upon a Surinamese Survey Party which had entered the South Eastern part of the country called the New River Triangle. These Surinamese were asked to leave. The Government of Guyana and Surinam subsequent to this incident came to an understanding under which Surinam was to refrain further encroachment upon Guyanese territory.
In a clear breach of this understanding, the Surinamese Government re-commenced clandestine occupation of the New River Triangle. In mid August 1969, the GDF in the course of routine patrols of Guyana's Borders with Surinam, identified an unauthorised camp and a partially completed airstrip on Guyana territory. On Tuesday 19 August in the course of investigating the camp, GDF soldiers encountered a number of uniformed Surinamers. The Surinamers offered armed resistance to the Defence Force for a short period before abandoning the camp and fleeing in the direction of the Surinam Border. In the captured camp called 'Tigri', there were signs of military activity everywhere and from the maps found it was clear that this was a part of a bigger plan to occupy the entire New River area with a series of military encampments.
Like the Ankoko crisis, the New River crisis quickly became a subject for diplomatic action and again through the tireless efforts of the Central Government, the matter was peacefully resolved and there was no chance of a military escalation of the conflict.
On Friday 28 March 1969 Colonel Clarence Price took over duties as a commander and Chief Of Staff from Colonel Ronald Pope, the last remaining British seconded Officer. As a Civil Servant (and also a Major in the Volunteer Force) he was involved in the planning of the GDF along with
In a clear breach of this understanding, the Surinamese Government re-commenced clandestine occupation of the New River Triangle. In mid August 1969, the GDF in the course of routine patrols of Guyana's Borders with Surinam, identified an unauthorised camp and a partially completed airstrip on Guyana territory. On Tuesday 19 August in the course of investigating the camp, GDF soldiers encountered a number of uniformed Surinamers. The Surinamers offered armed resistance to the Defence Force for a short period before abandoning the camp and fleeing in the direction of the Surinam Border. In the captured camp called 'Tigri', there were signs of military activity everywhere and from the maps found it was clear that this was a part of a bigger plan to occupy the entire New River area with a series of military encampments.
Like the Ankoko crisis, the New River crisis quickly became a subject for diplomatic action and again through the tireless efforts of the Central Government, the matter was peacefully resolved and there was no chance of a military escalation of the conflict.
On Friday 28 March 1969 Colonel Clarence Price took over duties as a commander and Chief Of Staff from Colonel Ronald Pope, the last remaining British seconded Officer. As a Civil Servant (and also a Major in the Volunteer Force) he was involved in the planning of the GDF along with
British Army and Police Officers and himself joined the GDF in the rank of Major on 7 March 1966. He was appointed Commanding Officer of the second battalion (2GDF) on 1 June 1966.
The following year he took over the first battalion while Colonel Pope became Chief Of Staff.
When the New River crisis arose, the GDF was already completely in Guyanese hands, for Colonel Pope had left nearly five months before. The situation by September 1969 was not a pretty one. The young nation and army had now extended its resources to cope with threats on the Venezuelan Border where a confrontation was smouldering since October 1966; on the Brazilian Border where the rebellion was crushed in January 1969 and now on the Surinamese Border where intrusion was halted and reversed in August 1969.
Originally conceived and built up as a one battalion Force, expansion came in 1969 as a matter of survival to the GDF which now had to re-organise and re-equip itself to take on the onerous, vast and very real duties of National Defence throughout the entire country. The year was a very taxing one and the nation looked to the GDF for its safety. The Army had now grown up in the eyes of the world and the Guyanese Citizens and soldiers realised perhaps more clearly than ever before, what the meaning of 'duty' was.
9 LESSONS
The operations were very important since they helped the force to mature quickly. The terrain in the Rupununi was open, rolling savannah country with good fields of observation and fire. In the New River it was dense jungle. Intensive training at all levels continued and in keeping with its growing operational tasks big exercises were mounted in the interior as part of the annual "Force training" to exercise the maximum number of commanders, staff officers and soldiers in field operations.
The operations were very important since they helped the force to mature quickly. The terrain in the Rupununi was open, rolling savannah country with good fields of observation and fire. In the New River it was dense jungle. Intensive training at all levels continued and in keeping with its growing operational tasks big exercises were mounted in the interior as part of the annual "Force training" to exercise the maximum number of commanders, staff officers and soldiers in field operations.
