A former shipwright in the Dockyard apprentices programme made a career switch by happenstance that led to him ascending the police ranks at a time when Black officers were a rarity, and recruits were openly told they stood little hope of promotion.

Hilton Wingood, who served from 1955 to 1986 and retired as a chief inspector, quickly won commendations for his work as a young officer.

He earned the Colonial Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1973, followed by the 25-year clasp in 1980 and the Colonial Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 1982.

Mr Wingood was initially a welder as well as a shipwright for the Board of Trade, after qualifying as one of the Dockyard apprentices who serviced, equipped and supplied ships of the Royal Navy at the West End.

He also assisted his father, Elmo, who worked as an upholsterer at the Royal Naval Dockyard — which led to a job hanging curtains at the home of Superintendent Percy Miller, who was intrigued by his accent from two years spent in England and urged him to join the police.

Interviewed by Roger Sherratt, a former chief inspector who runs the Bermuda Ex Police Association, Mr Wingood recalled: “This was at a time when most of the members of the police force were White.”

A proud, lifelong West End resident, Mr Wingood had moved with his family to Somerset when he was 8 and left school at 12.

At a time of rigidly segregated education in Bermuda, the Dockyard apprenticeship programme came with good opportunities for work.

Mr Wingood enrolled in extra classes to qualify, and joined at age 14 as a trainee carpenter.

The closure of the Royal Naval Dockyard in 1950 left the programme’s young Bermudian students in a bind — but it was agreed for the apprentices to complete their education in Britain.

Mr Wingood was among the 49 chosen to board the MV Georgic at Grassy Bay and sail for England.

Rationing was still in effect after the Second World War, and they encountered a very different way of life in the busy navy town of Portsmouth, where many nationalities mixed and socialised.

Mr Wingood recalled for Mr Sherratt: “There was never a dull moment, and there was really no racism or segregation like we had in Bermuda.”

He proved adept at welding, becoming an instructor and learning how to write incident reports for mishaps on the job.

Back home, he went to work on the government fleet and helped with his father’s business before applying to join the police.

Mr Wingood faced scepticism in joining, and recalled being told that “your lot don’t have much chance of promotion”.

Black officers were few, but contemporaries included Hubert Simmons, Milton Cholmondeley, Gladwin “Doc” Hall and Dudley Swan. The latter two would end up marrying Mr Wingood’s two sisters.

Local recruits received scant training before being sent out on the beat in Hamilton.

Mr Wingood, who already had a driving licence, quickly found himself moved to traffic, where he was initially the only Black officer.

“I have to say some of the White guys wouldn’t drive with me,” he remembered.

His skill with writing accident reports got him designated an accident investigator.

Along the way, Mr Wingood and another officer redesigned and improved the layout of the paperwork, and he was awarded four Commissioner’s Commendations in short order for apprehending dangerous drivers.

In 1959, police in riot gear ended up in a tense stand-off at the Hamilton Docks against workers taking industrial action. Although dockworkers eventually dispersed, it was a sign of the civil unrest to come.

Mr Wingood and his wife, Brenda, whom he married in 1961, remained together for the rest of his life.

He spent seven years in traffic before getting posted to Western Division, followed by Western CID. He was designated assistant provost marshal in 1963, and promoted to sergeant in 1964.

Mr Sherratt, who arrived in Bermuda that year, called him “my favourite sergeant”, adding: “He was an absolutely lovely guy to work with — first-class.”

Mr Wingood served in several capacities into the 1970s, including officer-in-charge in the cycle squad. He was promoted to inspector and became OIC of Western Division.

He worked as a watch inspector in Hamilton for Central Division, followed by the CID’s murder squad, before returning to OIC of Western Division. In 1981, he was made chief inspector. He was also a regular in the police choir.

Mr Wingood took pride in still living in Somerset and told The Royal Gazette that he had been “part of the transition” as a young Black man joining the police despite the pay cut and discrimination.

Looking back on that time for the Gazette in a 2000 interview, he said: “Bermuda was going through a recessionary period and they were calling for policemen.

“At that time, Bermuda was still a segregated colony, and it was difficult for Bermudians to rise to dizzy heights in the Civil Service. They told me in an interview I would never rise to a rank higher than constable.

“I went straight into traffic after just three months’ service, which was considered the elite in the police force.”

Chief Inspector Hilton Wingood, of the Bermuda Police Service, was born on April 13, 1932. He died this year, aged 93