Statement from the PM on the passing of Lord High Admiral Vernon Watson of the Barbados Landship
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.
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Final dock for Landship’s beloved Lord High Admiral —
FIRST APPEARED IN BARBADOS TODAY AND REPRODUCED HERE ….
WRITTEN BY ANESTA HENRY ..
January 23, 2021
A central figure of the Barbados Landship was laid to rest Friday at the Holy Innocents Church St Thomas cemetery in a fitting send-off.
Following a farewell service, the casket of Lord High Admiral Vernon Nathaniel Watson was lowered into a grave to the solemn strains of a trumpet.
Officers and members of the friendly society and iconic folk culture group impressively dressed in their naval and nursing uniforms, accompanied Admiral Watson’s friends and loved ones, as they took their final glimpse of the casket bearing his body.
But the sound of the drum and flute that added a poignant military touch to the hymns that were sung at the graveside could not drown out the cries of his widow, Cynthia, as she openly grieved the loss of her husband.
Watson died earlier this month.
In an hour-long service, Lord High Admiral Watson who reached the highest rank in the association was remembered as a man of impeccable character, good manners, reliability and discipline, who was also convivial and gregarious, happiest when socializing and imbibing an appropriate beverage.
Patron of the Landship, Sir David Simmons, highlighted that the Admiral was able to cement the Barbados Landship as a fascinating cultural icon in the psyche of the Barbadian people.
Reading a tribute on behalf of the former chief justice, co-patron Margaret Williams said that working closely with Admiral Watson in the last 15 years equipped Sir David with the knowledge to assert that his overall commitment was always centred on ensuring that the Landship grew, developed, and survived as an important socio-cultural institution.
Sir David’s tribute read: “On several occasions, he told me that his single fear was that the institution might not survive his own transition from life on earth. That is why he was tireless in seeking to recruit young people to join the Association and ensure its survival.
“In the course of his leadership of the association, he created a proper organizational structure for the Association to underpin the key traditional and current activities of the association.
“It is the responsibility of those of us that he has left behind to pursue his goals, dreams and commitment to make sure that his worst fears are not realized and that the Barbados Landship continues to survive and to prosper.”
Delivering the eulogy, Dr Nancy Jacobs, a specialist in African arts and culture, said that while the Landship was Admiral Watson’s life, he possessed a colourful, active, and optimistic personality. He bore a zeal for integrity, discipline, care support and sought to uplift the less fortunate, she said.
The Landship’s Dock, at Licorish Village, My Lord’s Hill, became the focal point and community centre where Admiral Watson was the “mayor”, custodian, father, advisor, counsellor, and Justice of the Peace for many years, she added.
Admiral Watson also served as the first manager of the buildings at Queen’s Park, when he worked for the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) from the late 1970s to 1998, thus contributing to the national development of visual and performing arts.
Dr Jacobs said: “Lord High Admiral Vernon Watson, at a time when many believed the Landship had become irrelevant, himself became a Master of the Arts and Crafts of the socio-cultural entity that has a history which must never be forgotten: an ever faithful servant to the ‘Legacy of Landship’ which we and future Barbadians neglect at our peril, for when we neglect our legacy, is the time when we enter the dangerous currents that lead to extinction. Vernon Watson fought until his last to keep that legacy alive.
“Those of us who remain must use our every faculty to be guardians of the fate of the Barbados Landship. To batten down the hatches and hold the Admiral set. For this was a man indeed. Some friends will memorialize him in thought, and some, will pour a libation over the side in his honour.”
In delivering the eulogy, Canon Noel Burke urged mourners to give thanks to God for Watson’s life, work, insight, wisdom, and love.
He said it is significant that just a day after Barbados remembers National Hero and Father of Independence Errol Barrow, Admiral Watson is being laid to rest.
Canon Burke said: “He incarnated the Barbados Landship. And there is a dialogue taking place because he was able to take it back into the community, in a most awesome way that will draw all of us into his orbit.
“Perhaps, if not for brother Watson, many of us would not know the Barbados Landship as a wonderful and awesome organization in our nation. But we have been drawn into it personally, for his outreach to us.
“So we can credit Lord High Admiral Watson, for almost in a very simple, dignified way, upholding all of the standards of the Barbados Landship and keeping it always before our eyes and always in our thoughts.”
He said that while it was one thing to know Admiral Watson, it was another thing to see him in action, demonstrating youthfulness as he moved through the dances and drill routines of the Landship.
Canon Burke continued: “So if we want to remain youthful, follow the practice of our dear friend Lord High Admiral Watson. Seriously, to take an organization that is aged over a century, in which the social and economical context and construct has changed over the years, that is modern and relevant in our society, making sure he brought in young people, recognizing that it is within the strength and vitality of youth that will help the organization to grow and develop, is commendable.”
The Anglican priest also added his voice to the call for cultural authorities not to allow the 158-year-old association to fall by the wayside.
He recalled that whenever he visited Admiral Watson’s home, he witnessed the deep love and appreciation he had for his wife, whom he always wanted by his side, especially during his last days.
(anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb)
