X-Nico

6 unusual facts about West Indies Federation


Chaguaramas, Trinidad

Chaguaramas was the location slated for the construction of the capital of the short-lived West Indies Federation.

Independence of Jamaica

Under Manley, Jamaica entered the West Indies Federation, a political union of colonized Caribbean entities that, if realized, would've united ten British territories into a single, independent state.

West Indies Federation

Manley himself lost the subsequent island elections in April 1962, and Bustamante became the first Prime Minister of an independent Jamaica on 6 August 1962.

There were also problems with the Federation's proposed capital in Chaguaramas, at that time still in the hands of the United States (having leased it as a naval base from the United Kingdom during World War 2).

As a result the Bustamante-led Jamaica Labour Party (the local component of the West Indian DLP) successfully forced Manley to hold a referendum in September 1961 on political secession from the Federation.

WIF

West Indies Federation, a former federation of British Caribbean colonies.


Barbados Olympic Association

Formed after the dissolution of the West Indies Federation in 1962, the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) first competed at Olympic level at the 1968 Summer Olympics and has continued to compete at every Olympics since excluding the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

George F. Fitzpatrick

George Fitzpatrick married Phyllis Sinanan, sister of Mitra and Ashford Sinanan, uniting the Fitzpatrick family with another prominent political family of Trinidad (see Ashford Sinanan, Ambassador, Leader of the Opposition, Democratic Labour Party (DLP), West Indies Federation, Founder of the West Indian National Party (WINP) and High Commissioner to India.

Roy Joseph

In the 1958 Federal Elections Joseph won the San Fernando-Naparima seat on a Democratic Labour Party ticket.

West Indies Federal Labour Party

By the time of the first elections, the WIFLP was a grouping of the ruling parties in each territory except St. Vincent — although in October 1957, both the ruling party of St. Vincent (the People's Political Party) and the opposition party (St. Vincent Labour Party) had applied for membership, the latter was ultimately approved and the former joined the Democratic Labour Party.


see also

Constitution of Barbados

Under the West Indies Act 1962, the Monarchy of the United Kingdom was allowed to form governments for the former colonies of the West Indies Federation.