UK Joins Relief Efforts
BDF Media Release| June 21
Photography: BDF Media
The Barbados Defence Force recently partnered with the United Kingdom Government to continue relief effort to St Vincent and Grenadines in the aftermath of the La Soufrière volcano eruption. Over one-hundred and thirty-five (135) pallets of humanitarian relief supplies, packed by the BDF Relief Supplies Unit, departed Barbados to St Vincent via the UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessel WAVE KNIGHT.
Commanding Officer of the RFA WAVE KNIGHT, Captain (N) Simon Herbert explained that “the WK arrived in the Caribbean region to provide additional resilience as part of the Atlantic Patrol Tasking (North) (APT(N), a permanent Royal Navy presence in the region in support of the Overseas Territories.” He went to state that the first task of the WK would be to load and transport humanitarian stores from Barbados to St Vincent as part of the ongoing humanitarian support efforts for approximately 14,000 displaced citizens in St Vincent . The Ship’s Company comprises of Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Royal Nany and Royal Marine personnel. Captain (N) Herbert stated that they are keen to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to the security and stability of the region and alleviate the humanitarian threat caused by the volcano crisis on St Vincent.
Chief of Staff, Colonel Glyne Grannum expressed his appreciation to the crew of the WAVE KNIGHT for their partnership and commitment to providing relief and security response mechanisms to Barbados and the Region. He presented the Commanding Officer, Captain (N) Herbert, with a mahogany clock in the shape of Barbados, before the ship slipped the Bridgetown Port.
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.
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.
