Chief Superintendent Oliver Trott, QPM, CPM, LSM

Served 1939 – 1972

Oliver (“Chief”) Trott was, without doubt one of the most popular and respected officers to ever serve in the Bermuda Police Force. Although his later years were spent as Chief Superintendent in Uniform, it is as a brilliant detective that he earned his richly deserved reputation.

 Oliver Salsbury Winfield Trott, was born in St. George’s on 24^th July 1914, the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs Alfred Trott. Their family home was the yellow cottage standing just behind Somers Gardens at the corner of Shinbone Alley.

Oliver lost his mother at the tender age of 12, and was called upon to help raise his brother and sisters. He received his early education and tutelage under the guidance of Mr. Charles Snaith, and he went to Berkeley Institute just to take his Cambridge examinations along with three other students from St. George’s. After finishing school he studied the carpentry trade under the direction of Mr. Jacob Trott. He also worked for a spell with the Royal Engineers at Prospect as an apprentice carpenter.

We’re not sure what compelled Oliver to do so but in 1939, at the age of 24, he made the decision to join the Bermuda Police Service, at a time when men of colour had great difficulty making progress through the ranks. We do know, however, that his best friend, “Happy” Duerden, had already joined the Force so it is most likely that Oliver decided to follow suit.

 

There is no doubt what compelled him to make another major decision in his life, and that was falling in love with, and marrying his sweetheart, Miss Irene Delzel “Girlie” Lee. Oliver and Irene were happily married for 30 years, and they had two daughters, Judith (Swan) and Patricia (Harvey).

Irene recalls that Oliver had to take some sort of examination to join the Police, and when he was informed that he had passed the test, the police officer recruiting him asked where he came from because he spoke so perfectly! Oliver’s grandfather was an Englishman named Postlethwaite who had served in the Army.

Irene remembers hearing that “Happy” and Oliver were very fortunate to have been accepted onto the Police Force because they could easily have ruined any chance of doing so if they had been out with a group of their close friends who got up to some serious mischief one night in St. George’s. The group had an altercation with a uniformed police officer and finished up lifting him up a telegraph pole where they left him dangling by his belt on the pole. Fortunately, “Happy” and Oliver had been kept at home by their fathers that night, otherwise they would have been arrested along with all their mates. As Irene says, “Maybe they turned out to be a pair of good policemen because they knew all the tricks!”

Oliver spent his early years on the Force in uniform, first at Hamilton Police Station and then as Paget Parish Constable.   As a single man, he went to live with Mr and Mrs Alan and Norma Houghton at a house on King Street where the present Fire Station is now located.   Mr. Houghton came from the Turks and Caicos Islands and he was a pilot of His Excellency’s (The Governor’s) boat. Irene was friendly with their daughter Eleanor who later married Arnett Jackson, Mrs. Houghton used to take care of Irene after school.   It was at the Houghton’s house that she first met Oliver, and they were married when Irene was 21 and Oliver was 28.

Oliver spent some time serving in Somerset, however, in 1952 he was transferred to CID which was clearly the turning point in his Police career. He excelled as a detective officer and spent most of the rest of his distinguished career in CID.

 Young P.C. Oliver Trott (left) with fellow Police Officers outside Holy Trinity

His rapid progress through the ranks was a testament to his ability and dedication. Oliver was promoted to Detective Sergeant in 1955, and just one year later, in 1956 he was promoted to Detective Inspector.   That is an exceptionally quick promotion by any standard. Five years later, in 1961, he was promoted to Chief Inspector in charge of Central CID where he cemented his reputation is an outstanding detective.

During his time in CID Oliver was involved in the investigation of many serious crimes, including the Warwick murders, and on several major cases he worked closely with Scotland Yard detectives brought in from abroad to provide assistance.   Oliver received numerous letters of good work and commendations for his expertise in solving serious crimes.

During his tenure on the Force Oliver travelled to the U.K. and the U.S. attending numerous police courses and seminars.

In 1967 Oliver was promoted to Superintendent in uniform and became Bermuda’s first recruiting officer in charge of recruitment and training. Throughout most of the 1960’s he interviewed literally hundreds of potential recruits and travelled to the U.K and to the West Indies to do so, as well as interviewing Bermudian applicants for the Police Force.

Oliver was the first Chairman of the Police Association and was instrumental in pushing for the intermingling of all police officers, regardless of race, in a social setting at the Police Recreation Club.     He was an avid cricket fan and would often turn out to support the Police cricket teams.

