After reading the reference to “Dark and Stormy” in the recent tribute to Alistair “Shakey” Johnson we have received this great comment from our old friend Mike Caulkett who served here in the Bermuda Police from November 1964 - April 1970.

“Beer is my tipple of choice but I do occasionally  enjoy a rum and coke, particularly when feeling nostalgic for Bermuda, so always have a bottle of Cockspur or Mount Gay in the cupboard. I have on many occasions in the past tried to buy a bottle of Goslings “Black Seal” but without success.

After reading most of what has been written about Shakey where there were mentions of the Dark and Stormy I thought I would buy a bottle of some sort of dark rum to enjoy with Ginger beer over Christmas. (Poor man’s Dark and Stormy).

However, earlier today Jill and I were shopping in the fairly new Waitrose supermarket in Haywards Heath when I went off to find a bottle of dark rum. What did I find but a bottle of Gosling's ‘Black Seal’ Bermuda Black Rum with the original label, silly I know, but I can’t tell you how pleased I was to find the genuine article mainly for the memories that it evokes. I also bought some ginger beer and when we got home and had unloaded the shopping Jill said I should have one which I did, two in fact. Lovely.”

Editors note  -  Those of us who live here in Bermuda so often take it for granted that we can weather the storm with an occasional “Dark and Stormy”!   I’m happy to report that Gosling’s is still a highly successful business which is still operating from Bermuda and that Gosling’s is now selling their rums, especially “Black Seal” in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and elsewhere around the world.

It would be interesting to hear just how far and wide it travels so if you find it in your home town or country, please let us know.  For example, does it travel as far as Australia?

Editors note  -  Would you believe it.  No sooner had we published this article than we received the following email from our good friend and colleague Ray Sousa who now lives with his family in Australia.  As always, Ray in a mine of useful information and still has a remarkable memory about his early life here in Bermuda.

Black Seal Rum

Yes Roger you can get Black Seal Rum [BSR] in specialist stores in Western Australia. There is such a shop 15 minutes from our home. A 750 ml [26 ounce ] bottle cost $65.

A night clubbing daughter came across it a few years ago when a bartender won a national cocktail mixing competition using BSR. The word quickly spread with more businesses carrying it, giving competition to Australia’s better known Bundy Rum.

As you might know rum was currency during early European settlement of Australia. To a lesser degree this also applies to Bermuda.

BSR was part of my Bermudian heritage. When babies were teething, rum was applied to their gums to kill the pain. Poppy powder, and petals were also used, but that is another story. If a baby had trouble sleeping BSR was added to their milk, possibly the reason some of us took so long to learn to walk; and even now walk with a stagger!

For flu and colds, warm BSR mixed with honey and lemon would cure us overnight; but you end up with hell of a hangover. It was also used for cooking, baking pumpkin pie and of course Bermuda fruit cake. Old timers would soak the fruit in rum in large candy bottles from September, but were lucky to find the bottles half full at Christmas due to raids from children.

BSR was the currency for getting help in building homes, in particular concrete pours. The standard request would be, “I need a hand with a concrete pour [foundations, floors, water tanks etc]. The reply would be, “Get…………” followed by , “there will be a ‘Polly’ [large bottle of BSR ]”. “ Man in that case you can have both hands, even my soul”, the volunteer would sincerely state. Helping with a concrete pour, and drinking rum with men was part of the passage from boyhood to manhood.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In time Cockspur became the drink of white working men, Bacardi white rich men, and BSR the black men’s drink. Some would be offended if offered the wrong rum. Of course beer was also popular with all.

Collection of empty rum bottles for recycling, particularly the ‘Pollies’ ‘was a cash cow. It helped fund Scout trips to Canada in 1967 and Jamaica in ‘69.

Rummies had bush social areas where they would meet to drink. As a cop I agreed to leave them alone provided they behaved themselves and put empty bottles into large hessian bags. I would collect the bottles and cash them in.

At Kingston airport I noted that there was a delay in authorities processing the Scouts. As I investigated I saw samples of Captain Morgan rum was being given. Some Scouts were upset because I stopped them from tasting the rum. The boys who did taste it felt it was weak compared to BSR!

Rum Swizzle should also be mentioned. As a 13 year old bar porter at Castle Harbour Hotel, one of my duties was to make up large batches of Rum Swizzle using BSR. We were supposed to taste each batch to make sure they were the same. The truth is after 3 batches they all tasted the same. Then there was the atom bomb effect. You would walk outside, see a flash of bright light, your head would explode, and you would come to flat on your back-side on the ground!

Going by memory BSR and coke cost the same as plain coke. 20 years ago when a daughter got married in Australia, we decided to serve rum swizzle using BSR. Our reception manager claimed Australians would not drink it because it was too strong. No-one could drink just one glass and we quickly ran out.

Some people might still remember a definition of Bermuda, “50,000 drunks on a Rock”. It must be remembered that at times liquor was cheaper than food, and one of the best pain killers on the Island. Sadly, heavy drinking also caused a number of social problems. When I joined the Police Force in 1966, attempts were made to civilize me and introduce me to scotch and whiskeys. This only made me a lover of all liquor. A down side of married live, responsible living, and being with Emergency Services is the restrictions put on my drinking desires. Having said that whenever I am able to have a dark and stormy, straight rum, rum and coke, or even rum in my coffee I appreciate this is a bit of heaven on earth.

 

 

The community of St. George’s was greatly shocked last evening when at about 8 pm, 62 year old Arthur James Osmond, Chief Warder of the St. George’s Gaol who would have retired on pensions next September, was instantly killed by a railway train just west of the Wellington Station where the track crosses the main public road.

