Admiralty House in the early 1960's
 

I recently received a follow-up email from former P.C. Mike Johnson who served here from 1961-1964, after I wrote an article about Mike and his travels in our Then and Now column which you can read at http://expobermuda.com/index.php/tan/705-michael-johnson He now lives near an very active volcanic area in Hawaii.

Mike had mentioned living in Cypher Block at Admiralty House. By coincidence, Dave Garland had recently provided me with a photo of Admiralty House while it was still is use as our Police singlemen’s quarters, together with a photo of the ship’s wooden figurehead of Neptune which stood proudly on the dock and was still there when I arrived in Bermuda in May 1964. Neptune could no doubt tell a tale or two of the happenings at Admiralty House!

Neptune watches over Admiralty House dock
 

Mike was enquiring if anyone knew what happened to Adrian Brindle (served from 1961-1966), Ray Hackett (served from May 1961-August 1964) and Maurice Winston Thorne (served from May 1961- May 1964) , after they left Bermuda, but I have no information about any of them after then.

P.C. Adrian Brindle
 
 
P.C. Ray Hackett 
P.C. Maurice Winston Thorne 

 

Editors note - According to brief records in the Police Register at Prospect Adrian Brindle returned to Wiltshire, and Ray Hackett returned to London.

Mike was also interested in a guy believed to be named Lew Dunkley who Mike says wore regular Bermuda Police uniform, ate at the Mess, stayed at Cypher Block at Admiralty House, and to all appearances was one of the lads who would drink at the Police Club, but as Mike remembers it, Lew said he was “seconded” to Bermuda from the Met. Mike saw him once after he left Bermuda when he appeared on a TV broadcast with Princess Margaret at a refugee camp and was clearly identifiable as the same Lew Dunkley who spent a short time here although his name was not mentioned in the video.

Strangely, there is absolutely no record at all of a Lew Dunkley ever having served in the Bermuda Police, and I wondered if anyone might recall him and perhaps know what he did while here. I gather that Mike has also made an enquiry at the Met but has not received a reply.

I decided to make some enquiries of some of the guys who were in the Police Force around that time and also asked them for their recollections of singlemen’s quarters at Admiralty House. I received the following responses:-

Jeff Payne (taken when he was a Sergeant)
 

JEFF PAYNE - I think Maurice Thorne went back to the Gloucester Police. and Adrian Brindle also went back to the UK. He was good mates with P.C. Robert (“Bob”) Bates (Served from Jan 1961-March 1963) and Carol Royer who worked in Traffic at that time. He came back a few times on visits.

P.C. Robert "Bob" Bates
                                   
 P.C. Roger Colin Vincent
 

NICK HALL - I remember them but have no information on them. Always ask after Somerset’s Colin Vincent* who used to attend my USC machine gun shoots at what is now Dockyard’s prime beach.


PS I once met Ian Davies at Farnborough Air Show in 1970s,

• Editors note - According to the Police Register P.C. Roger Colin Vincent served here from February 1962 - December 1963 and was stationed in Western Division.

P.C. George Hammond
 

GEORGE HAMMOND - I remember the person you are mentioning although I believe the surname is spelled “Dunkerley” or “Dunkerly”and his first name was spelled “Lewerley”. He came out here from the Met with Gerry Stiles in the early sixties. I’m not sure if the spelling is correct but I remember him well.

P.C. Gerald "Gerry" Stiles
 

Editors note - Although there is no record of a “Lew Dunkley” in the official police registers, I checked in the Winter 1961 edition of the Police Magazine, and discovered his name recorded under “Attestations” as Constable L.S. Dunkerley who joined on 3rd January 1961.

 

MIKE CHERRY - Although I joined the BPS in 1959 I do not recall any of the names mentioned. I did not have the fortune of being billeted at Admiralty House, as I was one of the first to take up residence at Prospect in July 1959 in one of the recently renovated rooms in the two-story block opposite HQ.

We did spend a lot of time at Admiralty House though due to the beach and boating and it was a regular venue for parties.

I moved out of Prospect in late 1961 after getting married, and also was transferred to Traffic, so did not get to know the guys on the beat too well.

Some of the guys that I recall staying at Admiralty House were Ian Kane, Bob Irons, Jack Shaughnessy, ‘Pip’ Carter, Dave Gillery, and I will think of others.
Best regards
Mike

Editors note - Mike wrote a lovely article for out Then and Now column which you can view at http://expobermuda.com/index.php/tan/641-mike-cherry. We also have an excellent article about Peter “Pip” Carter in our Hall of Fame column which was kindly written by his wife Diane “Dee” Carter. It can be viewed at http://expobermuda.com/index.php/latesthof/245-pipcarter

P.C. Terry Bawden
 

TERRY BAWDEN - I landed at Bermuda sometime in February 1962 and it was night-time when I landed. I was met by a Sergeant and taken directly to Admiralty House. I was only there for couple of weeks before being posted to St George’s barracks, so I don’t have too much knowledge of the place.

At that time the police inmates seem to have been on the first floor and the Bermuda Rifles were using the ground floor although I don’t really know what their function was there. On the first morning there I awoke, and it was of course the first view I had of Bermuda in daylight, and having left England in winter where all was drab and grey, I think it was the most beautiful place I had ever seen, with all the houses in pastel shades and white roofs.

