The Story of My Barbados Family
Scroll down for an informal pictorial family history
Anthony was born on 11th March, 1949.
Ian arrived in October of 1951.
I did not like to have my photograph taken, so I may have boycotted this one!
Herbert and Marjorie played tennis at Hannays Plantation on Saturday afternoons. Herbert was good at sports but smoking was his undoing.
When I was 12, we went with our parents to America. This trip was Herbert’s “Long Leave,” as he was required to travel north every few years.
This photo below was taken at great uncle Leo’s and great aunt Ida’s home in Brooklyn. I was breathing out trying to see the vapour condense from my breath, something that we had never seen in Barbados!
The photo below was taken at Plymouth, Crane, St. Philip, Barbados. In the background is the ravine, then the cliff and then the blue rough sea. We had a flight of concrete steps down to a secluded beach. My grandfather, Laurence, rented Plymouth every year.
This was taken at Bohemia, 10th Avenue, Belleville, St. Michael, Barbados. The steps lead to the front door. The walk gate and driveway gate are visible. Behind the fence is the 10th Avenue with its’ massive “Cabbage Palms.” We are in front of a rose bed. To the right of the photo there is an orchid, and to the left a Periwinkle. The Periwinkles grew wild on my father’s land in St. Andrew.
This is Anthony on the East Coast of Barbados. We loved to explore and run around these beaches and hills.
My recollections of my parents start in Belleville, where we lived on the 10th avenue. We first lived at “Constant”, a two story wooden home. Then we moved to “Bohemia”, which was close to George Street. Below Marjorie and Herbert in the backyard of Bohemia. The concrete wall runs along 10th Avenue. Behind the wall are towering palms. We called them Cabbage Palms, but their scientific name is Roystonea oleracea. They bore a “broom” which was used by our maid.
We were close to Bridgetown, and I recall my father coming home for lunch!
Here is an extended family photo taken in Barbados.
Laurence’s sisters were Helen Farmer, Katy Jones and May Marshall. Teddy and Katy’s daughter Audrey was married to Louis Seale.
This is a nice photo of my mother, but I don’t know the story behind it.
As a condition of his employment at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Herbert had to take a “long leave” every few years. The only stipulation that he was to head north to Canada or the US. My parents used to say with Dad’s uncle Leo in Brooklyn, New York. Leo’s wife Ida is on the left below.
Here is another unknown photo.
I am going to take a wild guess and say that the photo below was taken at Plymouth, Crane, St. Philip.
The photo below was probably taken on the south coast of Barbados. Marjorie is with her nieces, George’s girls.
Herbert was transferred to the nearby island of St. Vincent. Herbert had a sailboat, “Aurora.” I believe this group is seeing him off.
Below is a family reunion at Windermere, St. John, Barbados. Herbert, Marjorie and Ronnie would be visiting from St. Vincent.
Next: St. Vincent
This is a photographic tribute to my departed brother, Ronnie Davis. I hope that our relatives will be able to relive old memories by viewing this eclectic collection of our family photographs.
Ronald George Malcolm Davis was born on 23rd February 1957 in Mrs. Stoute’s Nursing Home (a birthing centre), St. Michael, Barbados. His parents were Herbert and Marjorie Davis.
He passed away from cancer on 9th April 2012 at his home in Sunset Crest, St. James, Barbados. He was fifty five years old.
Herbert and Marjorie’s three sons Anthony, Ian and Ronnie grew up in a home called “Bohemia” on 10th Avenue Belleville, St. Michael, Barbados.
Bohemia was a modest lath and plaster home, but we did have a lawn with fruit trees, as well as a gravel yard.
We had a smooth haired fox terrier cross called Rover.
Ian bought an incubator on a trip to the US and hatched a hen named Samuella, after Uncle Sam!
We had a mahogany Morris suite with removable cushions. As of June 2016, I still have the suite! Herbert is seated with (I guess) Ken Coombes’ family. Ronnie and Ian are in the foreground.
Here is Ronnie in front of our Julie mango tree referenced earlier. Behind the mango tree was a concrete wall that faced 10th Avenue. All the young children were fans of the Cowboy Genre!
In the next chapter, I will reveal photographs of Ronnie at Hannays, Christ Church, Cattlewash, St. Andrew and the Crane, St. Philip.