Widely known at the east end and a familiar figure elsewhere in the Islands, the deceased (called ‘Bluey’ by his friends) met his death as the result of a horrible accident.

Investigators, who were early on the scene, found much evidence to reconstruct the episodes which preceded Mr. Osmond’s tragic end. The front doorstep of his house at Wellington is about 18 inches from the railway tracks. He was apparently working in his garden with a wheelbarrow at or very near to that point.

He must not have realized that he was perilously close to the tracks and the approaching special train which was returning from St George’s to Hamilton. As he stooped to move the wheelbarrow, there came the terrible impact of the engine against human flesh and wood.

The wheelbarrow was carried for several yards , later the wheels and handles were found flung in broken pieces aside. Mr. Osmond’s was picked up across the tracks at a point just east of the junction with Frith’s Hill. The lower portion of his leg, just above the ankle, was wrenched off. The rest of his body was badly broken. Where Mr. Osmond had been standing, there remained a rake and shovel, which most likely he had been using. Nearby was a mound of earth made ready no doubt for the wheelbarrow to trundle off.

 It was learned by The Royal Gazette that the driver of the train was  Gerald MacDonald King whilst the conductor was Louis Ray.

The Wor. S.S. Toddings, M.P.C. Coroner for the Eastern District opened an inquest last night to inquire into Mr. Osmond’s death. After the Coroner and Jury viewed the body, the inquest was adjourned sine die.

Mr. Osmond’s Wife predeceased him. His two sons are members of The Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps. The elder boy was to have been married in about a weeks time.

The deceased at one time was a Sergeant Printer of the Royal Marines employed at Admiralty House.

Inspectors Miller and Tingey and Superintendent Pantry of The Bermuda Police Force, rushed to St George’s last night to obtain particulars of the accident. 

(This article was copied from a clipping in The Royal Gazette dated 27^th June 1944) 

As the rays of the setting sun lengthened over St. George’s Cemetary yesterday, the remains of Mr. Arthur James Osmond, who was killed when a train crashed into him outside his residence at Wellington on Monday evening, was laid to rest.

The cortege moved from his residence and proceeded to St’ Peter’s Church where the service was conducted by the Rev. Geoffrey Parkes. Brother freemasons of the various lodges throughout the islands in full regalia, lined the steps. The family mourners were the two sons of the deceased, Messrs. Harold and Ernest Osmond.

The coffin, which was covered with a Union Jack, was brought into the church by three Police bearers, Sergeant Morgan and Constables McPherson and Tucker, and three Gaol Warders Messrs. Lee, Martin and Mello.

Representing The Bermuda Police were Acting Commissioner Charles W. Pantry, Superintendent Percy Miller. Chief Inspector C. Tingey, Sergeant Paley and Constables Inchcup and Wainwright.

 The Hamilton Gaol was represented by Chief Warder H. W. Smith Warders C. W. Brown and Ex-Warders,  W.F. Jackman and H. Nelmes, while from St George’s Gaol were Warden Roy Higg and Ex-Warder Marshman.

Messres. Charles King and Charles Oatway represented the Hamilton Branch of The Bermuda War Veterans Association, and Messrs. J. Findlayson and W.E. Luckhurst the Associations St. George’s Branch.

From The Bermuda Governments Civil Service were Dr. Carl Hookings and Mr. A.E. Redman.

Among the lodges represented were, Broad Arrow (the deceased’s lodge) Atlantic Phoenix and Hannibal. Sir Thomas Gates Lodge, R.A.O.B. had a large gathering of members in regalia (the deceased was also a member of this lodge).

The interment service in St. George’s Cemetary followed, the graveside service being taken by the Rev. Parkes. This was followed by the Freemasons service conducted by Brother W. Williams and then, the R.A.O.B. graveside service was taken by Brother Percy Hammond.

(Second clipping from Royal Gazette date unknown.)

In the days before motor cars were permitted on Bermuda's roads we had a single track railway line running from one end of the Island to the other -  21.7 miles of track, with trains carrying both passengers and freight. It was a familiar sight to see trains wending their way along Front Street, and they were very popular with tourists who loved the spectacular scenic views as much of the track hugged the shorelines.  Operated by the Bermuda Railway Company it seemed ideal as a means of getting around the Island, but it was said to be the world's most expensive railway to build and extremely expensive to maintain with its dozens of wooden and steel elevated bridges. In fact it was commonly referred to as the "Rattle and Shake"!

Police officers on duty in uniform were allowed to ride on trains for free when carrying out their duties or travelling to and from home to the police station; clearly a much more comfortable option than riding a pedal cycle or walking, or riding in a horse and carriage.

Unfortunately for shareholders in the Bermuda Train Company,  as the Second World War ended motor vehicles were finally permitted on Bermuda's roads and this rapidly resulted in greatly reduced  passenger use at a time when maintenance of the system was proving to be exhorbitantly expensive.  The first train journey had been on October 1st 1931, and the last journey was on May 1st 1948.  It was once estimated that construction and purchase of the system cost a total of Bda $40 million (adjusted for inflation as of 2008) or almost $2 million per mile  - a staggering sum.  The stock was eventually sold off to British Guiana (now Guyana) and continued to operate until the 1950's.

One lasting benefit for the Island, however, is that most of the old railway paths are now designated as the Bermuda Railway Trail and they are popular with both residents and visitors for walking, hiking, and riding pedal cycles.

It is believed that the tragic death of Arthur Osmond was not the only fatality involving a train in Bermuda, and we will research how many there were during the 17 years that trains traversed the Island.