David O'Carroll OBE, Author at BajanThings

David O'Carroll OBE

David O’Carroll OBE lives in Wales with his wife Elisabeth and they have three children and five grandchildren. He was born in London in 1951 and was brought up in Wimbledon. After graduating from University College Swansea, University of Wales, where he attained a B.A.(Hons) in Political Science & Government, he joined the UK Civil Service. He was awarded the OBE in the 2009 New Year’s honours for his public service in the Department of Health. After retiring he spent nine years as a volunteer Generalist Adviser for the Citizens Advice Bureau in Swansea, and pursuing his love of longbow archery, gardening, beekeeping and family history. He has published two family histories and several articles about his Barbadian ancestors, including two in the Journal of the Barbados Museum & Historical Society. He also writes fictionalised short stories to bring his genealogical research to life for otherwise uninterested family members. His links to Barbados are through the Gall family who arrived on the island at the end of the 17th century. His mother, Clara Gall was born in Dominica and lived in Barbados as a teenager.

Cooking on a cast iron coal pot stove

There is a corner of my UK garden that is forever Barbados. It’s where I store my cast iron coal pot during the winter. In the UK it is rare to see a coal pot and my grandchildren had no idea what Grandad was using on his birthday barbecue. They were spared seeing this rusty …

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The Canadian Lady Boats

21st March 2020 22nd October 2021 / 6 minutes of reading / Bajan History, Barbados during World War I and World War II, Barbados Post World War II / 7 Comments

Between 1928 and 1952 The Canadian National Steamship Company Lady Boats operated two routes from Canada to the West Indies the: eastern-route route: where steamships, Lady Nelson, Lady Hawkins and Lady Drake, provided a year-round service every two weeks from Halifax to Bermuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada, …

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Col. Reginald Michelin, Commissioner of Police, Barbados, 1949 to 1953

It was always hot – Memoirs of Col. Reginald T. Michelin, Commissioner of Barbados Police 1949-1953 post Col. Oriel St.A. Duke

4th September 2019 10th January 2022 / 11 minutes of reading / Bajan People, Barbados during World War I and World War II, Barbados Post World War II / 1 Comment

Reginald Townend Michelin (1903-1998), CMG (1957), CVO (1953), OBE (1952) took the post of Sub-Inspector, Police, Jamaica, 1924 and Inspector, Police, Leeward Islands, 1928. He was made Assistant Commissioner of Police, Nigeria, 1930, and Commissioner of Police, Barbados, 1949 and Jamaica, 1953, retiring in 1958 from the Colonial Police. In 1940 he married Nina Gladys …

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The Duke Affair – A West Indian versus the colonial establishment

18th April 2018 10th January 2022 / 7 minutes of reading / Bajan History, Bajan People, Barbados during World War I and World War II, Barbados Post World War II / 5 Comments

Oriel St. Arnaud Duke was born in Montserrat the second son of Dr Mansergh Duke, a Dublin doctor, and Emily née Wilkin. His family nickname was Konks. His first job was as a clerk in the Antiguan government. During World War I he volunteered for the British West India Regiment and was transferred to 10th …

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