High – Tea With Sir Tom !
BDF Media Release| 18 December 20
Photography and Story credit: AB Bryan T, BDF Media
Headquarters Barbados Defence Force joined the Barbados Tourism and Marketing Incorporated to welcome British World War II veteran and centenarian Colonel, Sir Tom Moore to the island. Col Sir Tom’s visit included historic tours and culminated with High Tea at the Officers’ Mess, St Ann’s Fort. The touring party were joined by Governor General, Her Excellency Dame Sandra Mason, Ministers of Government and the members of the United Kingdom High Commission.
During his tour, Col Sir Tom was warmly greeted by fellow ex-military centenarians, Ms Ena Collymore-Woodstock, aged 103 and Warrant Officer (retired) Class 2 Elder Bishop aged 101. Ms Ena Collymore-Woodstock, a Jamaican with Barbadian ancestry, was among the first batch of Caribbean women to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service, a branch of the British Army during World War II.
In the ambience of the Fort and a military display by the BDF Band in Zouave uniform, Col Sir Tom expressed his delight to be present in Barbados and “enjoying every moment”. He further stated that, “it was usually soldiers who were on the front lines for any type of national emergency, with nursing second… but COVID 19 has it now in the reverse …”
Col Sir Tom, raised more than $90 million (£33 million) in charity walks for the UK National Health Service (NHS). He received honorary membership with the Barbados Legion.
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.
