The Bermuda Regiment has received a letter of thanks from its Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester, for its response to this month’s storms.

The Duchess, the Colonel-in-Chief of the Bermuda Regiment, wrote to Commanding Officer Michael Foster-Brown to thank the soldiers for their hard work in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Gonzalo.

She wrote that she had followed the progress of the storms with concern, and was relieved the impact was not more serious.

“I am very much aware that the Regiment has done a superb job in getting Bermuda back to normal business so quickly and that very many of its personnel have now been working on clearing up, from Gonzalo and from Tropical Storm Fay, for what is now a long time,” she wrote.

“I am conscious that personnel have been doing this work for the wider community when the demands of clearing up and repairing their own family homes will often have been on their minds.

“The Regiment’s contribution to getting the airport open so quickly has clearly been particularly important.”

And she told the Island’s soldiers: “You have obviously worked very effectively with not only your counterparts from other Bermuda organisations but also with the shore parties from HMS Argyll.”

Lt Col Foster-Brown said the Regiment were grateful for her concern and well wishes for both the Regiment and Bermuda as a whole, but added: “We are also conscious that our mission is not complete and there is much work yet to be done.”

The Duchess has been Royal Patron and Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment since 2006.