In 1968 Oliver was promoted to Chief Superintendent, a position he held until his retirement from the Force on January 29^th, 1972, after a career spanning 33 years.

During his distinguished service Oliver was awarded the Police Long Service Medal (1962), the Colonial Police Medal for Meritorious Service (1968), and in 1971 he was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

 

Following his retirement he became General Manager of Bermuda Security Services for 5 years after which he retired fully and devoted himself to his wife, Irene, and his family.   He retained his close ties with the Police Force as a member of the Ex-Police Officers Association. He also served on the Defence Board for several years, and for many years he had been a member of the Hannibal Lodge, Grand Lodge of Ireland No. 224, serving as a Master Mason.

One of Oliver’s hidden talents was his culinary skills and there was nothing he loved more than to cook for his family, and as Irene says, “He always took great pride in his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. After he retired we did a lot of travelling, and he always seemed to manage to bring one of his grandchildren along with him.”

Oliver’s grandchildren are Troy, Suzette, Jason, and George Jr. His two great granddaughters at the time of his passing were Julica and Cetera. The Trott family has much to be proud of as the descendents of a truly outstanding police officer and a wonderfully warm human being who was highly respected by all who served with him and all who knew him.

Editor's Note -   We were about to publish this article about "Chief" Trott in our Hall of Fame when we received the sad news of the passing of his beloved wife, Irene "Girlie" Trott,  at the end of March 2013.  Mrs Trott had provided us with most of the information and photographs in this article just a few months ago.  It is often said that behind every great man there is a great woman.  "Chief" Trott was, without doubt one of the finest officers in the long history of the Bermuda Police. He was much loved by all who served under him in Central CID  when he often worked for many long hours day and night to investigate serious crimes.  There is also no doubt that Irene played a significant role in providing him with love and support at home.   We extend our deepest sympathy to the Trott family.

We also invite anyone who served with Oliver to write their comments below.

In January 2013, we received an enquiry from Mrs. Kim Bolton in Sydney, Australia, who was researching her family tree and was attempting to obtain information about her maternal great grandfather, George Downs, who she had reason to believe had served as a Bermuda policeman.

Kim’s grandmother was born in Bermuda where she met and married William Whittle who was believed to be serving in the Manchester Regiment. They were married at the Garrison Church, Prospect in October 1934 and her grandmother moved to England in 1938 and never managed to return to Bermuda. Kim had very little knowledge of her Grandmother's immediate relatives in Bermuda except that her Grandmother had a half sister by the name of Dorothy. Kim had visited the island briefly in 1990, along with her mother and her younger brother, to bring her Grandmother's ashes back to her homeland. During their stay they enjoyed the hospitality of Jackie Longworth, Barbara Whittle and family, niece and sister in law to Kim's Grandmother.

 A quick check of our records, as recorded in the official blue books stored at Government Archives revealed that George Down (not Downs), had served in the Bermuda Police Force from 1^st April 1915 until his retirement on 4^th February 1946.

We also checked with former Superintendent Andrew Bermingham who is our leading historian on the Bermuda Police, and Andy advised that he knew and had met George Down in the 1970’s. He also recalled that an article about George had been published by the Royal Gazette in the special edition celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the Bermuda Police Force in 1979.

Andy had a copy of the above photo of George taken circa 1945 with his police colleagues outside Somerset Police Station. He was aware that George’s father, Samuel Down, who came to Bermuda in the 1870’s as a Royal Marine, had settled in Bermuda and went on to join the Bermuda Police Force.

Andy was able to advise that George Down’s only daughter, Mrs. Dorothy Tatem (nee Down) is alive and well and lives in Spanish Point with her husband Arthur who happens to volunteer alongside Andy at the Bermuda Historical Museum in Hamilton.

We contacted Dorothy who was delighted to provide us with information about both her father, George, and her grandfather Samuel, along with several photographs, from which, along with the article in Bermuda Police 1879-1979, we have compiled the following brief history of these two, father and son, former Bermuda Police Officers who between them served from 1902 – 1946.

 This article appeared in the Royal Gazette supplement Bermuda Police 1879-1979.  We have added the photos

At the ripe old age of fifty, most Policemen begin to look towards that happy day when retirement comes. But for Mr. Samuel Down, the half century mark meant a new career. (His) story begins on October 4, 1876, when Royal Marine Down arrived in Bermuda aboard the ‘Himalaya’.

