Militia Badge

3D Model

The Barbados Militia was raised in 1640 “for the defence and protection of Barbados.” and is probably one of the oldest in the British commonwealth, serving until British troops arrived in 1780. The main objective of the militias formation (as well as the strength and state of the island’s fortifications) derived from a concern over external attack by foreign forces, particularly the French. The suppression of slave revolts was also a great concern of the planter class and, in the earlier periods, revolts by white indentured servants, notably the Irish.