Warwick Camp (Bermuda)

'Warwick Camp' was originally the rifle ranges and a training area used by units of the Bermuda Garrison based elsewhere in the colony. Today, the Camp is the home of the Bermuda Regiment. The base was located on a strip of land obtained during the mid-Nineteenth century by the War Office along the south shore of Warwick, in Bermuda. The army garrison in Bermuda was being re-organised, with the headquarters moving from St. George's to Prospect Camp, near Hamilton. Most of the Regular Army infantry relocated to Prospect Camp, also, leaving the St. George's Garrison largely in the hands of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Prospect Camp was usefully located in the centre of the colony, and near the capital, but had no area suitable for a rifle range. In January, 1869, F Company of the 61st Foot was moved to Warwick to work on the Military Road (now, the South Shore Road), following which they constructed the rifle ranges at Warwick Camp. Two companies of the 15th Foot continued working on the road, west of Warwick Camp, and also built a new battery for the coastal artillery at Whale Bay.

The Camp enclosed Warwick Long Bay and Horseshoe Bay, which, today, are Bermuda's two most popular public beaches, and all the land between. The rifle ranges were placed here, on the south side of the road, and between the beaches. The Camp also included an area to the north of the road where permanent buildings were erected. No barracks were built til after the Great War, however, as the Camp had no permanent establishment of its own. Use of the camp was allotted for different periods throughout the year to any, or several, of the army units comprising the military garrison. The regular troops used the Camp for riflery and for tactical training, as did the Volunteers/Territorials (part-timers), who used it for annual camps. The part-time units originally had no camps of their own, their sub-units being divided amongst a number of drill halls, or attached to the regular complements of coastal artillery batteries.

In addition to the military (army) units that used the Camp, the Royal Marines (RM) detachment guarding the Dockyard occasionally trained there, as did RM detachments from ships in the dockyard. During the Great War, the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps (BVRC) and the Bermuda Militia Artillery were embodied in August 1914, and soon began planning to send contingents of volunteers to the Western Front. The first of these units was raised as a detachment by the BVRC, and embodied at Warwick Camp in December, 1914. Many of its members had enlisted specifically for the Front. The contingent trained full-time at Warwick Camp until it was dispatched to the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment in Europe, arriving on the Western Front in June, 1915. A second contingent was sent to the Lincolns by the BVRC the following year.

The Second World War
Between the two World Wars, barracks were built to the north side of the Military Road. Prior to then, units training at Warwick Camp had lived under canvas. By 1939, the numerous coastal artillery installations in Bermuda had been reduced to one active battery, comprising the two 6" guns of the St. David's Battery, now called the Examination Battery, on St. David's Head. Sensing the approach of war, and realising that the dockyard, located some miles to the north of Warwick Camp, was vulnerable to naval bombardment, it was decided to build a new battery at the highest point within Warwick Camp. This comprised two 6" guns which had been lying disused in other Bermudian batteries. Both guns were refitted, and only one was operational when local forces were mobilised on 3 September, 1939. The other was fitted the following year. Although the guns of most naval ships at that time outranged the elderly 6" guns of Bermuda, it was thought that the Warwick Camp battery's position was far enough to the south of the dockyard to prevent ships coming near enough from that direction to shell it. From that location, the guns could also repel any raiding parties that attempted to cross the reefline in small boats to land on the beaches below. The last Regular artillery units had been withdrawn before the War, and the two batteries were operated by the gunners of the BMA, with the Bermuda Volunteer Engineers providing detachments to operate the search lights and provide signals. Warwick Camp continued to be used by all units in its training role, but also housed Territorial infantry units that had been embodied for the duration of the war.

After the Second World War
Following the War, the BMA and the BVRC were both reduced to skeleton command structures in 1946. The BVE, the Bermuda Militia Infantry (BMI), and the Home Guard were all disbanded. The BMA and BVRC (renamed the Bermuda Rifles) were both returned to strength in 1948. Their reason for existence, along with that of the entire garrison, soon disappeared, however, when most of the Royal Navy's dockyard was closed in 1950, leaving only a small supply base (HMS Malabar). Following this, the last Regular Army unit (a company of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry) was withdrawn in 1954. The previous year, the last battery of coastal artillery (the Examination Battery) was removed from use, and the BMA converted to the infantry role (although continuing to wear the Royal Artillery cap badge and uniform). 1953 was also the final year in which the Imperial Defence Plan, under which the two units had been tasked, was issued. Warwick Camp was among the lands that were slated for disposal by the War Office and the Admiralty, and which were taken over by the local government.

The Bermuda Regiment
With no need to contend with other units for its use, the Bermuda Rifles closed its drill halls and collected its companies together at Warwick Camp. In 1965, the BMA and the BVRC were amalgamated to form the Bermuda Regiment. Warwick Camp has served, since then, as the Bermuda Regiment's headquarters and only facility. This actually compares very favourably to the situation of most Territorial Army units in Britain, which still operate from drill halls. They rarely have barracks, or any outdoor spaces except a small carpark that doubles as a parade ground. By comparison, Warwick Camp includes extensive lightly wooded and grassy areas, and full rifle ranges (fuller, in fact, than modern, sub-calibre rifles can make use of. The longest range used today is a 100 metre one, while the longest, which allows shooting at ranges of up to 800 yards, has long lain disused). There are also two 25 metre ranges - one on the south side of the road, and the other within the area enclosed by permanent buildings on the north side of the road (the South Shore Road, formerly the Military Road, which cuts through the camp, is a public thoroughfare, and the land to the south of it now doubles as public parkland). In addition to the ranges for live firing, the Camp also now has a building equipped with the Firearms Training System (FATS), allowing 'shooting' year-round in simulated combat conditions. The Camp has twelve barrack rooms, capable of accommodating a full rifle company, with support staff. The buildings housing the Officers' Mess and the Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess both have rooms to accommodate commissioned officers and senior ranks separately from the lower ranks. The Corporal's Mess uses a dedicated barracks room for social activities, but junior NCOs are accommodated with their men (although they have a separate room within each barracks). There are large shower blocks, a large mess hall, and a small PRI. Each of the companies has its own office, and a connected Company Quartermaster (Sergeant's) Stores (CQMS Stores). The Regimental Headquarters is located in its own building, which also contains the armoury. The magazine for small arms, and other, ammunition is the actual magazine of the coastal artillery battery, the two 6" guns of which are still rusting atop the hill. There are separate buildings for the Regimental Quartermaster's Stores, Internal Security Stores, and for the Training Wing. There is space for the indoor storage of the two field guns of the Bermuda Regiment's ceremonial Gun Troop. There is also sufficient space for parking numerous vehicles, and for the storage of the Boat Troops rigid-hulled power boats. At the rear of the Camp, there is a small guard room, and several houses which are used to accommodate the Permanent Staff Instructors and other personnel seconded from the Regular Army, with their families. The last feature of Warwick Camp is a large parade ground, which is an important consideration, given the Bermuda Regiment's ceremonial commitments. The facilities available at Warwick Camp, and its use by all elements of the Bermuda Regiment, mean that each rifle company is able to carry out virtually all types of training, from section battle drills, to range work, to IS training, on any given drill night or weekend Camp.