A British Army general responsible for commissioning more than 1,000 officers and who wrote the book on military leadership has shared his expertise with the Royal Bermuda Regiment.

Major General Patrick Marriott, a former Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, the training school for British Army officers, visited Warwick Camp while on the island to speak about ethical leadership at a conference organised by asset management firm Schroders.

He met RBR Commanding Officer Lieutenant-Colonel David Curley, other RBR officers and senior non-commissioned officers.

General Marriott said: “The regiment is unique and I think it does an incredible job in a situation that’s changing and evolving. It’s evolved very well under Colonel Curley’s leadership.

“He consults people, that’s very obvious and that will make the evolution of the regiment so much better.”

The RBR has reorganised to create two main companies, one trained for humanitarian and disaster relief and the other for more traditional military roles.

General Marriott said: “Essentially, the RBR is going to be focused on real public service — disaster relief and crises.

“There will be great rewards when, sadly, they do need to respond to a hurricane. I think the island is very fortunate to have them here.”

General Marriott was speaking at the Officers’ Mess at Warwick Camp, just before he spoke at the Schroders conference at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club last weekend.

He said: “If I was a young lad or young girl on the island, joining up is a really good thing to do, even if only for a few years. It’s putting something into the island in a really good way.”

General Marriott was Commandant at Sandhurst, where RBR officers are trained, between 2009 and 2012.

Captain Paolo Odoli, the new RBR Adjutant, who attended Sandhurst when General Marriott was in charge, said: “It was a real pleasure to once again be able to attend one of his talks on leadership having done so nine years ago at the academy. ‘Do as you ought, not as you want’ speaks to the heart of ethical leadership, which is a guiding principle for officers who earn a commission in the RBR.

“We are pleased that he enjoyed his visit to Warwick Camp and thinks so highly of the RBR and the success of our reorganisation.

“We strive to be a modern, forward-thinking organisation that is focused on preparing ourselves for the challenges that we are likely to face in the future.”

Captain Odoli added that the RBR was still accepting applications for places on the next Recruit Camp, due to be held in July.

General Marriott joined the British Army in 1977 and was commissioned from Sandhurst into the 17th/21st Lancers.

He has served in combat hotspots like Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Northern Ireland and also held senior staff command positions, including Director-General of Leadership, and was responsible for the creation of British Army’s leadership doctrine. He is still a serving soldier in the British Army Reserve.

Schroders made ten spots at its conference available to the RBR free of charge.

Lana Desmond, the firm’s managing director, said: “I am extremely grateful to Major General Marriott for being the guest speaker at our investment conference last week, and was delighted that we were able to connect him with the Royal Bermuda Regiment during his time here, which allowed him to share his personal experiences with Bermuda’s soldiers.

“It was also our pleasure to be able to host some of the Royal Bermuda Regiment personnel at our investment conference.”

• To find out more about service in the RBR, visit www.bermudaregiment.bm or call 238 1045