovan had got on well with Admiral Godfrey in London in July 1940 and had met Fleming in Gibraltar in February 1941.

The other Bill, “Quiet Canadian” Bill Stephenson, had been sent to the USA in June 1940 by the British Secret Service with the mission of improving relations with J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI while also coordinating all UK intelligence activities in North and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

Former Bermuda Cabinet Minister Harry Viera Featured At 00:27 Mark In Trailer For Canadian Documentary On William Stephenson, “The True Intrepid”

During their trip to the US, Admiral Godfrey and Commander Fleming, working in cooperation with William Stephenson — who retired to Bermuda in the 1960s — proceeded to help Col. Donovan lay the groundwork for America’s Second World War intelligence service.

Prior to the creation of the Office of Strategic Services [OSS] the US never had a permanent intelligence agency, so Commander Fleming wrote a 72-page memo for Col. Donovan on how a US secret service should be set up and structured.

Later he went on to suggest that his advice on establishing the wartime OSS had been instrumental in forming the charter of its post-war successor — the  Central Intelligence Agency.

Historians say while this idea might not be strictly true,  Col. Donovan was grateful enough to present Ian Fleming with a .38 Colt revolver inscribed, somewhat cryptically, “For Special Services.”

Ian Fleming [1908–1964] was best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for the 12 novels and nine short stories he wrote about the character, one of the biggest-selling book series of all time.  One of his James Bond stories — “Quantum of Solace” — is set in Bermuda.

His wartime colleague and friend William Stephenson  died in Bermuda in 1989 at the age of 92 and is buried at St. John’s Church, Pembroke.

Fleming said of him: “High up on my list of heroes is one of the great secret agents of the last war … Sir William Stephenson — decorated with the Military Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross for his exploits as an aviator in World War One — became one of the great secret agents of the last war, and it would be a foolish person who would argue his credentials …”

Excerpt From Documentary On Ian Fleming’s Wartime Intelligence Career