DAVID GRANGER’s British regiments in British Guiana recalls the often overlooked presence of British regiments in the colony of British Guiana during the tumultuous pre-Independence period from 1953 to 1966. It is an enlightening and educative publication.

A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report announced, publicly, the departure of the first regiment to British Guiana, in 1953, stating:

Naval and military forces are on their way to British Guiana in response to what the UK Government says is a threat to the administration of the British colony. Troop ships set off to the South American country earlier today.

A statement issued by the Colonial Office stated that in view of developments in British Guiana it had been necessary to send forces with the “utmost dispatch” to preserve the peace. Officials blamed “communists and their associates” for creating the problems, adding that some of those behind the unrest were in “ministerial positions”.

‘Operation Windsor’, which witnessed the arrival of the British troops in October 1953, supposedly, was to ensure public order following the suspension of the Colony’s Constitution, the removal of the elected members of the Council of Ministers and the imposition of emergency rule. The suspension of the Constitution and the arrival of British troops was triggered by Cold War fears that the six ministers – members of the original People’s Progressive Party (PPP) who had been elected in April – were pursuing policies and actions which were inimical to British interests in the colony.

The troops anticipated local hostility. They were greeted, instead, with an atmosphere of gloom, with deserted streets and many citizens choosing to remain indoors.

The country’s national poet, Martin Carter wrote a poem, “This is the dark time my love” which became a powerful commentary on the suspension of the Constitution and the dispatch of troops to the Colony.

Carter refers, metaphorically, to the troops as “brown beetles [that] crawl about.” The sad mood which their arrival represented is symbolised by the imagery of “red flowers [which] bend their heads in awful shame”. The troops’ presence is portrayed as an attempt to destroy the dreams and aspirations of the young government. Carter describes the troops as “strange invaders” who are “watching you sleep and aiming at your dream.”

The troops who came were not made to feel welcome by some local political parties, initially. They did not encounter major hostilities, however. Photographs now available show the troops as being objects of curiosity by the public, including school children.  Seventeen other battalions would follow in succeeding years. Their presence became a permanent feature right through to political independence, especially after the country descended into civil violence in the early 1960s.

Political perceptions of the presence of the troops had changed by then and they were no longer viewed as intruders. Some who chanted “Limey go home!” in 1953 changed their tune when the then Premier wrote to the Governor requesting that the troops remain to quell unrest in 1963. The troops had moved from being perceived as invaders in 1953 to being protectors of public order ten years later.

The last regiment was still in British Guiana on the night of Independence – 25th May 1966. The 18 battalions would have spent, collectively, 13 years in the colony. Many young soldiers who arrived as bachelor returned to Britain as married men, others leaving their DNA behind.

The story of their presence and the context in which they came make for interesting reading. British regiments in British Guiana represents more than a token recognition of the troops’ presence. It situates the regiments’ deployment in the context of the raging Cold War, British anguish about its evanescent empire and the volatile local political environment.

David Granger is a keen scholar. The book benefits from his typically thorough research in writing this concise but commendable account of the British regiments deployed to British Guiana. Granger provides sufficient context to allow for a richer understanding of the factors which led to the troops’ introduction and retention in Guyana over their thirteen-year deployment. The immediate pre-Independence years, 1962-1966, were a much darker period than when they first arrived in 1953 to enforce the suspension of the Constitution.

The book’s strengths are its explanatory and descriptive content. The book provides useful information about the regiments, including their background, the problems with housing them upon arrival and some of the internal security operations in which they were involved. The book is recommended for general as well as academic reading.

The book could have benefitted from first-hand accounts of the troops’ experiences in the Colony. It has neglected, also, to assess the effectiveness of the British presence during the thirteen-year deployment.  The British military presence, despite its limited size and duration, did provide some amount of stability. The death and destruction wrought during the ‘Disturbances’, however, would call into question the regiments’ success in maintaining public order.

David Granger, with this eloquent publication, reminds us of the presence of foreign troops during a turbulent period in his country’s history. It highlights how perceptions of outsiders can be altered by shifting political interests.

David Granger wrote British regiments in British Guiana while in private life twelve years ago before entering public office. The book, nevertheless, is part of a relevant record that recalls a defining decade in Guyana’s political history – one which brought the contrasting emotions of both happiness and hope and disappointment and distrust. Readers cannot help but pause and ponder on what would have been the country’s fate had the events of October 1953 not occurred.