219:
362:
350:), starting in 1612, remain the oldest English colonial structures in the Americas, as well as the first stone fortifications, the first coastal artillery, and the oldest surviving fortifications built by the English in the New World. The militia manned these fortifications with standing bodies of artillerymen until the fortifications were taken over by the regular British Army following the
33:
173:, during the following century, those in the North American colonies were to play significant roles. In many actions fought with Native Americans and European rivals, the militia were the primary English force in the field, as professional full-time military forces were usually far away. Even when the English colonies around the world became the
301:, where they were highly antagonistic to the English population. In 1661, the Bermudan government alleged that a plot was being hatched by a conspiratorial alliance of Blacks and Irish to kill all the English populace on the island. The Irish were perceived as the chief instigators of this plot by the Bermudan government.
337:
whenever war broke out) were required, by local law, to contain a percentage of black sailors, most of whom were enslaved. British law at the time required that all crewmen of
British vessels be British subjects, although the status of the enslaved Bermudan population remained unclear. Following the
320:
Enslaved
Bermudians continued to serve in the colonial militia, however, which was to lead a unique judgment on their rights as British subjects. By the 18th century, virtually all Bermudian men were engaged in the maritime trades, including building and crewing ships. The colony's dependence on its
308:
tried to prevent such an occurrence from taking place by issuing three edicts: the first was that a nightly watch would be raised throughout the colony; second, that all slaves and indentured servants in
Bermuda be disarmed of their weapons; and third, that any gathering of two or more slaves or
429:. All four were embodied for the duration of the Second World War, sending contingents and individuals to parent corps or other forces or units overseas. The 1949 Defence Act re-organised the Bermudian territorials, with only the BMA and the BVRC retained (the latter re-named the
338:
arrest of a
Bermudian vessel by a Royal Navy warship due to its enslaved crewmembers, Bermudian ship owners protested to the courts that their service in the militia meant that Bermuda's slaves should be considered British subjects, and this view was upheld by the courts.
345:
also raised militias there, as their lucrative salt trade invited attacks from enemies, foreign (France and Spain) and domestic (the
Bahamas). The fortifications built in Bermuda by the militia (including the
177:, and regular forces began to become available for garrison duty, militias were still a vital part of Great Britain's military power in the Americas, and British victory over Spain and France during the
433:). The Bermuda Militia Artillery (which converted to infantry in 1953, but retained the same name and continued to be badged as Royal Artillery) and Bermuda Rifles amalgamated in 1965 to form the
641:
181:, and its resulting hegemony in North America, could not have been realised without the colonial militias and their Native allies. It was the presence of their militia that allowed the
631:
626:
621:
50:
342:
290:
had remained the colony's sole defence, manning its fortifications and coastal batteries and calling up all available manpower in times of war.
646:
425:
units in the 1920s but their names were not modified to reflect this. The BMI and BVE were raised as territorials, and their names were always
347:
223:
286:, by when the build-up of regular forces had removed the demand for the militia. Nevertheless, during the first century of its settlement,
166:
536:. The Companies of Canadian would become a unit of three companies leading French Canadian troops in 1777 and remained active until 1783.
145:(those without elected local legislatures, and ruled directly by the Imperial Government via its appointed Governors and Councils) of the
636:
279:
97:
116:
69:
236:. Construction beginning in 1612, these were the first stone fortifications, with the first coastal artillery batteries, built by
298:
213:
76:
54:
398:
351:
83:
418:
410:
169:
in the first decade of the 17th century. Whereas militias in
England remained little used, outside the period of the
218:
522:
361:
287:
245:
186:
170:
65:
393:) government was unable to compel the colonial government to raise reserve forces again until the 1890s, when the
43:
533:
394:
366:
201:
606:
589:
406:
417:) and BVRC, which were embodied for the duration of the First World War and each sent two contingents to the
138:
333:
were liable. Perennially short of manpower, the crews of
Bermuda's merchant fleet (most of which turned to
438:
370:
244:, and were manned by volunteers and the Militia 'til taken over by the regular British Army following the
422:
382:
547:
and remained in use into late 19th
Century (last enrollment in 1873) and officially ending in 1950.
