Rival sides from a clash at the gates of Belco that could have spiralled into gunfire counted February 2, 1965, as transformative in the forging of a better Bermuda.

The revelation by Wendell “Scopsie” Hassell that some protesters had brought firearms hidden in paper bags to the scene of the stand-off astounded former chief inspector Roger Sherratt, who was 22 and fresh to Bermuda when police faced unionised staff and supporters, many of them armed, outside the power station at Serpentine Road in Pembroke.

“It’s amazing how a morning like that can be such a catalyst for change — everybody had to face reality,” Mr Sherratt told the commemoration at Devonshire Recreation Club, where a massive gathering had taken shelter and rallied after the bloody confrontation now known as the Belco Riots.

Mr Hassell said: “History is part of our DNA. We can’t avoid it. You have to face the truth.”

Mr Sherratt told him: “This morning, I thought I knew a fair amount about February 2. You told me something I didn’t know.”

He recalled being among a row of “pretty darn petrified” young policemen armed with just truncheons and handcuffs on a morning when 17 in their ranks would be injured, some severely.

Graham Maule broke into tears as he told of his father, Sergeant Andrew Maule, who was “never the same again” after being beaten across the head with a piece of steel reinforcing rod.

“He was lucky to survive,” said Mr Maule, born five years after the clash at the picket lines with police against union members and Belco staff attempting to unionise.

Six injured officers remain alive: Eugene Woods, Gilmour Simons, Dick Johnson, Michael Caulkett, Derek Jenkinson and Andrew Bermingham.

Mr Maule added: “When I look at the history of racial inequality in Bermuda, I see patterns that are still with us today. And I see a lot of people hurt because of that inequality.”

He said he was “determined” to do his part in “making this a better country and healing the divide”.

Attendees found links between the violence of 61 years ago and today.

Ellen-Kate Horton noted that this weekend had seen long hours for Belco workers as a fierce winter gale knocked out electricity across the island — some of them had fathers who were “terribly hurt” in 1965.

“I want to pay homage to the people who were hurt that day,” she told the gathering organised by the activist Glenn Fubler.

Mr Fubler noted that the community hub and sports centre known to Bermudians as Devonshire Rec had faced its own brush with the island’s new era of violence in March 2022, when two guests were injured by a gunman in an attack at the entrance.

He added: “This is a hallowed space.”

For Mr Hassell, a young construction worker who had just bought a house for his young family, joining in a strike came with consequences.

He told of how he would “never forget” seeing Devonshire Rec’s yard crammed “like Cup Match” as the union side took shelter.

“It was a challenging time, not only for me but workers — and I think that strike really unified people at that time.”

Sherwin Dill, former president of North Village Community Club, was a youngster at Prospect Primary School — and best friends with the son of Bermuda Industrial Union leader Ottiwell Simmons, organiser of the picketing that day.

Mr Dill told of coming to the club without his parents’ permission on his way home from school to witness the gathering.

He added: “And I got in a lot of trouble — but that day was a learning experience for me. I saw it all. I saw all the workers from Belco; I saw machetes, pipes, weapons; I saw people with blood on them, at 11 years old.”

As well as marking a turning point for trade unionism, Mr Dill saw that day as a racial reckoning.

“It wasn’t just about BIU discrimination, it was about discrimination in Bermuda,” he said. “As I reflect on that day, I’m thankful for the riot at Belco. It changed Bermuda.”

Mr Sherratt counted himself fortunate to have to leave the scene to attend court on February 2 before violence broke out, adding: “I can’t believe it was 61 years ago. It seems amazing that we can sit here, 61 years later, and talk about the Belco Riots, as it was always called.”

He said: “I’ve seen a lot of change, but I’m still very, very concerned about violence in Bermuda. I do recognise that we have some tremendous problems.”

Albert Fox, who was a 14-year-old Berkeley Institute pupil, ended up grounded by his father for going to “the Rec” that day instead of catching his bus to observe riled-up workers gathering.

“There are certain things in life you never forget,” Mr Fox said. “I want to thank them for their stand.”

Derik Paul, aged 6 that day, recalled his mother crying when his father, Kenneth Paul, came home with his “head bashed up”.

Mr Paul, who died in 2018, was one of four BIU stalwarts who served jail time for his role in February 2, 1965.

Mr Fubler, who was also a Berkeley student at the time, said he remembered the smell of teargas wafting from Serpentine Road that day.

He urged attendees: “Keep these stories alive, so we can draw from them.”

Among them was Jahbarri Wilson, an artist sketching the scene.

Mr Wilson told the group: “It’s very important to continue this history lesson and educate our youth.

“If we don’t know about it, it will dwindle away.”