Bermuda’s Sacrifice of Two World Wars

November 11, 2010

In the two World Wars, 1914 – 1918 and 1939 – 1945, about 600 Bermudian men volunteered and served overseas in Bermuda military contingents.

All the soldiers who went overseas had to specially volunteer because under Bermuda law, then as now, no Bermudian soldier could be sent overseas into a combat zone without a special Act being passed by Bermuda’s House of Assembly.

These 600 volunteers were 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.

Reflecting the social mores of those decades, the BVRC were white and the BMA were black.

Of the 120 white volunteers of 1915 – 1918, forty died overseas; while ten of the 240 strong black BCRGA died overseas. Casualty rates were lower in 1939 – 1945 where eighteen BVRC and two BMI died overseas.

Pictured below is the grave of Mr. S. S. Swan in Etaples, France, who gave his life in the first World War. He is the only Bermudian buried amongst the 13,000 soldiers. Mr Swan was one of the many black Bermudian soldiers who served in one of the two World Wars, whose history hasn’t been well recorded. When in France recently, writer and former Regiment Captain Larry Burchall found his grave and marked it with the Bermuda Flag…as shown below. .

RGA - PROJECT - BATTLEFIELDS TOUR 051

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 much more significant to Bermuda, especially so in WW1.

Pictured below, in Porperinghe, Belgium, is the grave of J. Mussenden, of the Bermuda Contingent of the Royal Garrison Artillery, which is also marked with our flag. Mr Mussenden died during WWI on November 3rd, 1917. He was 20-years-old.

RGA - PROJECT - BATTLEFIELDS TOUR 023

The high losses of WW1 can be seen in the impact that it had on one just one well-known Bermudian family – the Trimingham’s. The first man of the BVRC to be killed in combat was Pte J L Trimingham, who was killed in September 1915. A second Trimingham, this time an officer, Lt W G Trimingham was killed later on in the War. This one Bermuda family, much smaller then than now, lost two men. This is a heavy price for any family and it reflects the high human cost of Bermuda’s participation in those two long wars.

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

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Comments (9)

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  1. Grace Bell says:

    It is a tremendous things that Larry Burchall has done, getting this into the public domain. Keep up the good work. Do you have any information on Agnel Bourgesson who died in 1918 in the Great War, I would love to know where he died, he was the stepson of my Great Grandmother. His son died about 4 years ago at the age of 94 years.

    • Larry Burchall says:

      Grace,

      Thanks for the compliment. Sad to say, so far I have found nothing on Agnel Bourgesson. His name is listed on the RAA Memorial in St George’s Town Square, but there is nothing more about him that I have found.

      However, there is a man named a Agnel BUGSON with the BCRGA Service Number 1063 on the BCRGA nominal roll. This man’s service records show that he died 26 June 1918 in Rouen, France. However a careful search of CWGC records does not turn up anyone by that name as buried in a CWGC site.

      Given the times and the fact that the attesting process involved an interaction between Bermudians of 1916 speaking their unique Bermudian dialect, and English soldiery speaking their regional dialects; there were several instances of Bermudian pronounciations resulting in ‘curious’ spellings. I believe that this happened with the person you know as Bourgesson. As to the lack of a memorial to him, this was possibly an administrative error by rear echelon army clerical staff and compounded by admin error in the later postwar reburials.

      For now, that’s all I know and I hope it helps. For sure, there is no grave marker for him. If there had been, we would have found it and photographed it.

      lb

      • Dear Grace: Here is what the National Museum has on Burgesson. Dr Ed Harris 704-5480

        BURGESSON, Agnel Eugene, Private, BMA, died of pneumonia 1918, June 26 . The name has sometimes been given as “Bugson”, and it may be he who is listed as “G. (Gene?) Bugson” in list of RGA contingent who arrived in England in June 1916 for active service. (R.G. 1916, June 20) He was son of Emmanuel Burgesson and Matilda Simons. His birth/baptism has not been found under either Burgesson or Simons, but his age at marriage makes his birth year 1880. His parents did not marry until 1899, several years after the births of all their children, which included 5 daughters, 2 sons. Agnel Burgesson, aged 32, a coachman, married Alice Caines, aged 23, at Christ Church, Warwick, 1912, March 14. Children born to Agnel and Alice Burgesson, and who may have descendants:
        Clarence Earl, 1912, June 11, in Warwick (Reg.Gen. births 27,826)
        Eugene Benson, 1914, Nov. 25, in Paget (Reg.Gen. births 29,538)
        Agnel Millard, 1917, Feb. 7, in Warwick (Reg.Gen. births 31,125)
        In the 1912/1914 birth notices, Agnel is listed as a coachman, but in the1917 notice he is a Private, B.M.A. A probable descendant of this Burgesson family is Ivan Charles Earl Burgesson, born 1939, son of Earl Burgesson. Ivan married Carolyn MadreeAdams in 1975; they have two children listed in Registry General, Craig Antoine and Raquel Iesha.contact: Ivan and Craig Burgesson are listed in the 2002 Bermuda phone book, both in Somerset

    • Coline R. Seaman says:

      Good day Mrs. Bell,
      I see you was looking for info on Agnel Bourgesson . I am a direct descendant of his parents Emmanuel and Matilda(Simons)Bourgesson . I have been following the family tree ana, am very interested as to how Agnel Bourgesson became a stepson of your Great Grandmother. I come from Agnel’s sister Beulah Bourgesson- Anderson.
      I would love to hear from you. Thanks in advance, Coline R. Seaman

      http://colineseaman.tribalpages.com/tribe/browse?userid=colineseaman&view=0&pid=1091&randi=877017019

  2. F. Doe says:

    As our new Premier just said, we need to focus on that which unites us, not that which divides us…just loking at your photos brings tears to my eyes, my husband has a relative buried in France from WW1, AE Doe…God bless all those who served, and those who died.
    I am so happy that now ALL servicemen and women are being honoured whether they served at home or overseas…war is war, service is service, and we live in peace and prosperity thanks to them.

  3. Dear Grace Bell

    Further to my earlier comment, kindly note the following from official records, which misspelled the name as Buggson:

    BUGSSON, Gunner, A, 1063. Bermuda. Royal Garrison Artillery. 26th July 1918. Age 40. Son of Manuel and Matilda Bugsson; husband of Alice D. Bugsson, of Warwick East, Bermuda. Died in France of pneumonia 26 July 1918, buried at St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen [Q.II. J. 24]