Stationed at the Naval Dockyard, Mr. Down grew to like Bermuda, and in 1881 he purchased his discharge for 15 pounds. For the next eleven years Mr. Down did a variety of jobs, married Miss Millicent Dunkley, a member of an old Bermuda family, and begat a son, George Down.

For whatever reasons, Mr. Down Senior joined the Police Service in 1902, serving at the Somerset Police Station which was located at the Old Post Office, Mangrove Bay.

Down Senior stayed with the force until his sixty-third year, when he retired with a pension of 2 pounds ten a month.

Like father, like son, Down Junior picked up the gauntlet the same year, at 7 pounds a month, also serving at the Somerset Police Station, then moved to its present location. Down Junior spent the next 31 years in Western Division.

His wife, Mrs. Florence Down of Beacon Hill, Somerset, remembers those years and notes that most of the incidents her husband dealt with arose out of activities at the Dockyard, where the Royal Navy Base was in full operation until 1951.

George and Florence Down at home

In the First World War, said Mrs Down, one of his duties was to guard Watford Bridge, which was no easy task as often only two men were on duty at a time - one at the Station and one on patrol.

Twice a week, usually on night duty, a Police officer would cycle from Somerset Police Station to Amen Corner (the junction of Middle Road and Cobbs Hill Road) and back again checking property along the way, an oil lantern fixed to their belt to light the way.

Promotion in those times was slow and invariably occurred by walking into “dead men’s shoes”.

Mr. George Down achieved the rank of Sergeant in 1941, one month short of his fiftieth birthday - a rank his father attained by his sixty-third birthday.

In 1942 he was awarded the clasp to the Colonial Police Long Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.

Five years over his 50th birthday Mr. Down retired, although he remained with the Government, in the Health Department until 1967, when he finally retired at the age of 76. Mr. Down died in April 1976 at 85, six years shy of his father’s long life.”

My grandfather, Samuel Down, died when I was four, but I can remember him. He worried about me riding my tricycle on our large front porch, always telling me to stay away from the front steps. Also when he was sick he began to see things that were not there, but I always agreed with him.

Samuel Down sitting on porch at "Glemayne” Wafo Road, Somerset

My father was a well-liked man and policeman in Somerset. He was always able to reason with the gentlemen known to be our village drunkards and was friendly with them. He was about forty-one when I was born so both my parents were older before they started a family. I ended being an only child. My grandparents always lived with us. My grandmother died when I was nineteen.

George Down with sister Mabel (left) and his mother Millicent

I can remember going fishing with my Dad; he set fish-pots and owned a large cedar dinghy with sail, and later with a small outboard motor. He set them on West Side off Daniel’s Head and I always helped him clean and scale the fish, and of course later enjoyed a wonderful fish dinner.

Dad helped the grocer’s and home owners to collect their rent when it was not forthcoming. The little extra he got helped to keep the family going as a policeman’s pay was very small in those days.

All in all he was a good man and never lost his temper, at least not at home. My cousin, Barbara Dale-Atwood wrote a biography of the Dale and Down family which is where a large part of our information about my dad and grandfather came from.

Dorothy Tatem

Arthur and Dorothy Tatem have two sons,  George Arthur Tatem and Michael Anthony Tatem, both of whom reside in Bermuda,  and one grandson, Brian James Tatem who resides in the U.S.

We have been in touch with Barbara Dale-Atwood and will publish any further information that she can provide about this father and son who collectively served in the Bermuda Police Force from 1902 until 1946.

Update  -  Since first hearing from Kim Bolton in Sydney, Australia,  she has been in touch with Dorothy Tatem who  has kindly provided considerable information about both George and Samuel Down.  Kim is delighted to have made contact with her family connections in Bermuda and to have received so much help in researching her family tree.

Kim Bolton (left) with her husband Steve and daughter Nicola (age 16) in Australia

Following the publishing of this article Kim was very keen to return to Bermuda to acquaint herself with the Tatem side of her family and was especially keen to meet with Dorothy who had been so helpful in helping to compile much of the above information.  Sadly, Dorothy passed away earlier this year as reported by Mike Cherry in the comments section below.

However, Kim travelled all the way from Australia to Bermuda in October 2013 in order to connect and re-connect with her Bermudian  family,  and she took the time to visit both Andy Bermingham and myself, along with Dorothy's husband, Arthur, to thank us for our assistance.  It was a real pleasure working with Kim on this project and she has promised faithfully to provide us with an update after she returns to Australia.

Kim Bolton visits Roger Sherratt during her trip to Bermuda in October 2013