In the 1960s and 1970s Barbados flying fish luggage stickers used to be given away at tourist entry and exit ports together with other welcome pack items such as tourism styled maps.
During the 1950s and 1960s tourist literature often referred to Barbados as: “the land of the flying fish” which is why luggage stickers from that time featured a Barbados flying fish.
These stickers were stuck on tourists suitcases and trunks as an ongoing reminder of their holiday in Barbados… and once on they did not easily come off! That’s because back in those days most suitcases were typically made of a form of compresses cardboard or vulcanised fibreboard or of a wooden base with tin, cloth or leather coverings.
We think these Barbados flying fish luggage stickers evolved from the advertising campaigns created for the Barbados Board of Tourism by their USA advertising agency Albert Van Brunt & Co in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Our suitcases in the 1960s had expandable sliding hinges – and no wheels like modern day suitcases!
As children visiting our grandparents in Barbados in the 1960s and 1970s we looked forward to getting these Barbados stickers which were given away at tourist entry and exit points.
The Barbados “land of the flying fish” stickers ended up on some high profile trunks, suitcases and brief cases – even a ministerial despatch box:
In August 2024 I was privileged to take part in a private tour of Winston Churchill’s War Room in Whitehall, London where we went into the rooms themselves.
AdvertisementsThe Cabinet War Rooms, as they were originally known, were a group of highly reinforced basement offices in Whitehall that were occupied during World War II by leading government ministers, military strategists and the Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
I was so surprised to see the Barbados logo on Winston Churchill’s red ministerial despatch box. He wouldn’t have visited Barbados before the war to get the logo. And the logo was not around then.
Churchill did visit Barbados in the 1960s and must have taken his despatch box there and later that same despatch box with the Barbados logo on it was put on display in the War Room museum.
William Tomlin
Sir Winston Churchill visited Barbados on 22nd March 1960 as part of a tour of the West Indies he undertook in March-April 1960, staying on Aristotle Onassis’s yacht Christina. His host in Barbados was the Governor-General Sir John Stow. I found the photograph of Sir Winston Churchill in an envelope while sorting through some of my godmother Doreen Weatherhead’s paperwork.
The Policeman standing to attention is Major Ronald Stoute. His son, Sir Michael Stoute the UK racehorse trainer was recently featured by BajanThings. To Sir Winston Churchill’s right and obscured is Dr. Hugh Cummins the Premier of Barbados. To Sir Winston Churchill’s left is Governor-General Sir John Stow. Governor-General Sir John Stow later recalled how Churchill, wearing his “Trinity yachting cap at a jaunty angle, received a tumultuous welcome from the people”. (source: Martin Gilbert, Winston S. Churchill, Volume III, London, 1988, pp 1308-1311.). A similar photograph taken from a different angle can be found on the Christie’s auction website. These photograph were taken on the quayside of the Baggage Warehouse at the Pierhead where seas passengers arrived and left Barbados. The Baggage Warehouse was to the right of the Blackwood Screwdock – note the vertical screwdock screws in the background.
Like all British government ministers, Winston Churchill used a specially made red despatch box to carry his state papers with him wherever he went. The position of the handle and lock ensured that the box had to be locked before it could be picked up. It is understood that the Barbados sticker was added by Churchill’s son Randolph who borrowed the despatch box while on a trip to Barbados in the early to mid 1960s. Given the box is covered in red leather – the Barbados “land of the flying fish” sticker would have damaged the leather surface if removed! Probably one of the reasons high stick glue was used!
The iconic styling of the Barbados “land of the flying fish” luggage sticker of the 1960s lived on in later tourist posters and print ads (click on the image to expand it):
Here are a selection of vintage and more modern Barbados Tourist ads (click on the image to expand it):
Some Interesting BajanThings and flying fish facts:
- The Barbados “land of the flying fish” luggage sticker was the inspiration for the BajanThings flying fish logo:
- The text colour for the BajanThings logo is a deep blue/black that is the upper body colour of the flying fish body (Hex color: #0C162C)! And if you hover over BajanThings on the logo – the hover colour is a mid blue that is the bottom body colour of the flying fish (Hex color: #336699).
- Bajans have fished for flying fish for several hundred years. Flying fish are important to Barbados not just economically but they holds a deep cultural significance.
- Flying fish used to be found in abundance in the waters surrounding Barbados. Today flying fish are much smaller and not as plentiful, driving up prices to the point that the island’s staple food is now becoming a luxury.
- And, with global warming, flying fish have changed their migratory pattens, it has also sparked a flying fish dispute with Trinidad!
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