Barbados during World War I and World War II

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 Sinking of the Florence M. Douglas and the story of Douglas the Barbadian who joined the German Navy in WW2. Read More »

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 18^th May 1942. The story of John Heller Read More »

Surgeon: Frederick Gustave Ameile Delisle Saphile Wooding Deane was born in Nevis of Barbadian Parents. His parents were Joseph Deane and Mary Elizabeth Ashby Wooding. Joseph Deane was working in the sugar industry at the time. When the family returned home Frederick went to school at Harrisons College. After completing his education in Barbados he …

Frederick Gustave Ameile Delisle Saphile Wooding Deane RAMC FRCS Nov 1870 to 31 Oct 1935 Read More »

This is the story of Sid Graham, Arthur Walker and Michael Doyle – three survivors of The Blue Star Line SS Scottish Star that was torpedoed 600 miles off of Barbados on 19th February 1942. The survivors lifeboat was towed into Barbados by the fishing boat “Stella” on 27th February 1942. The sixteen survivors remained …

British Ship: SS Scottish Star Torpedoed – 19^th February 1942 Read More »