My aim in this book is to share these old photographs and a piece of our past with other Barbadians and visitors to the island.
My own collection of photographs, made during my employment over many years in the rare stamp department of the philatelist, Stanley Gibbons in London, together with pictures from the private collections of Dr Karl Watson, Mr Bill Ferguson and Mr Peter Allard form the nucleus of this book. We have used pictures from other sources, the ones which have been on loan to us have been listed in my acknowledgements.
The photographs illustrated in the book range from the earliest known photographs on the island, from 1860 up to roughly, the end of the First World War and in a few cases a little later to complete the story. To simplify matters further, I have attempted to make each page stand on its own with a description of the picture above; however if the book is read in its entirety, a brief history of the island will emerge.
I am sure that readers will wonder why some areas of life on the island have been omitted, and this is due entirely to the unavailabilty of photographs. Perhaps people will now come forward with photographs which may be included in another edition.
Many of the photographs speak for themselves, but I have described briefly the circumstances surrounding each picture and I share my recollections or understanding with the reader. Having a ninety-three year old father has been no small asset.
These photographs give us a wealth of information, they show a well ordered, law abiding church going and diligent island, with robust commerce, many gracious buildings, schools and churches but it is the photographs of the true Barbadians which tells the story. There they are, of each race, showing the poverty and sheer hard grind of manual labour in the scorching sun. It shows the stamina and perseverance of our people, the standards of living of all the races and classes, intertwined or seperate, are there for all to see.
For visitors, I hope that this book will help them to gain a further appreciation of the topography and history of the island and help them to understand how we have arrived at where we are.