ABOUT THE BARBADOS REGIMENT
The Barbados Volunteer Force was formed in 1902 and was founded as a volunteer unit raised to provide local defence for the island following the withdrawal of the British Garrison. Soldiers of the BVF during the First World War who were desirous to join international Regiments were allowed to do so. During the Second World War the BVF went into abeyance and formed the Home Guard; while the British Army returned as part of both the South Caribbean Force and the Caribbean Regiment, from 1941 – 1947.
In 1948, the BVF was re-established and renamed the Barbados Regiment. Barbados was part of the Federation of the West Indies and contributed to the 3rd Battalion, West India Regiment.
The Regiment received its first stand of Colours in 1953. These colours were later changed in 1979, after the country gained Independence in 1966.
On the 15th of August 1979 the Barbados Defence Force was formed and the officers of the Barbados Regiment were given the option of joining full time or remaining on the reserve.
Today the Barbados Regiment is the land force component of the Barbados Defence Force and its mission is “To conduct an array of land-based operations in support of the achievement of the BDF’s aims, objectives and priorities.”
The Regiment is comprised of a number of sub-units and is responsible for the execution of land operations. The Regiment provides military aid to the Civil Power, Civil Ministries and Civilian Community, and is an integral part of the nation’s disaster response and management system.
Command Element
Commanding Officer
Major Pedro Drakes
Major Pedro E. Drakes enlisted in the fulltime element of the Barbados Defence Force on 2 September 1989. During his formative years, he held appointments such as Section Commander, Recruit Training Instructor, Information Technology Administrator and Systems Network Administrator.
He attended various military training courses locally and internationally, such as the Canadian Forces School of Electronics and Communication, specializing in Information and Communications Technology. In 1994, he was deployed to Haiti as part of the CARICOM-United Nations Multinational Forces operation to restore democracy to the Caribbean nation.
Second in Command
Regimental Sergeant Major
Warrant Officer Class 1 Colin Marshall
Warrant Officer Class 1 Colin Marshall is a graduate of the St Michael School, 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.
Commodore (Cdre) Errington Ricardo Shurland was appointed Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) on 1 September 2021. He enlisted in the BDF in February 1984 and in a military career spanning over 34 years, has served in various operational and administrative appointments.
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.
