being acclimated, and many came down with pneumonia, resulting in one death. Some were invalided out and found permanently unfit as a result of �trench feet,� a condition resulting from the men wearing continuously wet footwear. One militiaman, in fact, lost several toes. For the first few months of the new year they worked on the naval docks and stores at Marseilles. At the beginning of April 1917 they were sent north to Vimy and were stationed at Neuville St. Vaast where they stayed until 25 May. Then they moved to Plustratte and were at the Messines Ridge during the attack of 7 June, where they had �a hot time� (The Royal Gazette 31.12.1918) and suffered several casualties from wounds and gas (The Royal Gazette 11.07.1919). In June they were joined by the second contingent. From 24 June until 22 October they were at the Ypres Salient and then were shifted to St. Jean where they stayed until 16 January, 1918 at which point they were sent to Normandy for a rest. At Ypres 3 militiamen were killed and several wounded, and Gunners Manders and Knight received the Military Medal for distinguished bravery. Later they were sent back into the line, and in July were at the Lys front between Robecq and St. Venant, then near Cassell & Steenworde and after the attack of 28 September were sent to Bailleul before proceeding to Menin. For the most part they were split into detachments and kept at different points handling ammunition for various corps. Major Dill commented, �Our men were particularly good at this work, being strong armed and able to handle heavy shells� (The Royal Gazette 31.12.1918). The report of the Field Marshal Commander-in-Chief His Majesty�s Forces in France quoted by the Governor in his address to the returning troops, praised the men highly:
This contingent served with the Canadian Corps during the operations in May and June, subsequent to the capture of Vimy Ridge. They were employed on Heavy Ammunition Dumps, and great satisfaction was expressed with their work. Though called upon to perform labour of the most arduous and exacting nature at all times of the day and night, they were not only willing and efficient, but [also] conspicuous for their cheeriness under all conditions. Their officers rendered valuable services in the management of the dumps.
The unit also worked on ammunition dumps from the end of June to the beginning of September in another Corps. On more than one occasion the dumps at which they were employed were ignited by hostile shell fire, and much of their work was done under shell fire. Their behaviour on all these occasion was excellent, and commanded the admiration of those with whom they were serving. In fact the manner in which they carried out their work under all conditions was strikingly good.
(The Royal Gazette 11.07.1919)
When the BMA returned to Bermuda in July 1919, there was an enthusiastic crowd awaiting them, including an honour guard made up of Regulars serving at St. George�s. On their disembarkation, the contingent marched to the public buildings where they were addressed by the Governor, after which they were dismissed for five days� leave. Afterwards the contingent was assembled in St. George�s, settled up and sent on furlough until 11 August when they were finally demobilised. As the militiamen who had served locally had already been demobilised and the BMA had been declared a disembodied militia as of 31 December, 1918, the thirty men who wished to stay on enlisted into the Royal Garrison Artillery for twelve months.
In 1920 owing to the lack of information from the War Office about the new rates of pay for the BMA, it was impossible to do much recruiting �as civilian wages were so high� (mss BMA Record of Service entry for 8 March, 1920). When the new rates of pay were received and published, 50 recruits were enlisted. As there had been no annual training in 1919, it was decided that all men who had enlisted before the First World War together with the new recruits would be called up on 3 June, 1920. On that date, two militia officers and 123 other ranks joined the two NCOs of the permanent staff for training. A month later the remaining four officers and 31 other ranks joined for training. It was during this time that �a regrettable incident occurred.� What sparked the incident is unclear, but an account of the inquest into the death of Gunner Simmons on 25 July was printed in The Royal Gazette on 7 August, 1920. According to the coroner, a spirit of unrest had come over the men of the BMA when one militiaman was arrested (for what, it is not clear) and put in the guardroom on 24 July. They were determined to release him, and grumblings of discontent developed into a refusal to obey orders to return to barracks. When the men reached Barrack Hill on their way back to barracks, some were arrested and taken to the guardroom for their earlier refusal to obey orders. One of the number escaped and encouraged several others to join him in an attempt to release those arrested. They attacked the guards with rifles and fixed bayonets. The guard repeatedly warned them to retreat or they would be fired upon. They continued to advance, however, and in the fight a man of the Sussex who was on guard got wounded. The order was then given for the guard to open fire, and Gunner Simmons was killed and three others wounded. The jury found that the guard was justified in firing on the men. Despite this very unfortunate incident, the annual training was completed.
The usual routine was carried out the following year under the command of a completely new permanent staff. At this time No. 1 Company was designated a movable armament company and No 2 Company a fixed armament company, No. 1 Company training on 18 and 60 pounders, while No. 2 Company carried out a lot of 1� aiming rifle practice. A course of musketry was also attempted, but the opinion of the adjutant was that the results �did not warrant more than a very few continuing� (mss BMA Record of Service entry for 1921). There were the usual sporting activities and band practice. The overall assessment was that �the discipline and behaviour of the men throughout the training was exemplary, and although a great deal of work was got through in a short time, the results in every way were highly satisfactory� (ibid.). Until 1925 training continued as it had done, though the number of recruits signed on was small. This was due partly because of the prevalence of venereal disease and partly because of �the high wages outside being a strong deterrent for the men to join up.� Some of the recruits were boys, who were trained as a separate squad under a sergeant. Some men were actually excused annual training as the adjutant commented it was practically impossible for men with large families to survive on 2/9 a day.
In 1925 annual training involved the removal of two 6� guns from Ireland Island to Dockyard over a period of four weeks. At this point the strength of the corps was three officers and sixty other ranks. The two guns were dismounted and taken down a steep road past the �Malabar� into the Dockyard. The pieces were lowered onto a barge and then taken to St. David�s by W. D. V Louise. There they were mounted in the battery on CP Mk II mountings, the two pieces already there being dismounted and one being brought across to St. George�s for use as a drill gun and one being left in reserve at St. David�s. The 6� Mark VII guns had a range of 11,000 yards. The system of range finding was by depression range finder (DRF) and autosights.
There was a two-year hiatus as the corps was reorganised in anticipation of the withdrawal of the Royal Artillery from the Garrison at St. George�s. In 1928 the BMA was reformed on a Territorial Army basis. There was a permanent staff of two officers (the commandant a captain and the adjutant a lieutenant), two warrant officers (a battalion sergeant major as instructor and a master gunner), a sergeant instructor who also acted as battalion quartermaster and nine rank and file. The militia was made up of three officers (a captain and two subalterns), four sergeants and ninety-six other ranks. All the existing rank and file were discharged, and recruiting for a new corps commenced. Because the facilities for instruction were at St. George�s, recruiting was limited to St. George�s, St. David�s and Bailey�s Bay. Recruitment was slow, with only 15 signing up, but numbers increased over the following years. With the completion of the railway in 1931 and the resultant ease of travel, recruitment was extended to the city of Hamilton and numbers increased, so that by March 1932 the strength of the Corps was 85.
It was decided that the BMA would man the 6� battery at St. David�s, which on the withdrawal of the RA in May was the only battery remaining in the Island ready for war. The format for the drill changed as well, with weekly drill nights held throughout the year and an annual camp of only two weeks. In later years these drills were held alternately in Hamilton and St. George�s. Church parades were held, and a contingent sent each Armistice Day to form part of the Guard of Honour at the Cenotaph.
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