BajanThings eight years on…

When Peter and I sat down with a beer and discussed the possibility of starting a website in December 2014 neither of us expected BajanThings would grow to the comprehensive source of information about Barbados that it has become. Some of the articles have become a source of information for researchers. Some articles have gathered information from many different sources and put it in one place for the first time.

The BajanThings crew
Cousins Peter Burton & William Burton formulating the idea for BajanThings in December 2014!

Our family and friends were the first subscribers and the first articles were some test post about Bajan recipes and my travels. Eight years on we have published nearly 170 posts!

We have stayed away from religion, politics and interpreting history according to our view. We write the facts and leave the reader to form their own opinion. We think that this is important.

Some of the articles are researched in depth and take countless hours of research. Between the first notes and the publication can be years. Others are shorter and leave it to the reader to do further research, if they wish.

BajanThings is a hobby site. Peter spends countless hours working on the website. It is a labour of love and the token revenue we receive from Google ads does not even pay the website hosting and registry fees far less buying us a few beers!

We have been very fortunate to have guest writers who have made available their extensive research. Thanks to each and every one of them.

Over the last two years we have been honoured and very pleased to publish comprehensive research from:

We welcome anyone who has a story on bygone Barbados to write it and send it to us. Or if you have additional information on an existing article add it as a comment. This will add to the article, sometimes from a different perspective.

Some of the articles have put Bajans, or people connected with Barbados, in contact with family or events that occurred many years ago. We are especially proud of this.

Below are the top posts from 2022 and the all-time top posts. Missing from the listing below is our most recent post on Rediffusion Barbados published on Christmas eve 2022.

RankingTop posts in 2022All-time top posts
1Peddlers All: Stories of the First Ashkenazi Jewish Settlers in BarbadosBajan Seasoning (Test post)
2The Printed Maps of Barbados 1500 – 1900Bajan Hot Pepper Sauce (Test Post)
3Prince Albert and Prince George visit Barbados while Midshipmen aboard HMS Bacchante in 1879Hiking in Barbados | Run246 | The Barbados Hiking Association (BHA)
4Ronnie Hughes: Barbadian Sugar Plantations Index 1640 – 1846Bajan Rum Punch (Test post)
5Bajan Flying Fish (Test post)How “badjohn became a word”
6F/O Errol Barrow RAF Navigator World War II & Prime Minister of BarbadosThor Heyerdahl’s Ra Expeditions to Barbados: RA-I 1969, RA-II 1970
7Hurricane Janet – 22 September 1955Bajan Flying Fish (Test post)
8Handbook of Barbados: Plantations & Sugar-Works 1912 – 1924St. Philip, Barbados in the 1950s & 1960s. A very brief recollection of the people and events
9Bajan Hot Pepper Sauce (Test post)Torpedoing of the Cornwallis in Carlisle Bay, Barbados, 11th September 1942
10How “badjohn became a word”Millie gone to Brazil, Oh Lawd, poor Millie
11Remembering EIIR 1926 – 2022The Colin Hudson Great (Barbados) Train Hike
12High Altitude Research Project (HARP) 1962 – 1967The Printed Maps of Barbados 1500 – 1900
13Andromeda Gardens – the location of a covert US Navy cold-war submarine tracking station in Barbados from 1954 to 1985/87F/O Errol Barrow RAF Navigator World War II & Prime Minister of Barbados
14Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? The Empire Windrush story.Hurricane Janet – 22 September 1955
15The game of WarriChicken Rita’s. Where Bajan’s go for seasoned fried chicken!
16Thor Heyerdahl’s Ra Expeditions to Barbados: RA-I 1969, RA-II 1970High Altitude Research Project (HARP) 1962 – 1967
17Torpedoing of the Cornwallis in Carlisle Bay, Barbados, 11th September 1942A Fisherman’s Tale
18Millie gone to Brazil, Oh Lawd, poor MillieRonnie Hughes: Barbadian Sugar Plantations Index 1640 – 1846
19The Gardens of St. Thomas – Friends’ equality even in deathHandbook of Barbados: Plantations & Sugar-Works 1912 – 1924
20Major Teddy Goddard – a Bajan policeman from below the cliffLord Nelson’s statue – Bridgetown, Barbados
21A Fisherman’s TaleBarbados Oceanographic Research Facility 1957 – 1979: a top secret US cold war submarine listening post
22Barbados Island LifeFootball (soccer) in Barbados in the 1950s & 1960s
23Banja in Barbados and its influence on calypso throughout the West IndiesHow they came to Barbados and found no men therein…
24Plantation Life in Barbados in the 1950sAndromeda Gardens – the location of a covert US Navy cold-war submarine tracking station in Barbados from 1954 to 1985/87
25The Man Who Carved a Lion. The story of Henry John Wilkinson 1829 – 1911The Seimstrand, St. Vincent & The Grenadines
26Kai Tak airport, Hong Kong – the Bajan connectionSt. Philip, Barbados in the 1950’s & 1960’s. Growing up in Wellhouse and Marley Vale in the 1960’s
27Lord Nelson’s statue – Bridgetown, BarbadosAnti Submarine & Torpedo Net – Carlisle Bay, Barbados 1942
28Four days up and twenty days down – The Small World crossing of the Atlantic December 1958Richard Goddard – 1935 to 2021
29Hiking in Barbados | Run246 | The Barbados Hiking Association (BHA)Operation Carlota – Cuba’s secret flights to Angola via Barbados
30The Barbados Trailways Project Part 2 – the beginning of the refurbishmentPeddlers All: Stories of the First Ashkenazi Jewish Settlers in Barbados

A full listing of the all the posts on BajanThings can be found by clicking on Posts Index on the navigation menu.

As a new year dawns we wish to thank all of our subscribers and wish each one gets everything that they need. Hopefully, by this time in 2023 the world will be a more peaceful and healthier place.

We wish you a healthy and Happy 2023 from the BajanThings Crew.

William Burton & Peter Burton
BajanThings – All things Barbadian. Bajan history. Bajan folklore. Interesting Bajan people. Hiking in Barbados and overseas

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If you have a story that you’d like to share then please send BajanThings a message by clicking on Contact Burts.

2 thoughts on “BajanThings eight years on…”

  1. I always look forward to the BajanThings stories. They most often touch on things at a deeper level, taking the reader to the back story.
    It is a pleasure to contribute where I can.

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