Stories about Barbados during the war years 1914 to 1945.
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 …
In early September 1942 the Royal Navy installed an anti-submarine and anti-torpedo boom net across Carlisle Bay. That boom net was tested and breached on 11th September 1942 shortly after 4:30 by German U-boat 514. Carlisle Bay in 1942 was much deeper than it is today. Burkes beach at times had no beach and the …
Anti Submarine & Torpedo Net – Carlisle Bay, Barbados 1942 Read More »
Errol Walton Barrow (21st January 1920 – 1st June 1987) a distinguished Barbadian statesman, a visionary leader and a champion of Caribbean unity led Barbados to Independence on 30th November 1966 and then served as Barbados’ first and fourth Prime Minister. Prior to that from: 1961 to 1966 as leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) …
F/O Errol Barrow RAF Navigator World War II & Prime Minister of Barbados Read More »
Our guest contributor is Keith Mackie, a South African Consulting Coastal & Harbour Engineer who specialises in Dry Docks and the Dry Docking of ships. In December 2009 he was brought to Barbados by Caribbean Lifestyles Ltd. to survey the Blackwood screwdock and assess its potential for conservation and restoration. Sitting in the Blackwood dock …
This is the story of a sailing adventure by 3 boys: Joe Burton (aged 18), Jim Burton (aged 16) and “Ginger” Edwards (aged 16?) who sailed from Bridgetown to Georgetown and back on board the schooner Mary M. Lewis in the summer of 1939. Joe Burton and Jim Burton were brothers. “Ginger”Edwards was the junior …
In May of 1942 there was intense activity by U-Boats in the Caribbean that resulted in heavy losses of allied shipping. Germany was trying, and succeeding, to disrupt the supplies of war material reaching Europe from the USA and Caribbean. Trinidad and Venezuela were supplying the allies with petroleum products, Guyana with Bauxite and the …
Survivors arriving in Barbados in May 1942 from merchant ships sunk by German U-Boats Read More »
The Florence M. Douglas was a schooner built in Holetown, Barbados, and owned by Peter S. Hassell. On the 4th May 1942 she was sailing at 07.55N 58.10W from Bonaire, Netherland Antilles, to Georgetown, British Guiana, with a cargo of salt. At 19:00 the U-162 fired a shot across the bow and Captain Herbert Rexford …
The morning of Monday 18th May 1942 dawned like all previous mornings since the SS Quaker City, a Hog Island class merchant ship, left Bombay and sailed via South Africa on the way to Norfolk, Virginia. She was loaded with 4,500 tons of Manganese Ore. This is a very important ingredient in the production of steel …
SS Quaker City – Torpedoed 18th May 1942. The story of John Heller Read More »
