Westlake, Donald E - NF 01 by Under An English Heaven (v1.1) Page A
Authors: Under An English Heaven (v1.1)
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guarded secret ceremony by the Warden, Vincent
Byron, in his pajamas. He was in his pajamas once more on the night of March 8
when his official residence burned to the ground and he leaped out an upstairs
window just in the nick of time. He left Anguilla the
next day, and things were fairly quiet until the night of March 20, when shots
were fired into the police station, manned as usual by the police from St.
Kitts.
On the twenty-first of March, in London ,
Mr. George Thomas, speaking as Minister of State at the Commonwealth Office,
and replying in the House of Commons to questions raised by the Conservative
Opposition, said, "I am not aware that any difficulties have arisen since
the inauguration of statehood."
He was perhaps also not aware of
difficulties that had arisen shortly before the inauguration of statehood, when
Robert Bradshaw had cut off Anguilla 's mail and medical
supplies in an effort to soften the islanders' resistance. The mail, containing
so much of the islanders' income, was a serious enough problem, but holding
back medical supplies was even worse.
On the twenty-fifth of March, the
police station on Anguilla was fired at again. And on
the eleventh of April somebody shot at it a third time.
According to the Commonwealth
European and Overseas Review , "Between February and the end of May,
the Conservative Opposition asked a number of Questions in the House of Commons
and Mr. Wood, the Conservative Front Bench spokesman, wrote a number of letters
to Mrs. Hart. The Government refused to admit that there was any tension on the
island."
On the fifteenth of April, Peter
Adams wrote a letter to Robert Bradshaw, which said:
Sir,
It
is with regret that I have to bring to you a matter which is of prime
importance and not without some justification:
(1) People
of Anguilla have no confidence in the Government of St. Kitts,-
(2) Anguilla is treated like a very distant poor relation and is in effect a
neglected Colony of St. Kitts;
(3) Anguilla has not been given proper Local Government to suit her geographical
position seventy miles away from St. Kitts with several French and Dutch
territories between them;
(4) The
Constitution is not being followed in the letter nor in the spirit;
(5) Complaints
to the Government of St. Kitts and to the Government of Britain have not
improved conditions and divorce seems imminent.
The
majority of Anguillans think that the only course open now is to work towards
secession from St. Kitts for it appears that Nature herself did not design them
to be together; they want to be able to decide their own future.
Will
you please take some action to rectify these matters?
I
have the honour to be, Sir,
Your
obedient servant, P. E. Adams, J P,
Member
of Council for Anguilla
No response.
On April 20, six shots were fired
at the small hotel owned by Mr. David Lloyd, one of the half dozen or so
statehood supporters on the island. As the Wooding Report describes him,
"Mr. Lloyd is a member of the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla Labour Party and
was once the elected member for Anguilla in the
Legislative Council and later a member for the State with Mr. Bradshaw in The
West Indies Federal Parliament."
Throughout April and May, gunfire
was sporadic over the island, including another attack on the police station,
and culminating on the twenty-seventh of May when more than fifty rounds of
ammunition were fired into Mr. Lloyd's hotel. An Acting Warden, replacing Mr.
Vincent Byron, was staying in the hotel that night, but the next morning he
left and went back to St. Kitts.
Meanwhile, no medicine was getting
through. The only doctor on the island, a Welshman, Dr. Jeffrey Hyde, wrote to
the St. Kitts Government repeatedly throughout the winter and spring of 1967,
warning of dwindling medical supplies and asking for the new shipment, and
never got either the medicine or an answer. The only message he had from St.
Kitts was a brisk note demanding to know why he was serving white sugar in
Byron, in his pajamas. He was in his pajamas once more on the night of March 8
when his official residence burned to the ground and he leaped out an upstairs
window just in the nick of time. He left Anguilla the
next day, and things were fairly quiet until the night of March 20, when shots
were fired into the police station, manned as usual by the police from St.
Kitts.
On the twenty-first of March, in London ,
Mr. George Thomas, speaking as Minister of State at the Commonwealth Office,
and replying in the House of Commons to questions raised by the Conservative
Opposition, said, "I am not aware that any difficulties have arisen since
the inauguration of statehood."
He was perhaps also not aware of
difficulties that had arisen shortly before the inauguration of statehood, when
Robert Bradshaw had cut off Anguilla 's mail and medical
supplies in an effort to soften the islanders' resistance. The mail, containing
so much of the islanders' income, was a serious enough problem, but holding
back medical supplies was even worse.
On the twenty-fifth of March, the
police station on Anguilla was fired at again. And on
the eleventh of April somebody shot at it a third time.
According to the Commonwealth
European and Overseas Review , "Between February and the end of May,
the Conservative Opposition asked a number of Questions in the House of Commons
and Mr. Wood, the Conservative Front Bench spokesman, wrote a number of letters
to Mrs. Hart. The Government refused to admit that there was any tension on the
island."
On the fifteenth of April, Peter
Adams wrote a letter to Robert Bradshaw, which said:
Sir,
It
is with regret that I have to bring to you a matter which is of prime
importance and not without some justification:
(1) People
of Anguilla have no confidence in the Government of St. Kitts,-
(2) Anguilla is treated like a very distant poor relation and is in effect a
neglected Colony of St. Kitts;
(3) Anguilla has not been given proper Local Government to suit her geographical
position seventy miles away from St. Kitts with several French and Dutch
territories between them;
(4) The
Constitution is not being followed in the letter nor in the spirit;
(5) Complaints
to the Government of St. Kitts and to the Government of Britain have not
improved conditions and divorce seems imminent.
The
majority of Anguillans think that the only course open now is to work towards
secession from St. Kitts for it appears that Nature herself did not design them
to be together; they want to be able to decide their own future.
Will
you please take some action to rectify these matters?
I
have the honour to be, Sir,
Your
obedient servant, P. E. Adams, J P,
Member
of Council for Anguilla
No response.
On April 20, six shots were fired
at the small hotel owned by Mr. David Lloyd, one of the half dozen or so
statehood supporters on the island. As the Wooding Report describes him,
"Mr. Lloyd is a member of the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla Labour Party and
was once the elected member for Anguilla in the
Legislative Council and later a member for the State with Mr. Bradshaw in The
West Indies Federal Parliament."
Throughout April and May, gunfire
was sporadic over the island, including another attack on the police station,
and culminating on the twenty-seventh of May when more than fifty rounds of
ammunition were fired into Mr. Lloyd's hotel. An Acting Warden, replacing Mr.
Vincent Byron, was staying in the hotel that night, but the next morning he
left and went back to St. Kitts.
Meanwhile, no medicine was getting
through. The only doctor on the island, a Welshman, Dr. Jeffrey Hyde, wrote to
the St. Kitts Government repeatedly throughout the winter and spring of 1967,
warning of dwindling medical supplies and asking for the new shipment, and
never got either the medicine or an answer. The only message he had from St.
Kitts was a brisk note demanding to know why he was serving white sugar in
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