90:
532:
when French units were formed after 1669. The
Companies of Canadian Volunteers were raised for the
302:
282:, the Militia followed a trajectory more like that in Britain, finally becoming moribund after the
264:), a self-governed (rather than Crown) colony settled in 1609 (as a result of the shipwreck of the
178:
355:
275:
237:
182:
540:
378:
414:
402:
294:
158:
17:
204:
that had been formed in
Wellington without official sanction was immediately disbanded.
330:
314:
271:
174:
146:
142:
615:
305:
197:
The colonies of Australia did not have militia, nor officially did New Zealand.
544:
386:
326:
283:
266:
32:
529:
322:
131:
Militia of the British Dominions, Self-Governing Colonies, and Crown Colonies
607:
http://www.cariwave.com/regiments_of_the_british_west_indies_and_bermuda.htm
426:
334:
241:
162:
310:
134:
405:, rather than Militia, unit). These would be joined in the 1930s by the
257:
227:
389:
as the Militia had come to be seen as superfluous. The national (ie,
360:
217:
315:
transportation of Irish prisoners of war and civilians to Bermuda
26:
449:
297:
and civilians were transported to Bermuda after the
642:
Military units and formations of the British Empire
57:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
605:Regiments of the British West Indies and Bermuda
577:New Zealand Colonist and Port Nicholson Advisor
385:allowed the Militia Act to lapse following the
8:
564:New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator
141:(those with elected local legislatures) and
566:, Vol 14 issue 70, 14 August 1841, p 2
492:St. Christopher Militia (St. Kitts Militia)
377:With the build up of regular forces of the
133:were the principal military forces of the
579:, Vol 1 issue 104, 28 July 1843, p 2
157:The English had raised militia forces in
117:Learn how and when to remove this message
632:19th-century history of the British Army
627:18th-century history of the British Army
541:British colonial militia units in Canada
274:, and originally considered part of the
555:
401:(BVRC) were raised (the latter being a
528:Militia units in Canada dates back to
489:Prince Regent's Royal Honduras Militia
313:(a ban was also placed on the further
7:
341:Bermuda's seasonal occupants of the
309:indentured servants be dispersed by
55:adding citations to reliable sources
358:, used well into the 20th Century.
329:, to which all other seamen in the
413:(BVE). The BMA (a sub-unit of the
25:
622:Military history of Great Britain
365:Warrant Officer and NCOs of the
31:
299:Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
42:needs additional citations for
226:and other public buildings in
1:
647:Militia of the United Kingdom
543:were most notable during the
399:Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps
348:Castle Islands Fortifications
230:
224:Castle Islands Fortifications
66:"Militia" British Empire
421:, were both re-organised as
352:American War of Independence
246:American War of Independence
187:American War of Independence
411:Bermuda Volunteer Engineers
185:to launch the secessionist
663:
637:British colonial regiments
523:Colonial militia in Canada
520:
272:Virginia Company of London
214:Bermuda Militias 1612–1815
211:
183:thirteen American colonies
476:Jamaica Militia Artillery
395:Bermuda Militia Artillery
367:Bermuda Militia Artillery
321:seamen was such that the
18:Jamaica Militia Artillery
407:Bermuda Militia Infantry
534:Invasion of Quebec 1775
293:Large numbers of Irish
139:Self-governing colonies
504:Virgin Islands Militia
467:British Guiana Militia
439:Royal Bermuda Regiment
374:
