British West Indies to 1962 (British Empire & Commonwealth Land Forces)

Authors and Contributors this page: T.F. Mills

Copyright Notice

Page created 23 January 1996. Corrected and updated 22.04.2005

Disclaimers

	British West Indies 1605 to independence
flag of the West Indies Federation, 1958-1962 Mark Sensen, Flags of the World	Military History & Institutions


Major Government Sites Military News General Reference Military History Regiments and Corps Commands and Formations Wars, Campaigns and Operations Biography (& Memorials & Vets)	Uniforms, Badges, Medals Flags, Colours, Standards, Guidons Music, Drill and Ceremonial Fortifications and Museums Research Collections and Guides Discussion Groups & Societies Bibliography Other Web Catalogues

Brief Constitutional & Military History of the British West Indies to independence


	*Note: for a fuller imperial constitutional history see British Empire and Commonwealth*

	1492	Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, first landing in the Bahamas

	1605	Barbados claimed by England
	1605	St. Lucia first settled by English
	1616	Tobago first settled by English
	1625	St. Kitts & Nevis first settled by British
	1626	Barbados first settled by English
	1632	Montserrat and Antigua colonised by British
	1638	British Honduras first settled by English
	1655	Britain captured Jamaica from Spain; acquired Mosquito Coast
	1661	Mosquitian Nation established as British Protectorate
	1666	British Virgin Islands acquired by Britain
	1671	Leeward Islands Colony organised: Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Christopher, Nevis, Anguilla, and Dominica
	1739-1743	War of Jenkins' Ear between Spain and Britain in the Americas, with no territorial changes
	1743-1748	King George's War, with all conquests restored by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle

	1754-1763	French and Indian War over competing British and French claims in North America
	1762	Spain entered war allied with France, but lost Havana and Manila to British expeditionary forces
	1762	British captured Grenada from the French
	1763.02.10	Treaty of Paris: France ceded Dominica, Grenada and Tobago to Britain; Spain ceded Florida (first colonised 1565) to Britain in exchange for the return of Cuba
	1763	South Caribbean Islands Colony organised: Dominica, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, and Tobago
	1770	Dominica separated from Leeward Islands
	1775.04.19	American War of Independence began with skirmishes at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts
	1778.02.06	France signed treaty of alliance with United States and entered war against Britain
	1779.06	Spain entered war with French promise of assistance to recover Gibraltar and Floridas from Britain
	1778	British captured Dominica from the French
	1779	French captured Grenada from British
	1781	British captured Guyana from Dutch
	1783.09.03	Treaty of Paris: France returned Dominica, Grenada, St. Vincent, Grenadines, St. Christopher, Nevis and Montserrat to Britain; Britain ceded St. Lucia and Tobago to France

	1793	French Revolutionary Wars

	1802.03.25	Treaty of Amiens, ending French Revolutionary wars: Spain ceded Trinidad to Britain
	1802	South Caribbean Islands Colony dissolved
	1803.05	Napoleonic Wars

	1814.05.30	Treaty of Paris, ending Napoleonic wars
	1816.10.16	Leeward Islands Colony dissolved
	1816	Antigua-Barbuda-Montserrat Colony formed

	1831	British Guiana organised as a Crown Colony
	1833	Leeward Islands Colony re-formed: Antigua, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Montserrat, St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
	1833	Windward Islands Colony formed: Barbados (seat of government), Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Tobago
	1838	St Lucia joined Windward Islands Colony
	1852	Bay Islands Colony organised
	1860.07.14	Bay Islands ceded to Honduras
	1870	Barbuda united with Antigua
	1861.09.12	Mosquito Coast ceded to Nicaragua
	1862	British Honduras placed under Jamaica jurisdiction
	1871	Leeward Islands Federal Colony established, a re-organisation of the loosely associated islands of Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, St Christopher, Nevis, and Virgin Islands
	1884	British Honduras resumed separate status
	1885	Barbados detached from Windward Islands Colony
	1889	Tobago detached from Windward Islands Colony
	1898	Trinidad and Tobago linked as single Colony
	1914-18	First World War

