Consistent with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force’s strategic objective of developing a professional and high performance workforce focused on performance excellence, a retired veteran from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) presented the organization with Bosun Whistles.
During a brief presentation at Defence Force Headquarters on December 3, 2020, Retired Chief Petty Officer Garnet Beneby, owner of Island Marine Electronics, presented Commodore Raymond King with approximately 30 Bosun Whistles, which will be utilized by members of the force. Also in attendance was the RBDF’s Base Executive Officer, Commander Floyd Moxey.
Also known in the military around the world as a boatswain’s call, this piece of equipment is used to pass commands to the crew ashore and at sea. In the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, it is also used in ceremonial occasions such as Evening Colors/Sunset, the departure or arrival of a patrol craft, and to alert the arrival of a ship’s Commanding Officer onboard.
A thirty-year-veteran, Chief Petty Officer Beneby retired from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force in 2007. A small business owner who operates from his home, he said it was a privilege to give back to an organization of which he is proud to have served.
“I was browsing through a catalogue when I saw the pipes, and I remember these little equipment were something the Defence Force definitely could use”, said Beneby. “With the current pandemic we are in, it is difficult to pass it on to another individual, so I thought it a good idea for each department to have its own pipe”.
In receiving the much needed equipment, Commodore King thanked Chief Petty Officer Beneby for his contribution, and assured him that his small gesture will go a long way in maintaining a force capable of guarding the territorial waters of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.