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Observation Mission – Firing HARP:
Monday 17th June 1963The McGill University High Altitude Research Project (HARP) space gun project commenced in Barbados in 1962 under the direction of Canadian ballistics scientist Dr. Gerald Bull in his quest to economically launch a satellite into space using a huge artillery piece. The project was abruptly abandoned in 1967. It’s unlikely we will ever know the…
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Christopher James Davis (1842-1870) – The Good Black Doctor
Christopher James Davis was born at Whitehaven, St. Philip, Barbados on 23rd April 1842. He was baptised on 4th June the same year. He was the youngest of 10 children. His Father, John Thomas Davis, was a Carpenter. His mother’s name was Mary Ann. His family were Wesleyan Methodists. Christopher Davis worked as a schoolmaster…
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A Fisherman’s Tale
Every picture tells a story. Adorning the walls of the Atlantis Hotel, St. Joseph, Barbados hangs an old black and white photograph titled the “Martins Bay Fisherman”. This Siza photograph of the nine fishermen of Bath is a picture with many stories. On an early December morning, near the turn of the 20th century, a…
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Living in Barbados with COVID-19
With the first day of the curfew caused by COVID-19 life on Barbados has completely changed. Most business are now closed and the essential ones have reduced opening hours. This is bad news for the many who work by the hour or have part time jobs. However it is the only sensible thing that the…
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The Canadian Lady Boats
Between 1928 and 1952 The Canadian National Steamship Company Lady Boats (The Canadian Lady Boats) operated two routes from Canada to the West Indies the: The Lady Boats keep coming up in my researches into the family in the West Indies. They were clearly important not just for the economy of the islands but also…
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The Printed Maps of Barbados 1500s – 1980s (Overview)
The Printed Maps of Barbados 1500s – 1980s which cover Ancient Maps, Antique Maps and Historical Maps was in February 2025 split into 5 sections: 1500s – 1700, 1700 – 1800, 1800 – 1900, 1900 – 1980s & Addendums: This work, weaves together the work of three authors and researchers: E. M. Shilstone, Tony Campbell…
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Rocket payload fairings wash up in Barbados post launch from Guiana Space Centre (CSG), French Guiana
Barbados has always been the destination for things that drift across the Atlantic such as: Thor Heyerdahl’s Ra Expeditions , Dr. Alain Bombard, The loss of The Kent – a letter in a bottle story, The story of John Heller, Survivors arriving in Barbados in May 1942 from ships sunk by German U-Boats and British…
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Cecil Ward (Bajan Cecil) – early pan pioneer Trinidad
Bajan John Archer was so notorious in Trinidad & Tobago at the turn of the twentieth century that his nickname “Badjohn” entered that nation’s vocabulary. He was one of many Bajans who contributed significantly to Trinidad & Tobago’s history and culture. Take for instance pan, that quintessential Trini art form. It’s early development was accelerated…
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How “badjohn” became a word
badjohn – nounA man willing to use violence and who likes being known as a dangerous person; a ruffian, hooligan or miscreant. An illusion to Bajan John “Bad John” Archer, a criminal who figured prominently in Trinidad in the early 20th century. Of the countless jailbirds to tread this island, none has cast a longer…
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BajanThings five years on…
2020 marks a new decade and BajanThings five years on. It also marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Errol Barrow on 21st January 2020. Errol Barrow’s time in the RAF between 1940 and 1947 is covered in two posts: Errol Barrow – Statesman, Prime Minister of Barbados, RAF Navigator World War II and…
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BajanThings
Bajan history. Interesting Bajan people. Hiking in Barbados and Overseas. International Travel…