During her recent visit to Bermuda,  I was escorting my sister and her partner on a tour of the Hamilton Princess when we happened to stop for a drink at their beautiful outdoor bar on the hotel waterfront. Whilst sitting there enjoying a cool drink and gazing at the magnificent view across Hamilton Harbour we were attracted to  the sound of  what I can only describe as “major fish frenzy”  just a few yards away,  directly under the 1609 restaurant. 

Larry feeding gourmet kitchen scraps to the fish

We went over to see what was causing the commotion and discovered a huge shoal of fish fighting like crazy while being fed by a gentleman with a familiar beaming  smile who turned out to be the Hamilton Princess Marina Dockmaster -  our former colleague Sgt. Larry Dean  -  who was feeding them with gourmet kitchen scraps from the restaurant which, incidentally, is one of the finest in Bermuda.

Fish feeding frenzy - but strictly OFF LIMITS

I’ve never seen so many eating-sized fish in one place in Bermuda in all my life, but before you get any ideas please be aware that fishing from the Hamilton Princess Marina is strictly prohibited and the person likely to enforce the rules is Larry who retired from the BPS and  is really enjoying his position at the Dockmaster at the marina. 

Larry followed his uncle, retired P.C. Steve Dean into the BPS. Steve served from 1966-2001.

Young P.C. Steve Dean  -  circa 1966

A graduate of Berkeley Institute,  Larry first put on a police uniform as a Cadet when he joined in 1984  and he attended Basic Training Course #38 along with an elite group of recruits which included now retired Commissioner Michael DeSilva, and our present ACOP Antoine Daniels.

After serving for two years in Western Division, Larry was recruited into Marine Section by then OIC Phil Every,  and as Larry says, he loved working in Marine Section and spent the next 22 years patrolling Bermuda’s waters.  

Larry changed course in 2007 when he was promoted to Sergeant at which time he transferred to Training School as an instructor, and remained in Training School until his retirement  from the BPS  in August 2017.  

Never one to stand still, Larry joined the EOD Team in 1994 and remained on the team until his retirement having become the EOD team leader when Mark Bothello retired.

When asked about his position as the Hamilton Princess Marina Dockmaster, Larry explained that he was approached about the position by management of the hotel around the time he was turning 50, with 5 more years to go before reaching retirement age for the BPS.  With his 22 years of experience in Marine Section this was a great opportunity for Larry who says he loves the job and described it as the perfect move for him personally.

Our chance encounter was a real pleasure and there’s no doubt that Larry made the right move at the right time. And with his friendly and outgoing personality he's also a great ambassador for visitors to the hotel.

We chatted briefly about him writing an article for our "Then and Now” column describing his experiences in the BPS and I have no doubt he will have some fascinating stories to tell. We look forward to hearing more from Larry about his 33 years of dedicated service in the BPS.

The Police Recreation Club was the venue for a very special occasion on Wedenesday 28^thJuly 2021 when members and friends of the Simons family held a “Surprise” Birthday Party for one of our former colleagues, Gilmour Simons, who was celebrating his 85^th Birthday.  The event was beautifully organized by his two daughters, Paula and Pamela,  and although Gilmour lived close by, on Alexandra Road, he was taken completely by surprise when he entered the main hall at the PRC.

In addition to family members and friends, we had three former police officers in attendance including myself (Roger Sherratt), Arthur Bean, and Phillip Smith.  I was assigned to Gilmour when I first stepped off the plane and onto the beat in Hamilton in early June 1964, and he gave me excellent advice and was a pleasure to work with.  We remained good friends for the last 57 years.

Although Gilmour didn’t serve for long in the Police, anyone serving in the Force on the morning of February 2^nd 1965 will remember the events outside BELCO that fateful morning when P.C. Ian Davies lay seriously injured having been attacked by BIU picketers, and Gilmour, along with several other officers was involved in a pitched battle to protect P.C. Davies for which they received bravery awards.  CLICK HERE to read an article in our “Then and Now” column about Gilmour.  

 

Gilmour served in the Bermuda Police from 1961 until late 1965 when he left to join the Prison Service, and he later worked for many years in security.  He has always been proud of having served in the Bermuda Police, and it was not until quite recently that I discovered that his father, Arthur Charles Gilmour Simons,  and his father’s three brothers,  O’Brian, Austin and Ambrose all had two things in common. All four brothers served in the  Bermuda Police as young men, and all four played for Somerset Cricket Club in the annual Cup Match Classic.

In fact Gilmour was born during Cup Match in 1936 at the time when his father was said to be playing in the match  although we don’t know if his son’s birth affected his performance on the field that day!  Arthur Charles Gilmour Simons  was one of the greats of Cup Match  who captained the Somerset team and also went on to be President of Somerset Cricket Club.  Perhaps it should be noted that young Gilmour never played cricket although if you read his “Then and Now” article you will see that he knew how to catch and how to swing a piece of reinforcing rod to help save his fellow police officer! 

Since joining the Police in 1961, Gilmour had always maintained a close friendship with retired P.C. Mel Gibbons who we hoped would be able to attend the birthday party but unfortunately, Mel is not at all well these days and was not able to make it and sent his regrets.  Gilmour spent much of the evening with Arthur Bean, Phillip Smith and myself fondly reminiscing about “the good old days”. 

I gave a few remarks at the party and thanked Gilmour for his service to the Bermuda Police at a very difficult  time in our history, presented him with a watch as a gift on behalf of ExPo, and wished him a very Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns of the day. 

 Gilmour receives a birthday watch from Roger Sherratt

EDITORS NOTES

It was not until I received an invitation to Gilmour's 85th birthday party that I finally discovered his first name is spelled "Gilmour" -  not Gilmore.  All of our Police records spell his first name as Gilmore.  I will correct the spelling wherever possible on our website and ExPo files but I can't change the official Police records.

CLICK HERE for an extensive article, “Reflections on 2^nd February 1965” about  a special gathering at the Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) Headquarters, 50 years to the day since the BELCO riot at which retired Supt. Andrew Bermingham, former P.C. Wentworth Christopher, and myself were invited to sit on a panel discussing the events of that day and to provide our own personal accounts of what happened outside BELCO.  Attendees included Gilmore Simons, Eugene "Buck" Woods who also gave his personal comments  during the evening  and Peter Duffy. The article also includes accounts given by several other police officers present that day in 1965, Mike Caulkett, William Connell McBurnie, and Nick Hall.