The Story of My Barbados Family
Scroll down for an informal pictorial family history
Aurora was too small for living aboard, so Herbert sold it. He then bought an old inter-island schooner, Cecily M., and redesigned the sails to the double-masted gaff rig below. Cecily, as far as I can remember, was 38 feet long (LOA). He rebuilt the interior so that we could live on the boat.
Sailing down the Grenadines on Cecily was always enjoyable. We once sailed as far as Grenada and back.
In 1964 Herbert was tasked with opening a branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in St Vincent, now known as St Vincent and the Grenadines. He sailed Aurora from Barbados to St Vincent.
I think that this is a photo of the bank.
We were very happy in St Vincent. Everybody was very friendly and made us feel very welcome.
Our father, Herbert, had a wooden sailboat called Aurora. I think it was about twenty seven feet long. When Herbert was tasked with opening a new branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in St. Vincent, he was not going to leave his boat in Barbados!
The above shows Aurora entering the Careenage, Bridgetown. Herbert kept the boat at the Royal Barbados Yacht Club, as it was then known. The boat was brought to Bridgetown to do the required paperwork before leaving for St. Vincent.
St. Vincent was a hundred miles away across deep open ocean. Herbert made the trip navigating with a compass and a transistor radio!
I strongly desired to go on this adventure, but I was only thirteen and I had a habit of falling overboard!
At fifteen Anthony was chosen to crew. The others were Jacques Baldini, cousin Harold Jones and of course, Herbert.
Most of our school days were spent at our grandparents’ home, Windermere, in St. John, Barbados. We did fly to St. Vincent for most vacations. There we had many friends and enjoyed the parties and the fishing.
When they first moved to St. Vincent, Herbert and Marjorie rented a home on a beach facing Young Island. We boys enjoyed swimming, rowing and fishing. On weekends, Dad would take us sailing.
One remarkable story is that when Prince Charles, son of Queen Elizabeth II, visited St. Vincent he spent some time at this house. My mother prepared the house for his visit and then stayed away until he left. She said she painted the word Britannia on our dingy, the tender for our sailboat. She said Prince Philip actually went rowing in it.
The next home was also rented. “Tally Ho” was a little further from the beach, but it was still only a short walk away. Ken and Phyllis Punnett had a beautiful home nearby, but I do not know where this was taken.
The last home in St. Vincent was “Ho Bohemia.” This was built by Herbert. It had a commanding view, including the sea and neighbouring islands.
Herbert used to have his hair cut by an itinerate barber, but here is something unexpected.
Marjorie was very active in the Mothers’ Union. This group may be affiliated:
This is a family reunion. Anthony and family are visiting from England, Ian’s and Ronnie’s families from Barbados. Laurence was living with my parents after Amy passed.
Grannie Marjorie enjoys her first two grandchildren.
Marjorie did not enjoy sailing because of the intense sun. She did enjoy being outdoors though.
Next: Later years
When they first moved to St. Vincent, Herbert and Marjorie rented a home on a beach facing Young Island. We boys enjoyed swimming, rowing and fishing. On weekends, Dad would take us sailing.
One remarkable story is that when Prince Charles, son of Queen Elizabeth II, visited St. Vincent he spent some time at this house. My mother prepared the house for his visit and then stayed away until he left. She said she painted the word Britannia on our dingy, the tender for our sailboat. She said Prince Philip actually went rowing in it.
The next home was also rented. “Tally Ho” was a little further from the beach, but it was still only a short walk away. Ken and Phyllis Punnett had a beautiful home nearby, but I do not know where this was taken.
The last home in St. Vincent was “Ho Bohemia.” This was built by Herbert. It had a commanding view, including the sea and neighbouring islands.
Herbert used to have his hair cut by an itinerate barber, but here is something unexpected.
Marjorie was very active in the Mothers’ Union. This group may be affiliated:
This is a family reunion. Anthony and family are visiting from England, Ian’s and Ronnie’s families from Barbados. Laurence was living with my parents after Amy passed.
Grannie Marjorie enjoys her first two grandchildren.
Marjorie did not enjoy sailing because of the intense sun. She did enjoy being outdoors though.
Next: Later years
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
The Grenadines are a chain of islands stretching from the southern coast of St. Vincent to the north of Grenada. Despite their name, most of the Grenadines belong to St. Vincent.
One day Ron chartered a yacht and invited me to retrace the early sailing voyages that we had enjoyed with our parents. There were not as many fish, but the beaches were just as white and the water was clear.
This photo is probably from a later trip to the same location.
Ron gave me the chance to relive one of our favourite activities as teenagers – exploring uninhabited islands. I also have video of this trip that I may share.
Next: Ron in North Carolina, USA
Ian lived at Windermere. Ronnie and Uncle George appear to be visiting.
Years pass and in 1976 Ronnie marries the love of his life, Sandra. In 1978, Summer was born.
Years pass, and Ronnie is at Summer’s wedding.
The reception:
Next: Ron in the Grenadines, St. Vincent
Ronnie went to St. Vincent with our parents when he was about eight.
The photo above is probably related to the 100+ mile trip that Herbert made with Jacques Baldini from Barbados to St. Vincent on Herbert’s 27 foot sailboat Aurora. That trip will be covered later under Herbert’s memorial. Marjorie and Ronnie went by plane!
Another photo was taken on the same day, so I stuck it here. I cannot place the exact location below, but I guess it could be Belleville, St. Michael, Barbados.
In St. Vincent, our parents lived in “Tally Ho”, Villa.
Herbert once planted 600 pineapple plants on a neighbouring house lot. The volcanic soil produced the sweetest pineapples we had ever tasted.
This appears to be a costume party near Tally Ho, but I cannot identify anyone.
Our family were close to their good friends Phyllis and Ken Punnett. Phyllis and Ken lived in a beautiful home. They were very kind and hospitable.
Later Herbert built a house near the town of Calliaqua. Below Ronnie enjoys the view from his front yard.
My parents lived many years here.
Both homes were a short walk from the beach, and we could row or swim to Young Island. We enjoyed fishing and boating.
Herbert redesigned and rebuilt the “Cecily M.”, a thirty eight foot gaff rigged sloop. We loved to sail down the Grenadines!
All was not good for Ronnie. Because he was not perceived as a local he was attacked every day at school. He was fortunate that he grew early and was bigger than his assailants. He could successfully defend himself, but Marjorie had to do a lot of mending and laundry.