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Hon. Alderman Doreen Madolin Weatherhead: 5th Nov 1931 – 5th Feb 2026
Doreen Weatherhead was a formidable woman – who was proud of her Bajan heritage. She is a former Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Councillor who served her Pembridge Ward for 47 years. She was also my godmother. My mother – Dorothy Burton (nee Boyce) – and Doreen met while taking…
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Ruby Cottage – A Memory
My grandparents’ home was a squat, little, grey-boarded house that sat up an inclined driveway over-looking Belmont Road which as an adult was a constant stream of vehicles roaring and sputtering as they zipped in and out of the city. As a young child, traffic was a donkey cart ambling by carefully passed by cars,…
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June 1975 Barbados Rally is still the best
2025 has gone. On this first day of 2026, Happy New Year from BajanThings… This article originally appeared in the BAJAN in August 1975. This years June Rally was by far the smallest in terms of entries that the Barbados Rally Club has held since its inception in 1957. The 19th renewal of what has…
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The 1679 Barbados Census – a searchable database
The 1679 Barbados Census offers one of the earliest and most complete snapshots of colonial society in the English-speaking world. It captures land ownership, plantation structure, and demographic patterns at a time when Barbados was the wealthiest colony in the British Empire. For genealogists and historians, it provides essential insights into early family names, migration,…
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Jean Agatha Forde
Jean Agatha Forde was born on the 22nd September 1942 at Triopaths in St. Andrew, Barbados. War was raging in Europe and the Pacific, but they were not affected by this. She grew up in a safe and hardworking environment. Very little food was imported into the island, and what was would not have reached her…
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Remembering those that served during WWI, WWII and later conflicts
Remembrance Sunday is the: second Sunday in November. This year it is Sunday 9th November 2025. This Remembrance Sunday, we honour the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the Commonwealth who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Navy, and Emergency Services during the First and Second World Wars and in later…
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W/O Derek Davies – A Bajan Specialist Gunner with 224 Squadron RAF Coastal Command
Derek Sewell Blackburn Davies joined the RAF on 3rd September 1942, serving for nine months in the RAF regiment. He received aircrew training as a specialist air gunner receiving his wing in April 1944 and was then posted to 224 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command joining the crew of F/L Merrington flying in B-24 Liberators hunting…
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Haunted by Janet
This is a follow on post to: Hurricane Janet – 22 September 1955. 70 years on Clem Griffiths recalls Hurricane Janet. Some Bajans measure life by elections, others by cricket matches – but me? By hurricanes. My first brush was Janet of 1955, though at two years old I nearly slept through it… until a…
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Belleville Village
Belleville was developed in 1885 by Samuel Manning and his brother, Thomas Manning, in partnership with George Whitfield. It was designed as a model residential suburb of Bridgetown, featuring fine homes and nearly 900 Royal Palm trees. By 1890 construction had commenced and by 1898 at least 79 houses had been completed. Some regard Belleville…
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Mike Spence reminisces: The Origins of the GIN Club, Strathclyde
These memories are now more than 50 years old and are somewhat murky, so forgive any oversights or errors you may find. In fact any additions or corrections would be welcomed and much appreciated. In the early 1970s, a bunch of Strathclyde boys including James Carter, Geoffrey Parkinson, Andrew Rodriguez, Bernard (Buns) Corbin and myself…
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BajanThings
Bajan history. Interesting Bajan people. Hiking in Barbados and Overseas. International Travel…
Category: Bajan People
Bajan’s (Barbadian’s) that have done outstanding things or have made outstanding contributions.