We are delighted to have heard from Diane Saunders who is now living in Costa Rico and who provided us with this information about her late husband who served in the Bermuda Police for approximately 6 years but lived in Bermuda until 2006.
Hamilton "Sandy" Saunders was born on 7 July, 1927, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, second son of Hamilton and Margaret Saunders. He died peacefully in Costa Rica on 11 December, 2011 and was cremated there.
Sandy was raised in Belfast and was a bugler in the Boys Brigade and a member of the Sons of Ulster.
During World War II he served in the ARP in Belfast. Following the war he went to London with a friend and joined the Irish Guards based at Buckingham Palace. When he left he held the rank of Corporal.
From there, in 1946, he went to Palestine with the Palestine Police Service and was a part of the ‘camel police’ working with the Bedouins in the desert.
His next venture took him to Bermuda in 1949 as part of the Bermuda Police Service. His daughter Anne recalls her dad telling her that when he left the Palestine Police he was given a choice of either joining the Hong Kong Police or the Bermuda Police - and he chose Bermuda.
Sandy was one of the contingent of former Palestine Police Officers who sailed on the Cunard White Star Shipping line’s “Caronia” from Southampton, England, arriving in Bermuda on 22nd January 1949. His companions included Douglas ‘Red’ Hebberd, Desmond Crafter, John W. Steel, Joe Mercer, John ‘Susy’ O’Connor, John Raymond Monk, Charles John Aitken, Barry Ivor Elliott and John Ivor Elliott (cousins), William Arthur McGrath, Edgar William Talbot, Michael Joseph Troy, E.J. Lewis and a man named Gibbs (CLICK HERE for more information on the Palestine Police group from the recollections of Joe Mercer who served in the Bermuda Police briefly from 1949-1950)
Sandy started his Bermuda police service in uniform as we see in this photograph, but he ended up working with Col. Roy Newing when he started the Special Branch.
Sandy married and had a daughter Ann who now lives with her husband and son, daughter and grandson with another baby due soon in Sydney, Australia. The couple were divorced while still here in Bermuda. Sandy's first wife Marie predeceased him by three days.
In 1960 Sandy married Diane Feakins in Bermuda and they had two sons, Kirk and Scott.
Kirk has lived in New Jersey since 1986 and is married with three daughters and a grandson and granddaughter. Scott left Bermuda in 2004 to live in Costa Rica and is married with a step-son and an eight month old son Hamilton Santiago Saunders so carrying on the name Hamilton.
Sandy left the Police in 1954 and joined BOAC as a duty officer at the airport where he and Diane met as she had worked with Pan American Airways since 1952.
In 1964 Sandy left BOAC and bought Bermuda Security Service, Ltd., from Bill McPhee. His son Kirk worked with him and then Sandy, Kirk and Scott all qualified as locksmiths and added this to the security business. Oliver Trott worked with him for several years running the business for two years while Sandy and family lived in England and the boys went to school there.
Meanwhile Diane worked for 20 years with the Bermuda Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Both Sandy, having sold Bermuda Security Services, and Diane, retired from business in 1998. In the 1960s and 1970s the family travelled quite a bit in Europe and North America during summer vacations. Sandy enjoyed playing golf and especially playing poker. Sandy was an extremely funny man, a great husband, loving father who loved to sing, especially Irish songs.
In 2006 Scott suggested as a change of pace they move to Costa Rica where he had made his home and so Sandy and Diane sold up and set off on their final adventure living in Escazu, Costa Rica until his death in 2011. Diane still lives there close to her younger son and his family.
We have also heard from Ann Mortimer (nee Saunders), Sandy's daughter from his first marriage, who now lives with her family in Australia and who still has fond memories of Bermuda although she left here at the age of 5 to live in England with her mother. Although she did not make contact with her father until she was 21 Ann then stayed in contact with him and visited Bermuda several times to see Sandy and Diane. Ann still loves Bermuda and plans to return soon for another visit.
