The BGVF saw eighteen full years of exciting service in the colony before it laid up its colours during the Independence week celebrations of May 1966. Managed by only a small permanent staff under an adjutant, this battalion of part-time soldiers were only exposed to Basic Infantry Training on one or two afternoons during the week at their drill-halls and an annual camp lasting about a fortnight at their Training School at Tacama on the Berbice River.
They were to be seen at all ceremonial functions such as Guards-of-Honour, openings of the Legislative Assembly and Armistice day parades. From time-to-time they had to be called out on operational duty to assist the colonial government in internal security duties. In 1953 when a popularly elected government was thrown out of office by the Imperial Government and from 1962 - 1964 when there was prolonged unrest in the country during the closing years of the Cheddi Jagan regime, the BGVF boys left their civilian jobs to put on their familiar khaki uniforms to help the civil power to maintain law and order.
2. THE COMING OF INDEPENDENCE
By the turn of the 1960s the writing was on the wall for British Imperialism throughout the world. It was just a matter of time for British Guiana to win its Independence and it was clear that, for several reasons some sort of regular National Army would have to be set up, by or about the time of independence, to replace the "good, old VF". It had served well, the soldiers had seen tire and rain, but it was getting tired and incapable of coping with modern problems of terrorism and national security. The behaviour of party supporters after the People's Progressive Party's (PPP) election victory of August 1961
foreshadowed an era of violence, arrogance and contempt for the
greater part of the Guyanese masses, and the slow-burning fuse of instability and
unrest was lit. The first tremors were felt in August 1961 but the explosions were
heard in February 1962 when the Georgetown masses erupted into violent action, which
started as peaceful and legitimate protest against oppressive, anti-working class budget
measures by the PPP regime. The lid was off the box; political tension, racial animosity,
economic discontent, industrial unrest and social upheaval heightened. The intransigence of the regime became more acute. The following year in April 1963 the BGTUC launched a prolonged strike against the regime's 'Labour Relations Bill' which did not end until 6 July. During the strike there was disorder and violence and British troops from the second Battalion, Grenadier Guards and the second Battalion, Green jackets had to be brought into the country in May and July to help restore order. The Police and Volunteer Forces were extended to their limits. The following year, violence struck again. In March 1964, the PPP front union - the Guyana Agricultural Workers' Union (GAWU) - called a general strike, ostensibly for recognition in the sugar industry, but in fact as part of their parent party's campaign against the proportional representation (PR) system of elections. A campaign of violence began, and in the coming months, assualt, murder, arson and other forms of strife plagued Guyana and continued for most of the year bringing death and destruction to many of our peace-loving communities.
There were significant developments on the military side; besides the intervention of a greater number of British troops and the training and establishment local Home
3. TOWARDS A NATIONAL ARMY
There were significant developments on the military side; besides the intervention of a greater number of British troops and the training and establishment local Home
