deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies in the Caribbean region. It is just to the east of St Lucia. Barbados.

It is the home of the Kalinago people since the 13th century. The word Barbados is translated from a few different languages as: ‘Bearded Ones’. Like so many islands Barbados was ‘claimed’ by whichever European nation navigators passed by. At one time or another Spain, Portugal and finally England colonized the island.

With the thriving sugar industry the English, even an individual business man, claimed to ‘own’ Barbados. With the amount of money involved in sugar the English made Barbados a hub for slaves from Africa. Slavery was abolished in 1833. After this thousands of indentured servants from Ireland were brought to work in the sugar mills.

The current flag was adopted in 1966 after it was given it’s freedom from England. It is a triband of 2 bands of ultramarine (the ocean and the sky) separated by a gold band (the sand on the beaches). On the golden band is a broken trident head (broken because it is no longer a colony.) The 3 points of the trident head stand for the 3 points of government: Of the people; For the people and By the people.

The coat of arms of Barbados was adopted on 14 February 1966, by a royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II. The coat of arms of Barbados was presented by the Queen to the then President of the Senate of Barbados, Sir Grey Massiah. Like other former British possessions in the Caribbean, the coat of arms has a helmet with a national symbol on top, and a shield beneath that is supported by two animals.

Barbadian law puts for the blazon (the formal description of a coat of arms) as follows:

Arms: Or a bearded Fig Tree eradicated in chief two Red Pride of Barbados Flowers proper.

Crest: On a Wreath Or and Gules A dexter Cubit Arm of a Barbadian erect proper the hand grasping two Sugar Canes in saltire proper.

Supporters: On the sinister (left) side a Dolphin and on the dexter (right) side a Pelican proper.

Motto: “ Pride and Industry. ”

I appreciate the design and that it is different from most of the flags in my collection. This is a ‘good flag’ according to NAVA standards.