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My Memories of Independence day – 30th November 1966
In November 1966 I was 13 years old and naturally still at school. I remember two events related to Barbados becoming independent. Firstly – a historical pageant at Kensington Oval on Thursday 1st December 1966 at 4.15pm in the presence of their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Kent There was a historical pageant…
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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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Operation Carlota – Cuba’s secret flights to Angola via Barbados
Fifty years ago on 7th November 1975, Cuba launch Operation Carlota using Seawell airport as the first refuelling stop on the long flight east from Cuba to Angola transporting elite Cuban troops in support of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which was facing external aggression aimed at thwarting independence. These flights…
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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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Barbados Blackwood Screwdock (dry dock)
In July 2025 PM Mia Mottley launched the Bridgetown Pierhead Project, a waterfront development project aimed at breathing new life into historic Bridgetown. Pierhead then (early 1960s) and now (2025) pre revitalisation. This new Pierhead development incorporates what used to be the Blackwood screwdock – which was a marvel of Victorian engineering. Like the HARP…
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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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Bygone Barbados photographs held in the UK National Archives
The National Archives UK have a wealth of bygone Barbados photographs. They formed part of the Colonial Office photographic collection – some of which have now been digitised. This collection of bygone photographs of Barbados held by the National Archives UK, in the Barbados album, is an amazing resource of 372 Barbados colonial photographs. Here…
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The Garrison Drains
The drainage tunnels at the Barbados Garrison are another interesting piece of the puzzle that makes up the history of Barbados. Rediscovered in 2011, during the renovations at George Washington House, the tunnels were unknown to most Barbadians of that time or had become a faded memory by those who may have been aware of…
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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 History
Bajan (Barbadian) history.