Happy 100th Birthday Sir! WO2 Elder Bishop
BDF Media Release| 5 Sept 19
Photography credit: BDF Media
It was a special privilege for the whole Barbados Defence Force and the Warrant Officers’ & Sergeants’ Mess in particular, as they had the very rare privilege to host the 100th Birthday Ceremony in honour of 7920003 Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2) (retired) Elder Bishop.
The event was held under the patronage of The Governor-General of Barbados, Her Excellency, Dame Sandra Mason, GCMG, D.A, Q.C. The Chief of Staff (COS), Colonel Glyne Grannum, Warrant Officer Bishop’s relatives, several ex-servicepersons, many friends and members of the Mess were also in attendance.
Warrant Officer Bishop enlisted in the Barbados Volunteer Force (BVF) in 1937. He transitioned into the South Caribbean Force (The Caribbean Regiment) during the period 1941 to 1946 and subsequently went on to join the Barbados Regiment in 1952. On the formation of the BDF in 1979 Warrant Officer Bishop continued his military service to Barbados and retired in 1991. Among the many highlights of his career were his function as a Company Sergeant Major (CSM), as a Regimental Quarter Master Sergeant (RQMS) and in the training, mentorship and development of many of the BDF’s leaders, past and present. He also played a role in the expansion of the Barbados Cadet Corps in the early 1980s. The Barbados Defence Force continues to benefit from his fine example, his loyalty and dedication.
Warrant Officer Bishop is fondly remembered for his attention to detail, strong sense of military discipline, camaraderie and vast knowledge of military subjects. Happy 100th Birthday Sir!
Highlights
Commodore (Cdre) Errington Shurland enlisted in the Barbados Defence Force in February 1984.
Colonel Glyne Grannum joined the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) on 18 October 1985 and underwent career development training at the Canadian Forces Officer Candidate School, Chilliwack and the Combat Training Centre, Gagetown New Brunswick, Canada. He subsequently attended the Infantry Training Centre and the Signal Wing in Warminster, UK (PCBC and RSO Courses respectively), the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy; the Lester Pearson Canadian Peacekeeping Centre, the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, Kingston, the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, Toronto, the National Defence University of the People’s Liberation Army People’s Republic of China and the Centre for Hemispheric Defence Studies, National Defence University, Washington. He also attended a Defence Resources Management programme at National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Canada. In addition to being a qualified infantry officer, Col Grannum is a qualified Regimental Signals Officer and a former Operations Officer and Finance Officer of the BDF.
Colonel Banfield joined the Barbados Battalion of the South Caribbean Force in 1941 having just left the Cadet Corps at Combermere School, and was granted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1942. He was a Platoon Commander and a Company Commander during the war and served in Barbados, Dominica (as part of the Gale Force), St Lucia and St Vincent.
Warrant Officer Class 1 Colin Marshall is a graduate of the St Michael, and was born on the 5 November 1969 and enlisted in the Barbados Defence Force on 16 August 1994. He was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal in August 1997, Corporal in 1999, Sergeant in 2007, Color Sergeant in 2014, Warrant Officer Class Two in 2017 and Warrant Officer Class One in 2020. He was Most Outstanding Student on Junior Leadership Course in 1998, the Most Outstanding Student on Junior Non Commissioned Officer Cadre in Jamaica in 2000, best at Leadership on the Search Adviser Course in Jamaica in 2007 and the Most Outstanding Student on the Warrant Officer Course in Jamaica in 2015.