	1939-45	Second World War
	1940	Dominica administration transferred from Leeward Islands to Windward Islands Colony
	1948	British garrison established in British Honduras as defence against Guatemalan territorial claims
	1956.06.30	Antigua separated from Leeward Islands
	1956	Montserrat separated from Colony of Leeward Islands
	1958.01.03	West Indies Federation formed: Jamaica, the Caymans and Turks and Caicos Islands (both now Crown Colonies separated from Jamaica), Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, Grenada, St Vincent, St Lucia and Dominica. (Only British Virgin Islands did not join.)
	1960.01.01	Windward Islands and Leeward Islands administrative groupings abolished
	1962.05.31	West Indies Federation dissolved and members pursued separate paths to independence
	1962	Jamaica independence
	1962	Trinidad and Tobago independence
	1965	British Honduras self-government
	1966	Barbados independence
	1967	Associated States of Great Britain established: Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, and St Lucia
	1967	Dominica, St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla and St. Lucia self-government
	1967	Anguilla rebellion against union with St. Kitts-Nevis
	1967	Antigua self-government
	1969	St. Vincent joined the Associated States
	1969	British military intervention in Anguilla
	1971	Anguilla became separate colony from St. Kitts & Nevis
	1974	Grenada independence
	1978	Dominica independence
	1979	St. Lucia independence
	1979	St. Vincent and the Grenadines independence
	1980.10.01	attempted secession of Barduda from Antigua failed
	1981	Belize (British Honduras) independence
	1981	Antigua and Barbuda independence
	1983	St. Kitts and Nevis independence

NOTE: See individual nations for post-independence history and institutions. Remaining UK Overseas Territories (formerly called colonies) in the West Indies as of 2004 are Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands. (See also Bahamas, Bermuda, and St. Helena and Dependencies -- not in the West Indies, but frequently associated with its history and institutions).

British Virgin Islands Government
- [no armed forces]
Cayman Islands

[no armed forces]

Montserrat
Turks and Caicos Islands

[no armed forces]

The Montserrat Newsletter (Governor's Office)

Dictionaries
- Anguilla (CIA World Fact Book)
- British Virgin Islands (CIA World Fact Book)
- Cayman Islands (CIA World Fact Book)
- Montserrat (CIA World Fact Book)
- Turks & Caicos (CIA World Fact Book)
- Leeward Islands Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
- South Caribbean Islands Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
- Windward Islands Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
- Anguilla Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
- British Virgin Island Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
- Cayman Islands Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
- Montserrat Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
- Turks and Caicos Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
- Bay Islands Colony Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
- Mosquito Coast Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
- British Occupied St. Dominingue Governors, by Benjamin Cahoon (World Statesmen)
Social and Political History
- The Caribbean Islands - A Country Study, by US Library of Congress.
- History of Windward Islands, 1880-1958, by Alexander Ganse (World History at KMLA)
- History of Leeward Islands, 1871-1856, by Alexander Ganse (World History at KMLA)
- West Indies Federation, 1957-62, by US Library of Congress Country Study.
- Anguilla - Country Profile, by US Library of Congress.
- History of Anguilla, by Alexander Ganse (World History at KMLA)
- History of Anguilla, by Frank Goodwill.
- British Virgin Islands - Country Profile, by US Library of Congress.
- History of British Virgin Islands, by Alexander Ganse (World History at KMLA)
- British Virgin Islands History, by Island Sun
- Cayman Islands - Country Profile, by US Library of Congress.
- History of Cayman Islands, by Alexander Ganse (World History at KMLA)
- Montserrat - Country Profile, by US Library of Congress.
- History of Montserrat, by Alexander Ganse (World History at KMLA)
- Turks and Caicos Islands - Country Profile, by US Library of Congress.
- History of Turks and Caicos Islands, by Alexander Ganse (World History at KMLA)
Maps

for wars, campaigns and operations, see below

General
- Regional Security, by US Library of Congress Country Study.
- National Security, by US Library of Congress Country Study.
- National Security in the British Dependencies (Anguilla, BVI, Montserrat), by US Library of Congress.
Colonial Period
- The British Army in the West Indies, by Roger Norman Buckley.
- The Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove: Caribbean 1948-1969, by Martin Spirit (Britain's Small Wars)
- Britain's Withdrawal from the Caribbean, by US Library of Congress Country Study.
Independence Period, 1960s-
- see individual nations

Index of Regiments

General
- West India Regiments (Napoleonic era), by Frank Goodwill.
- The Royal West India Rangers, by Frank Goodwill.
- West India Regiments, by Frank Goodwill.
- The Caribbean Regiment (WWII), by Frank Goodwill.
Reserves and Auxiliaries