Category: history

The HMS Cornwallis Mystery (Solved)

February 22, 2010 by Taran Rampersad

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Ms. Marsha, an Attorney here in San Fernando that deals with conveyances. She's originally from Barbados; at 75 years young I imagine that she has many stories to share (we discussed that as well). Once the business aspects were completed, we spoke for a while about dates as references for numbers.

We spoke of the 1812 Overture, of 1942 (the Battle of Midway), and assorted other things. And because we were discussing World War II, which she lived through attached to her father's radio playing the BBC's London Calling, we ended up talking about the ship that was sank. The HMS Cornwallis.

She spoke of people diving for the supplies on the ship that were destined for Trinidad and Tobago - and how it's quite possible that everyone on Barbados at the time had something from the Cornwallis. An insult, she said, was to be accused of wearing 'Cornwallis shoes' or 'Cornwallis clothing'. An interesting piece of Bajan culture that would otherwise be lost in the sands of time. {Read more}