To me the houses looked a bit like child’s dolls houses, but I soon got used to seeing them everywhere. Within a few days I became very homesick, it being the first time I had ever left my family or even England, but once I was moved to St Georges’ and had a close circle of colleagues around me, I soon grew out of that and settled down to happy days. That’s all I can really say about Admiralty House.

GEOFF HUNT - Adrian Brindle was an usher at John Swift's wedding but I think John lost contact a long time ago. Ray Hackett took an external law degree and became a barrister. Maurice Thorne came from Gloucester - managed to save £3000 in his 3 year contract and left abruptly!


DAVE GARLAND - Adrian Brindle was a nice quiet fellow - he was not a police type. I remember him taking part in an athletics meet in 1962 when D.J. Williams challenged the Police to compete in a competition against the pick of Bermuda’s athletes. The meet was held at BAA Field.

P.C. Dave Garland



The Police team was Adrian Brindle - 100yds, Jack Rouse - shot and javelin Dave Garland - long jump. Tony Harper 220 yards and 400 yards, Jeff Payne – one mile and 2 mile races.

P.C. Jack Rouse                                                              

P.C.  Anthony "Tony" Harper

 Results –
Adrian Brindle - 2nd to John Morbey
Dave Garland - 2nd to John Morbey
• Please note that John Morbey was a brilliant athlete who won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and ran the 100 yards in 10 seconds.
Jack Rouse won both shot put and javelin
Tony Harper won both 220 yards and 400 yds
Jeff Payne won both 1 mile and 2 miles against David Saul in both his events

Police finished up easy winners of this athletic meet, and I believe it was another clear indication of the depth of talent we had then in the Police Force.

We never received another challenge but D.J. Williams then coached Tony Harper and Jeff Payne who qualified for the Olympic Games. To reach the required times to qualify for the Olympics l used to run with Tony Harper half laps when training. Because they set their times on grass they were allowed time off times set on laid tracks. Both Tony and Jeff were superb athletes.

Editors note - I have to fully agree with Dave Garland about the depth of talent we have had in the Bermuda Police in such a wide variety of sports and other activities. In fact I recently published an article on the History of the Police Drama Group which you can view at http://expobermuda.com/index.php/lia/694-history-of-police-drama-group

P.C. Robert "Bob" Stewart
 

ROBERT ‘BOB’ STEWART - First the people I recall at Admiralty House were: Mike Kelly, George Hammond, Jack Shaughnessy, Bill Pratt, and Dave Gillery. I don't recall Bob Irons or Ian (Crash) Kane being there. I worked with "Crash" at CRO for about 18 months. There was also someone from Traffic who for years manned the radio at traffic. I can't remember his name right now but would be known by George or anyone in traffic in the early 1960s.

The things I remember clearly are:

1. Lots of space and great views of the North Shore. I had a room that looked right along the shore, and the other side was a view across Spanish Point and a little bit of the harbor;
2. The ballroom which always impressed first-time girl friends from the States who were convinced that those who lived there were millionaires;
3. The tennis court which was used a lot by the police and others - including the Colonial Secretary John Sykes who often called me up for a game;
4. The gigantic washing machine which I used when I could not get anyone to do my laundry;
5. The gardener who woke us up when we were on days. I don't recall his name but he was a delightful person who kept the grounds in great shape;
6. The 2 beaches which were like private swimming pools;
7. The endless parties - usually after midnight;
8. “Shakey” Johnson and George Hammond fighting on the ballroom floor after we came off evening shift;
9. A reduced mess bill because we missed many meals because of the distance we had to travel to the mess at Prospect.
10. The anger when John Patton as Minister of Public Works who, somewhere around 1975, had the whole house demolished.

It was a great place to live for young and single policemen and I always have happy memories when I pass it on the way to Spanish Point.

On Lew Dunkerley I recall him vaguely but he was never a friend or on my watch. Ray Hackett became a lawyer and returned to the UK around 1964.

EDITORS NOTES - When I arrived in Bermuda on 29th May 1964, Admiralty House was no longer being used to house our single men but we still had access to the entire grounds, the beach and the dock. Having arrived at the airport after dark I had seen nothing of the Island until the next morning which happened to be overcast and cloudy with no sign of sun. Our small group of Frank Thompson, John Charlewood and myself were dropped off at Admiralty House to relax and swim, and it was as though we had died and gone to heaven! There must have been at least a dozen bikini clad young ladies, all nurses, stretching out along the dock, and the water was so warm.

It all seemed like a perfect introduction to Bermuda as we sat on the dock for hours chatting to the nurses. What a shock I had though after returning to Henderson Block and taking a shower, only to make the agonizing discovery that I was suffering from the worst sunburn across my shoulders that I will ever have!

Neverthless, Admiralty Dock was a popular spot for all of us young single men, and we must have inherited from the former Admiralty House residents the idea of holding “bring your own bottle” parties in the cavern on the Admiralty property overlooking North Shore. Those were the days!

If you have memories of time spent at Admiralty House or if you have any photos we would be delighted to hear from you.

Roger Sherratt
Editor