Wow this was so informative. As a young Barbadian I had always wondered what happened to Pelican Island. Growing up I used to hear lots of stories about the location and now I finally have the truth. Thank you so much for the video. It was awsome!!!
I want to thank you for this brilliant effort to provide detailed information regarding Pelican Island though I am quite sure Pelican Village dates back to the 70's or early 80's rather than 1999. I am so saddened that folks were not more environmentally conscious then. as the move to develop has led to the country losing some of it's charm. The changing of the landscape of the Constitution river basin is another example of despoiling our natural beauty.
It was only yesterday that i fine out that there were an island off Barbados name Pelican island,my mother and i normally have excellent conversations about our history and she would tell me a whole lot of things and this were one of them.i just love to extend my knowledge about my island and how far it came from those days to the present time,i think it is important to passed this knowledge to my children and grands.
Just discovered this site about old Barbados. I remember when the deep water harbour was being built, though I don't know the details about its construction. I used to hear my father talking about it. I also remember sailing from the harbour in 1962 to go to cadet camp in Grenada. After school we schoolboys would frequent Pelican Village. I also recall taking A level exams at a large building at the harbour in 1965.
My aunt and my mother told me about the island and their said it was an island for people who used to come to barbados on ships and when these people get sick on the ships there used to keep them on this island name pelican island so as not for them to come ashore and contaminate the nationals on island which is barbados.
The Canadian Steamship was the SS Cornwallis vs HMS which would make it Royal Navy...U514 under the skipper Kapitan Lieutenant Hans Jurgen Auffmann sneaked along the South Coast, raising a dummy sail to conceal its movement from casual observation, before firing the torpedoes. Testimony from 2 of my Secondary School masters, namely Mr. Herbert P Gooding aka Buffum and Osfield Whiltshire aka Chile, recount 2 interesting experiences connected with the Unterzeeboaten episode. Mr. Whiltshire lived near the residence of National Hero Samuel Jackman Prescod (now the Nightengale chidren's home) in Black Rock and heard (and felt) the explosions...Mr. Gooding salvaged some of the spoils from the blast to tje #2 cargo hold as well as a screw from one of the torpedoes...it was displayed at Harrison College and The Barbados museum at various times
In 1961 month? ,I was taken along with Mr Newsam Head master of Lodge School, Mrs Newsam in his car, chauffeured by Mr Barnet who also ran the tuck shop, to the opening of the newly constructed deep water harbour. It was the first outing from the school in six years and I cannot recall, l why me ?Perhaps my fellow prisoners had declined the offer..
