Written by Roger Sherratt

Young P.C. Roger Sherratt - 1964

One of my earliest memories of Bermuda is a visit to Admiralty House the day after I arrived in May 1964. Two other recruits and I were driven there in a Kombi and told to make ourselves at home at the dock overlooking Clarence Cove. Several off duty policemen were messing about in sail boats while a group of bikini clad nurses from King Edward Hospital were sunbathing along the dock, and above it all stood an imposing figurehead of King Neptune armed with a trident. Beneath him were the words “HMS Irresistible”.  

For a young man from the English Midlands whose idea of a beach holiday was a day trip to Blackpool, it seemed like paradise. I also remember sitting on the dock for hours  on that first rather overcast morning, and paying the price later that evening with a case of the worst sunburn of my life. Our supposed remedy for next time was Johnson’s baby oil with a touch of iodine! For several years during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s Admiralty House and several if its buildings had been used as police singlemen’s quarters.  I’ve written more about those days in another article “Admiralty House – 1960s Paradise!” here on our website. CLICK HERE to  view it.

At the time, I gave little thought to where the figurehead of King Neptune had originated. Years later, I learned that his story began long before he became the King  Neptune we knew in Bermuda.

HMS Irresistible  a ship-of-the-line was launched at Chatham in 1859. Her figurehead originally represented Zeus, holding a thunderbolt rather than a trident.  As I understand it, the ship sailed to and from Bermuda between 1868 and 1891. She was then permanently moored here and served for about 30 years as a floating storehouse and living quarters. She was eventually sold to Pearman Watlington & Co. for breaking up; her remains sank south of Marshall’s Island.

After the ship was broken up, her figurehead was brought to the Admiralty House dock overlooking Clarence Cove. where he faced decades of Bermuda weather on our exposed north shore, which would have taken its toll.   Repairs during that time included a new right arm, extended forward to hold a trident. Zeus had been transformed into Neptune.

For the next 80 years King Neptune, complete with crown, watched over the cove. In 1974, a helicopter carried the original figurehead to the new Maritime Museum at the Royal Naval Dockyard. I recall hearing that he would travel to England for restoration and then return to Bermuda. He never did.

Bermuda did, however, receive another Neptune. In 1993, sculptor Laurence Tindall created a far more permanent stone version of the figurehead from three blocks of limestone. It stands in the Keep Yard at the Royal Naval Dockyard, where it’s a popular attraction to visitors and for children who can clamber over it.

An excellent Royal Gazette article (CLICK HERE to view it) from 2007 with the headline “The Irresistible King Neptune” provides a detailed account of the history of King Neptune and HMS Irresistible, and  credits Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited for generously sponsoring  the sculpture. The inscription beneath it names both Nuclear Mutual Limited and Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited.

But what became of the battered wooden figurehead we remembered from Admiralty House?

He was taken back to Chatham, where HMS Irresistible  had been built over 120 years ago. By the time he arrived in Chatham serious rot threatened the carving. Earlier attempts to save him had included an internal steel support and replacement sections, but much of the original timber remained in poor condition. 

In 2024, master woodcarver, Andy Peters of Maritima Wood Carving took on the restoration. I was able to make direct contact with Andy who was happy to describe what he found and how he rebuilt the figurehead as follows:-

“I was approached to carry out a full restoration of the figure, which was transported to my workshop in 2024. The figure was dismantled, all the steelwork was removed along with any replacement timber, to leave just what remained of the original figure.

"Any remaining rot was removed, and surfaces machined flat to receive new timber. A new central core of timber was bonded in place, to which restored and re-carved sections were fixed. This included most of the back of the head, the crown, and drapery to the back of the figure. Working from old photographs I re-carved these missing parts.

"The figure was originally carved by Frederick Hellyer, who came from a famous family of ship carvers, who feature in my recently published book. I have over the years restored a number of Hellyer figureheads, which has helped me to re-create missing sections of carving with a reasonable degree of accuracy. In the course of researching the Hellyers, I came across Frederick's original drawing of the figure, which depicts him as Zeus, with his right arm stretching back holding a thunderbolt. At some point after the figure was removed from the ship, the right arm was replaced to its current position holding a trident.

"I would liked to have restored this back to the original position, but it was felt that he had been known as Neptune for so long now that he should remain as such.”

The restored figurehead returned to Chatham Museum in 2026 and is now on public display there. Andy’s photographs of the restoration can be seen on his website:  www.maritimawoodcarving.co.uk  under “Figurehead Restoration”.

It is remarkable to think that the weathered figure I saw overlooking Clarence Cove more than 60 years ago has survived, and has returned to its birthplace, while Bermuda still retains a direct link with H.M.S. Irresistible and our maritime history thanks to the sculpture of King Neptune displayed at the Keep Yard at the Royal Naval Dockyard.  

