Shipbucket

3rd Battalion Royal West Florida Regiment:
The regiment’s 3rd battalion belongs to the Army Reserve, the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the army. Known as the Territorial Force (TF) until 1980, the purpose of the army reserve was home defence, much like West Florida’s original colonial militia. Following World War One, all TF recruits were required to take the general service obligation, meaning that territorial soldiers could be deployed overseas for combat & many reserve personnel still readily volunteer for overseas duty. Today, members of the battalion can be used domestically to assist during a natural disaster or public emergency, in addition to being deployed internationally to support the Regular Force on operations such as those in Afghanistan, Cyprus, & Sinai. Training is usually conducted on a part-time basis between September & June, but 3rd Battalion troops can be employed full-time in a variety of roles between May & August each year.

Established in 1956, the initial cadre of personnel for 3rd battalion was provided by Maryland Company, from 1st Battalion, & Pennsylvania Company, from 2nd Battalion Royal West Florida Regiment. 1956 marked the 25th anniversary of the Statute of Westminster, an act of the UK Parliament that established the legislative independence of the self-governing Dominions of the British Empire, effectively making them sovereign nations in their own right. The new battalion was known as the West Florida Dominion Guard & was to serve a similar role to the regiments of foot guards in the British Army, becoming the first Household Troops of West Florida. As such, full dress uniform included a scarlet tunic, midnight blue trousers, & a white Wolseley pattern helmet. Their most prominent role was the performing of public duties in Pensacola, while operationally they performed the role of light infantry. In 1976, as part of some reorganization within the West Florida Army, 3rd Battalion became part of the Army Reserve, but retained their role as Household Troops. Today, 3rd Battalion consists of five companies, including a headquarters company, a public duties company, & three light infantry companies with two rifle platoons in each. Additionally, J company hosts the battalion’s reconnaissance & sniper platoons, while K company has the anti-armour & assault pioneer platoons. The battalion’s mortar platoon is part of L company.

The public duties company (M Company) carries on the Dominion Guard’s tradition of mounting the guard at Government House, the official residence & principal workplace of the Governor General & his or her staff. It is also the official residence of The Monarch when they are in West Florida. M Company, with the support of the Drums Platoon from Headquarters Company, is at its busiest during the summer public duties season each year. This begins in May with the Governor General’s review to commemorate the end of the 1781 Siege of Pensacola & finishes in August with Trooping the Colour. During this time, a changing of the guard ceremony is conducted every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Sunday. Throughout the rest of the year, M Company supports Government House during state ceremonial occasions where required. The final ceremonial event that M Company & the Drums Platoon participate in each year, is Beating Retreat, held each November to mark Remembrance Day & the 1814 Battle of Pensacola. Between September & April each year, the ceremonial changing of the guard is conducted each Wednesday by various units from across all West Florida’s armed services on a rotational basis.

Below is the tactical recognition flash for 3rd Battalion.

Following World War Two, both squadrons of the West Florida Light Dragoons continued in their reconnaissance role, receiving new equipment in 1959, including two variants of the Alvis FV600 series of wheeled armoured vehicles in addition to the Daimler Ferret Scout Car. The FV601 Saladin was a six-wheeled armoured car, which replaced the World War Two Humber Armoured Car in West Florida service. The vehicle weighed 11 tonnes & had a top speed of 72 km/h, with a crew of three, & was armed with a 76 mm low-pressure rifled gun. The FV603 Saracen was the armoured personnel carrier counterpart to the Saladin. Besides the driver & commander, the Saracen could carry a squad of eight soldiers. Most models carried a Browning .30 machine gun in a small turret on the roof in addition to a Bren light machine gun for anti-aircraft defence. The Daimler produced Ferret replaced the World War Two Universal Carrier & Humber Scout Car. The Ferret was widely adopted by the British Army & throughout the Commonwealth, & the Saladin was noted for its excellent performance, with both vehicles remaining in production until the early 1970s. Both vehicles remained in service with the West Florida Light Dragoons until they were replaced by the CVRT series of vehicles in the late 1970s.

Following World War Two, thousands of cheap ex-military aircraft became available for civilian use, allowing FEA to finally retire their Empire flying boats in 1946. Five military surplus Douglas DC-3 aircraft were purchased & converted to civilian airliners. These new aircraft flew the Pensacola-Nassau service, previously operated by the retired flying boats, while also commencing new direct services to Tampa & Jacksonville. FEA also purchased two additional surplus C-47 Dakotas, retaining the all-cargo configuration, with reinforced fuselage floor & large cargo door. These were used to support FEA’s newly formed cargo department & operated whenever a shipment was too heavy or too large for the cargo bins of the passenger planes.

As with other British Caribbean colonies, West Florida used British Empire V series civil aviation registration numbers. The Empire’s various colonies & dominions used registration numbers with a VP, VQ, or VR prefix, followed by three letters. The first letter after the prefix indicated the country where the aircraft was registered, with the final two letters identifying the individual aircraft. West Florida was allocated a VR prefix, followed by an F, indicating West Florida. Following the war, the impact of decolonisation & independence on aircraft registration schemes varied throughout the Commonwealth. Most countries, upon independence, had a new allocation granted, but it was not uncommon for a country to retain its previous Imperial V-Series allocation, which was the case in West Florida.

The Royal West Florida Constabulary (RWFC) is the national police service of West Florida, who’s primary responsibiities include the protection of life & property, preservation of the peace, enhancing public safety & maintaining order, as well as the prevention & detection of criminal offences. With few exceptions, the RWFC has primary jurisdiction over the majority of West Florida criminal law, including commercial crime, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, & organized crime. Other key responsibilities include traffic & commercial vehicle enforcement, firearms licensing, protection of dignitaries, & matters of national security such as counter terrorism. The RWFC also provide policing at West Florida’s international airports. A mix of British & American vehicles has always been used, as can be seen from the Land Rover Defender & Dodge Charger vehicles depicted below. The RWFC dates back to 1864, following the first sitting of the West Florida parliament. The West Florida Constabulary (WFC) was established as the colony’s national police force, formed along similar lines to other British colonial police forces. However, unlike police in Britain, WFC constables were routinely armed & billeted in barracks. In celebration of its centenary in 1964, Queen Elizabeth II conferred the designation Royal on the West Florida Constabulary, in recognition of its long history of service to the Dominion.





Special Branch:
Following World War One, the WFC assumed responsibility for national counterintelligence, & shortly before the outbreak of World War Two these duties were moved from the Criminal Investigation Department to the newly formed Special Investigations Branch (Special Branch). In 1964, the name was officially changed to the Security & Intelligence Branch. It remains the primary domestic intelligence & security service in the Dominion & has gained a reputation as one of the best intelligence units in the region. In addition to its national security functions of counterterrorism & counterintelligence, Special Branch has a dedicated VIP protection unit, & is also responsible for vetting public servants. A foreign intelligence service, like the CIA or MI6, has never been established in West Florida. Due to the lack of direct threats to West Florida & the high cost of such an organisation, it has not been seen as a necessity. However, in recent years, there has been growing support for the creation of a dedicated national intelligence agency, as West Florida cannot always rely on its interests coinciding with those of its larger allies, who have historically supplied the Dominion with much of its foreign intelligence.