Two female soldiers with the Royal Bermuda Regiment are to be the first women in the battalion trained in searching for explosives.

Lance Corporal Co-shae Bartrum and Lance Corporal Ashley Grant are both training in Barbados as part of Exercise Tradewinds 2024.

They are joined by Acting Warrant Officer Class 2 Runekco Edwards, who is delivering explosive ordnance disposal training alongside counterparts from French, US and Mexican forces.

Lance Corporal Bartrum, from Sandys, said: “We’re part of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal search team, so they’re teaching us what to look for, how to spot things that are out of the ordinary.

“We also learnt the different components of an improvised explosive device.”

The students also tried on heavy protective clothing known as a bomb suit.

Lance Corporal Grant, from St George’s, and a member of staff at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort, said she and Lance Corporal Bartrum had put themselves forward for the training.

She added: “I try everything once – it’s either I like it, or I don’t. That’s the way that I learn and progress.”

Lance Corporal Bartrum, who works as an animal grooming assistant, said part of the reason she wanted to join the course was her interest in the work it involved.

“It’s a challenge and also shows other females ‘you can do it too’,” she said. “Because we are the first two females to do it, it gives others a bit more encouragement.”

Students on the EOD course include members of units based in Barbados, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico. They are learning how to effectively search for explosives while strengthening teamwork and communication skills.

Tradewinds 2024 is a two-week, Caribbean-focused exercise that offers opportunities to carry out joint training focused on regional co-operation to counter cross-border organised crime and to perform humanitarian or disaster relief operations.

Lance Corporal Grant highlighted how the RBR’s participation put Bermuda “on the map”.

“Out of all the countries that are here, we’re another flag on the pole,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how small you are, you can still have a big impact.”