Editors notes -

1. Visitors to the iconic sailing ship Cutty Sark on the South Bank in London can view another fine example of master craftsman Andy Peters’ magnificent skills as a figurehead carver.  Andy was commissioned to carve a new figurehead for the Cutty Sark on the occasion of her 150th anniverary year.   CLICK HERE to view an article in the Royal Museums Greenwich website about the creation of the figurehead popularly known as “Nannie”.  CLICK HERE to watch a You Tube video of  the  newly carved figurehead being fitted to the Cutty Sark.
2.  King Neptune has outlived the buildings at Admiralty House but Admiralty Cove is still a public park and continues to be a popular location for swimming and beach activities.
3. Shortly after this article was posted here on our website and on our ExPo Facebook page, I also posted it on the "Old Bermuda: Our Island, Our History" Facebook page, and Gerri Crockwell read the article and posted a remarkable photo shown below of HMS Irresistible tied up at  King's Wharf at Royal Naval Dockyard showing the figurehead, which appeared to be painted white, when it would have been Zeus.  This photo has to be at least 130 years old because HMS Irresistible was being used at a depot ship from circa 1870-1890.

A five-man team was investigating incidents involving explosives, while the inquiry into an attempted armed robbery at Buckey’s Restaurant had led about 200 rifle owners to bring their weapons forward for examination. Commissioner Robins acknowledged that house-to-house inquiries could be irritating, but said the public had responded with patience and little complaint.

He also announced the arrival of a new radar set operating on a different wavelength. The device was expected to defeat the radar warning equipment then being used by some motorists. Robins used the occasion to discuss the sometimes difficult relationship between the police and the public, particularly over auxiliary-cycle offences involving young riders. In his view, many of those boys were mechanically gifted and would benefit from properly controlled competition rather than dangerous racing on public roads.

Robins also rejected suggestions that Central Division should move entirely from Hamilton to Prospect. Hamilton Police Station, he pointed out, received thousands of visits from members of the public and housed the Criminal Investigation Department, parish constables and prosecutors. Its central location remained essential.

The same month saw the ceremonial opening of the Hilary Sessions of the Supreme Court, with police officers in full dress uniform and Commissioner Robins seated behind the Chief Justice. Such occasions reflected the formal traditions still surrounding Bermuda’s courts and police service in the early 1960s.

Police sporting success also continued. For the second successive season our Police teams won the Commodore’s Cup, one of Bermuda’s oldest sporting trophies. Originally presented in 1923 for competition between naval and military units, the Cup later became a contest involving Royal Navy ships and the Bermuda Police. Events included rugby, football, hockey, tennis, squash, golf and shooting. The competition had to be completed in only three days because Royal Navy vessels were seldom in Bermuda together for long. 

 

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During this investigation the police released an an artist’s impression of the assailant which had been drawn by a member of the police force based on information supplied by the victim. The police also set up a temporary substation in the Tucker’s Town area as a base of operations being conducted by teams of detectives in their search for the assailant. 

In an effort to identify the attacker, the police launched what became known as “Operation Tom Thumb”. Bermudian men between the ages of 20 and 35 were asked to volunteer their thumbprints for comparison with a print recovered during the inquiry. The request was voluntary and the Commissioner promised that prints belonging to eliminated persons would be destroyed.

About 800 men came forward. Scotland Yard detectives Superintendent Halliday and Detective Sergeant Peeling also travelled to Bermuda to assist. Former officer Alfie Fox later recalled that Commissioner Robins arranged for serving police officers to provide elimination prints as well.

CLICK HERE to read more about Operation Tom Thumb and the use of Scotland Yard in this case.

By the end of February police announced that they believed they knew the identity of the person responsible. On 2 March, keeping his public promise, Robins set fire to the collected thumbprint forms outside Police Headquarters in the presence of the press, radio representatives and Chief Superintendent Frank Williams. A St. David’s man was subsequently charged in connection with the attack.

Robins told the court that Taplin had broken down and apologised for the discredit brought upon the Force, himself and his family. He had previously served with the Berkshire Constabulary and had not been in trouble during his short period in Bermuda. Defence counsel asked the court to take account of his youth, previous good character and remorse. The episode was an uncomfortable one for the Force and demonstrated Robins’ responsibility not only for public policing but also for discipline and welfare within his own ranks.

Also in June the Police announced a campaign to visit about a dozen schools and encourage older pupils to consider police careers. A team led by Chief Inspector Roy Chandler planned to show a training film, display photographs of different branches of police work and explain technical roles such as radio servicing and laboratory work.

The campaign followed disappointing local recruitment figures. A proposed three-week “Three R’s” course, intended to help applicants pass the entrance examination, had to be cancelled because no one applied. The school visits were therefore intended to plant the idea of a police career in pupils who were still too young to join immediately.

A further twelve constables from the UK were appointed from 5 July: Keith Dunmore, David Mulhall, Gordon Weller, Michael Hill, Peter Duffy, William Galloway, James Miller, Duncan Batchelor, David Long, Edward “Ray” Banks, William Somers and Peter O’Shea.  They were joined on Basic Training Course # 5 by two local recruits, Delwyn “Dell” Trott, and Wayne Perinchief who went on to rise through the ranks to Assistant Commissioner.

