Statement from the PM on the passing of Lord High Admiral Vernon Watson of the Barbados Landship

Below is the full statement 

Lord High Admiral Vernon Watson, OBE, familiarly known to us as Captain Watson, lived and breathed the Landship. His dedication to the ship was total and all-consuming. For close to seventy-five years it dominated his vision as he contemplated how he could secure the legacy of the organisation he led.  

My heart breaks at his passing, for in him I have always recognised a Bajan who for three quarters of a century had dedicated his life to the sustenance of an indigenous institution that started its mission of reflecting our culture many moons before he became a member – indeed in the nineteenth century.

While Admiral Watson has taken his last breath here on this earth, every Barbadian who is culturally aware and conscious of what it means to be Bajan, ought to pause and say thanks to him for breathing fresh life into the Barbados Landship.   I have always maintained that the Barbados Landship is an indigenous service club, whose existence pre-dates all others existing locally.

 We owe it to Admiral Watson, however, to see that this unique slice of Barbadian life and culture does not disappear with his passing. We cannot be oblivious to the fact that in the 1930s the Barbados Landship, which boasted of almost 4,000 members and three “fleets”, comprised of more than 60 “ships” based at docks across this country, including his own in landlocked Highland, St. Thomas, today operates a single struggling ship, the Director.

For while today too many of us offer no more than a passing glance at the few loyal members who continue to show their commitment as they execute their rhythmic routines, we need to recall that the story of many working class Barbadian families reflects that they improved their lot through participation in Landship meeting turns. Many forget that the Landship was a friendly society that preceded the local credit unions in supporting those at the grass-roots level financially.

Future generations must have the opportunity to honour Admiral Watson and what he represented. This will only occur if they know that before the popularity of FM radio, before the advent of television, before movie theatres and drive-ins and the now ubiquitous cellular phones and tablets, the Barbados Landship was a critical source of community and national entertainment that was highly respected across the island. And as I just said, critical to the sustaining of many of our families.

This uniquely Barbadian institution founded in 1863 must be made to attract thousands of Barbadians once more so it may be as worthy to them as it was their predecessors.

So I say, “Sail on into glory, Lord High Admiral Vernon Watson. You have done your part, you have finished your leg of the race. We will proudly take the baton forward in your honour.”

To his wife and family, we offer our sincerest condolences and ask that they be comforted by his life of nation building.