Rookie soldiers took their places at Warwick Camp on Sunday as the Royal Bermuda Regiment launched its second recruit camp of the year.

Twelve new members of the RBR were joined by 23 from the Turks & Caicos Islands Regiment, which was invited to benefit from the experience and expertise of the more established battalion.

Recruits will learn the basics of soldiering over the next two weeks, when activities will include lessons in foot drill, weapons handling, map reading, patrolling, fieldcraft and first aid, besides physical training.

Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan Simons, the Commanding Officer of the RBR, said that the arrangement with the TCI Regiment was mutually beneficial.

He explained: “The Turks & Caicos Islands Regiment engaged with the RBR at the start of this year around how we might be able to support their training and operations.

“This subsequently led to us visiting them to conduct a training needs analysis, after which we extended the offer of recruit training.

“The TCI Regiment is a considerably smaller unit than the RBR. They are hoping to grow their ranks but don’t have the same training capacity as we do, and they are under some operational pressure.

“For us, we have offered a summer intake every year since 2017 but it has not been as well subscribed as our winter intake and we have had to cancel it in the past.

“Having the TCI Regiment join us means that we can run our camp with lower numbers of recruits with slightly less overhead because we are sharing some of that cost with the TCI Regiment, so it is a win-win.

“For the soldiers on the camp, there is the advantage of cultural exchange and the intangible benefits that come along with that.”

Other members of the TCI Regiment took part in the RBR’s overseas exercise in Jamaica this year as well as its junior noncommissioned officers cadre camp in North Carolina last month.

Captain Francis Glinton, of the TCI Regiment, which was set up in 2020, said: “We’ve had a pretty good relationship with Bermuda over the past five years and we are looking to strengthen that.

“We know that the training here is top-notch and we felt it would be a memorable experience for our new marines.”

RBR Second Lieutenant Shane Helberg, the recruit camp’s platoon commander, took time on Sunday to hear what it was that inspired the newest soldiers to enlist.

“The No 1 thing they all say is that they want to have discipline,” he said.

“They realise that they need structure in their own lives and that’s why they join up. Also, for a lot of them, this is something that they have always wanted to do.”

Among the recruits was Private Camille Chin-Gurret, from Pembroke, who was encouraged by the experiences of other RBR troops.

The 25-year-old, who is a group underwriting analyst in civilian life, said: “I signed up because I heard great things through my rugby team-mates and thought it was a great opportunity, something very different, out of my comfort zone.

“A lot will challenge me — getting fit was another reason why I chose to join.

“It still amazes me that we are going to be actually shooting.”

The recruits formed up to begin drill lessons yesterday and prepared for their first rifle lesson today.

• For more information or to join the Royal Bermuda Regiment, visitrbr.bmor call 238-1045