Recruitment continued during the year which included  Bermudian, Leroy Jones in September, and a group of experienced constables from the UK -  Allan Childs, Norman MacLean, Thomas Christie, Adrian Brindle, Richard Murphy, Patrick Murphy, David Thackeray, Michael Heelan, Michael Caulkett, Geoffrey Wilson, Graham Swinyard, and William Wright.

One of the new recruits, Patrick Murphy, had previously served as an Assistant Inspector in the Northern Rhodesia Police, and his father, Mr. J.P. Murphy had been appointed as the Divisional Officer of the Hamilton Fire Brigade 18 months earlier.

Robins also maintained close contact with senior British police officers. Ranulph Bacon, head of the Criminal Investigation Department at Scotland Yard, passed through Bermuda in May and was met by Robins, an old colleague from their service in Ceylon. Their friendship dated from the 1940s and provided Bermuda with useful access to Scotland Yard advice and specialist assistance.

Later in the year Colonel Arthur Young, Commissioner of the City of London Police, stayed with Robins while travelling to an Interpol conference. Young praised the calibre of younger Bermuda officers and discussed the worldwide problems of recruitment, conditions of service, rising crime and modern crime-prevention methods.

Young was particularly interested in two developments: regional crime squads and small personal two-way radios for officers on foot patrol. The latter were described as a modern replacement for the policeman’s whistle. Robins would later arrange to test similar sets in Bermuda.

The system received its first major practical test during Hurricane Ethel in September. After a 30-hour vigil, Robins described the operation as successful, although a review was held to resolve minor difficulties. One issue concerned the times shown on hurricane reports, which could make information appear older than it was. Robins suggested using the time of issue from Kindley rather than the earlier Miami reporting time.

September also brought public reports of dissatisfaction among officers, particularly contract policemen from Britain. Complaints concerned pay, accommodation, messing arrangements and conditions of service. Robins initially objected that details had reached the press before being formally presented to him. More than 100 officers of all ranks later attended a meeting at the Police Recreation Club, where he explained revised salaries and back pay and answered questions about housing and living conditions. Some matters had to be referred to Government.

The dispute occurred against a background of resignations and continuing difficulty in maintaining the Force at its authorised strength. It showed that recruitment could not be separated from accommodation, pay and the everyday conditions experienced by officers and their families.

Only days later, the value of the Marine Section was dramatically demonstrated in Hamilton Harbour. A visiting sailor in a small Sunfish became becalmed directly in the path of the departing liner Queen of Bermuda. Despite repeated warning blasts from the liner, the sailor could not move clear.

Police Constable Glyn Lefroy Washington, coxswain of the police launch Lady Ermina, drove across the liner’s bows, reached the Sunfish and pulled the sailor aboard. The small boat capsized in the liner’s wake moments later. Commissioner Robins praised Washington’s quick thinking and said he had acted at great danger to himself. 

At the annual police inspection in October, Governor Lord Martonmere presented Washington with a certificate commending his initiative and courage. The citation stated that his prompt action had undoubtedly prevented a possible fatality and had brought credit to the Force.

During the ceremony Police Constable David Bernard Mulhall received the Baton of Honour as the best recruit on Basic Training Course No. 5. The course included many of the twelve constables appointed in July and marked another stage in Robins’ effort to build a properly trained and professional Force. 

At that point the Force stood at 251 officers, fourteen below its authorised establishment. The new recruits would spend three months on theoretical training followed by three months of practical instruction. This was the sixth basic training course begun during Robins’ commissionership.

In London, Robins tested the Campbell Bruce personal radio used by the City of London Police. Even among tall buildings, narrow alleys and heavy electrical interference, he found reception excellent. Colonel Young agreed to lend two sets for trials in Bermuda after they had been adapted to local police frequencies. Robins also hoped to compare them with equipment being developed by the Lancashire Constabulary.

He discussed regional crime squads and modern investigative methods with Ranulph Bacon at Scotland Yard and arranged for Detective Sergeant John Logan to spend a month attached to the Yard before attending an advanced fingerprint course. At the Police College at Bramshill he visited Sergeant J. M. Cafferkey, who was attending a six-month course, and met senior officers to exchange views on police administration.

Robins also visited Staffordshire Police, where Constable Keith Allchin was training with a police dog. The young Alsatian had performed well and was to return to Bermuda as a gift from Staffordshire, bringing the number of police dogs in the Force to four.

These visits reflected one of Robins’ main priorities: ensuring that Bermuda kept pace with developments in Britain in training, communications, crime prevention and detection. His long professional friendships gave the Force access to expertise and opportunities that would otherwise have been difficult to obtain.

The year also produced examples of service that went beyond routine duty, most notably P.C. Washington’s rescue in Hamilton Harbour. Taken together, the events of 1964 show Commissioner Robins directing a Force that was still rooted in ceremony and tradition, but was steadily becoming more organised, technically equipped and professionally trained.

In December a member of the Legislative Council praised the Police Department’s new crime-prevention campaign and urged the public to support it. That appeal echoed a theme running through Robins’ New Year address twelve months earlier: effective policing depended not only on the officers of the Force, but also on the cooperation and confidence of the community they served.