REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - 1977  RIOTS

Jonathan Smith, our former Commissioner of Police in Bermuda  (2000-2005) and author of the recently released book 'In the Hour of Victory'  has embarked on another research/writing project. He is researching the period  of the December 1977 riots and would be very interested to receive first-hand  accounts from Police Officers who served during the riots. The research will  be incorporated into a full-length book on the December 1977 riots and include  accounts of the rioters, the Police who worked for several days to quell the  riots, the Government and Governor reactions, the aftermath and the Lord Pitt  Royal Commission. Emphasis and analysis will also centre on the 'lessons  learned' as well as the personal experiences of the rioters and the Police.  The added dimension to this project will be to publish, for the first time,  actual accounts from Police Officers who were there; what they did, what they  endured, their thoughts and reactions to the violence and disorder. First hand accounts from Police Officers who served during this critical period in our  history are encouraged. The supply of any period documents or photographs will  also be appreciated.

All  information, documents, photographs, accounts will be properly credited in the  book (unless the contributor requests anonymity).

Jonathan  can be contacted at jdsmith@northrock.bm">jdsmith@northrock.bm or  c/o TenTen Publications, PO Box HM 1010, Hamilton, HM DX or by phone at  441-599-3332.

Editors Note  -  Jonathan has already established himself as an excellent author.  His critically acclaimed book, "The Hour of Victory" published in 2011, was based on the WWII letters of his grandfather and it was later made into a film. The film has just been accepted at the prestigious Bermuda International Film festival next month. It will also screen at one of the largest independent festivals in the USA, at the Worldfest Houston International FF on April 16th 2013.

Something that is so often overlooked when writing about the history of major events is the first-hand accounts of police offficers. The recent publication of former P.C. Dave Mulhall's account of the BELCO riots of 1965 was a case in point.  Dave, who was serving in the Bermuda Police at that time and was on duty on the morning of the riots later went on to a career as a university History Professor in Canada.  His is probably the first full account of the BELCO Riots from the perspective of the police officers who were there on that fateful day (CLICK HERE for Dave's article).

Jonathan is providing us with a unique opportunity to describe our own personal experiences and recollections of the 1977 riots, and we urge any of our colleagues who were there to contact Jonathan and provide him with your own recollections of one of the most difficult times in our history.