270:, the flagship of the
249:
383:Parliament of Bermuda
364:
221:
356:Fort St. Catherine's
51:improve this article
495:St. Vincent Militia
445:British West Indies
371:St. David's Battery
325:excluded them from
483:Montserrat Militia
375:
354:, with some, like
260:(originally named
250:
171:English Civil Wars
513:
512:
437:(since 2015, the
288:Bermuda's militia
280:native population
167:establishing them
165:immediately upon
127:
126:
119:
101:
16:(Redirected from
654:
594:
593:
586:
580:
573:
567:
560:
521:For Canada, see
501:Trinidad Militia
464:Barbados Militia
455:Anguilla Militia
450:
435:Bermuda Regiment
379:Bermuda Garrison
295:prisoners of war
235:
232:
179:Seven Years' War
122:
115:
111:
108:
102:
100:
59:
35:
27:
21:
662:
661:
657:
656:
655:
653:
652:
651:
612:
611:
602:
597:
588:
587:
583:
574:
570:
561:
557:
553:
526:
519:
514:
473:Jamaica Militia
470:Grenada Militia
461:Bahamas Militia
458:Antigua Militia
447:
415:Royal Artillery
403:Volunteer Force
276:Virginia Colony
233:
216:
210:
195:
155:
123:
112:
106:
103:
60:
58:
48:
36:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
660:
658:
650:
649:
644:
639:
634:
629:
624:
614:
613:
610:
609:
601:
600:External links
598:
596:
595:
590:"HTML SiteMap"
581:
568:
554:
552:
549:
518:
515:
511:
510:
506:
505:
502:
499:
498:Tobago Militia
496:
493:
490:
487:
484:
479:
478:
477:
474:
471:
468:
465:
462:
459:
456:
448:
446:
443:
431:Bermuda Rifles
409:(BMI) and the
397:(BMA) and the
331:British Empire
212:Main article:
209:
206:
194:
191:
175:British Empire
159:their colonies
154:
151:
147:British Empire
143:Crown Colonies
125:
124:
39:
37:
30:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
659:
648:
645:
643:
640:
638:
635:
633:
630:
628:
625:
623:
620:
619:
617:
608:
604:
603:
599:
591:
585:
582:
578:
572:
569:
565:
559:
556:
550:
548:
546:
542:
537:
535:
531:
524:
516:
509:
503:
500:
497:
494:
491:
488:
486:Nevis Militia
485:
482:
481:
480:
475:
472:
469:
466:
463:
460:
457:
454:
453:
452:
451:
444:
442:
440:
436:
432:
428:
424:
420:
419:Western Front
416:
412:
408:
404:
400:
396:
392:
388:
384:
380:
372:
368:
363:
359:
357:
353:
349:
344:
343:Turks Islands
339:
336:
332:
328:
324:
318:
316:
312:
307:
306:William Sayle
304:
300:
296:
291:
289:
285:
281:
277:
273:
269:
268:
263:
259:
255:
247:
243:
239:
229:
225:
220:
215:
207:
205:
203:
202:local militia
198:
192:
190:
188:
184:
180:
176:
172:
168:
164:
160:
152:
150:
148:
144:
140:
136:
132:
121:
118:
110:
99:
96:
92:
89:
85:
82:
78:
75:
71:
68: –
67:
63:
62:Find sources:
56:
52:
46:
45:
40:This article
38:
34:
29:
28:
19:
584:
576:
571:
563:
558:
538:
527:
507:
434:
430:
390:
376:
340:
335:privateering
319:
292:
265:
261:
254:Somers Isles
253:
251:
199:
196:
156:
130:
128:
113:
107:January 2021
104:
94:
87:
80:
73:
61:
49:Please help
44:verification
41:
575:Editorial,
562:Editorial,
545:War of 1812
423:Territorial
387:War of 1812
327:impressment
284:War of 1812
278:), with no
267:Sea Venture
234: 1624
193:Australasia
616:Categories
551:References
530:New France
323:Royal Navy
262:Virgineola
200:In 1843 a
153:Background
77:newspapers
427:misnomers
242:New World
163:New World
135:Dominions
373:ca. 1944
311:whipping
303:Governor
391:British
258:Bermuda
252:In the
240:in the
238:England
228:Bermuda
208:Bermuda
161:in the
91:scholar
517:Canada
508:
381:, the
93:
86:
79:
72:
64:
256:, or
98:JSTOR
84:books
539:The
222:The
129:The
70:news
441:).
369:at
317:).
53:by
618::
231:c.
189:.
149:.
137:,
592:.
525:.
248:.
120:)
114:(
109:)
105:(
95:·
88:·
81:·
74:·
47:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
