Defence of Lundy through ages

Lundy has always had an important meaning in trade between Cornwall and Wales, and because it locates on the mouth of Bristol Channel, it is a part of the outer defences of England, our close ally.

In 1381 the first South Light was built to help ships navigate in the nearby waters. Only thirty years later it was accompanied by a small castle. This castle, Lundborg, brought life and wealth to Lundy.
The castle was manned by some 40 swordsmen, most of them English, but some Swedish. They started to call themselves "Puffins", after the thousands of birds that nest on the island.

During the following centuries the Puffin Bregade developed very slowly. It reached its top headcount in January 1741, when the 283 Puffins sailed to Scotland to fight under the flag of king John the Third. After that the number has become much smaller. When Maplestan became independent in 1797, Derreck Hardy, the first Hufvud decided that the Puffin Bregade shall continue as the defence and police force of the island. He also founded the Seal Castle in the north-east part of the island.

In 1944 Puffins got their first airplane. It was loot from the German ship Tirpitz; the entire ship was destroyed, but a pilot flew the fighter plane 6, "Schlahtkat", to HMS Belfast, which carried it to England. The pilot shot himself to avoid a nasty court martial case, and the plane was going to be scrapped, but Jacob Ross bought it from a wreckage in Hull and flew it to Lundy. He then donated it to the Puffins.
This was a notable day for Lundy. Now they were no longer a joke, for they had a German fighter (not in very good condition, though). The current Hufvud, Simon Poher, came up with a new defence system for Maplestan: the Triforce system, which still partly works today. It is based on three forces:

Firstly, sea force (navy) which keeps guard in the sea areas off-shore Maplestan. Total of seventeen ships have the defence training and four of them are manned by Puffin Bregade (total of twelve Puffins).

Secondly land force, which at the moment works as the country's police. Twenty-five men, the majority of Puffin Bregade, works as policemen and also do the duty of post carrying.

Thirdly the air force, which owns three helicopters and five airplanes. The airport is manned by five members of the Puffin Bregade.

They co-operate, but are only responsible for their own commander. Nowadays the navy is practically useless, as the Coast Guard of Maplestan has replaced it, but Puffin Bregade has decided to maintain its own mini-navy at least until 2017.

Modern emblem of
the Puffin Bregade

Our military is tiny, yes, that is true, and we are not a NATO member, but since 1946 we have had a mandatory defence training course for every single 16-year-old. The course is three weeks of digging, camping, doing camp food, singing, installing wires, aiming, shooting, running, sitting in a classroom and filling forms. After the mandatory course they can stay in the Puffins for two months in specializing training, such as Missile Control or Naval Defence.
The course is designed so that everyone, no matter how religious or weak or stupid they are, can learn to live without the commodities of the western world, such as hamburgers and television. This is not only about shooting, it's about giving first aid, feeding yourself and getting along with others. In many countries there are Christian associations similar to this, but as we are a secular nation, this kind of education is given under the supervision of the Ministry of Defence.

Guns near Gravestone on the Western shore of Lundy

Other information:
Number of men in active service: 42
Number of people in reserve: 38 651
Tanks: 10xMark IV
Airplanes: 3xSpitfire, 2xSkydstrup

The Russian Empire of Maplestan

8 years 213 days ago