LINDENERS, on Monday, observed the 56th anniversary of the massacre of forty-three of Linden’s very own, on the Demerara River, while travelling home from Georgetown on the ‘Son Chapman’ launch.

Annually, on July 6, the Linden community would host a memorial service in remembrance of the 43 lives claimed by the massacre. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the mining town was unable to do so this year.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Former Regional Chairman of Region 10, Sharma Solomon, honoured the victims of the massacre, noting that the men, women and children who perished on the ‘Son Chapman’ live on in the minds and hearts of family, friends and the people of Linden.

He went on to say, “Many of us alive today never knew the men, women, and children of the Son Chapman massacre. Yet, we remember them and reflect on their experience because, by their deaths, we have an example of what hatred and brutality can lead to…senseless loss of life and endless suffering.”
Solomon noted that events like the Son Chapman massacre and the July 18 tragedy of 2012 that claimed the souls of three Lindeners must never happen again and Guyanese must learn from the lessons taught by the said tragedies, “for our society to allow such tragedies to reoccur would be indicative of our collective unwillingness to learn and grow as a society.”

The Former Chairman added that the experiences would have made the people of Region 10 stronger. In an invited comment, Vanessa Kissoon, Former Member of Parliament, told this publication that, after 56 years, the pain and hurt from the day Lindeners remember as “the river of blood”, still resonates within the Linden Community and among family members of the lives lost on the tragic day. She added, “Though some of us might not have known those individuals, their names have now become infamous with what has come to be characterised as senseless loss of lives. Innocent lives were suddenly snatched out of this world without warning. That tragedy had no respect for life as none was spared the trauma. Pregnant women, children among others of which 2 adults and 4 children were never identified in the River of Blood.”

Kissoon expressed that Region 10 authorities and the government of Guyana should ensure that the ‘Son Chapman Tragedy’ gets its due recognition because it is important for Guyana to reflect on July 6 and use it as a reminder to never allow racial bigotry and political differences to induce such pain and hatred in society.
Speaking with Guyana Chronicle was Diana Chapman, daughter of the late Norman Chapman who was the owner of the ‘Son Chapman.’ She noted that even though she was not yet in existence when the massacre occurred, she still felt the pain through stories her father would tell her when he was alive. She expressed that her father was not one to cry but when he told the story of the bombing of his Launch he would always shed tears for the lives lost on that day.

“I remember him saying it was like a blood bath, the water top was covered with blood and body parts floating. As he spoke of that his hands would shake and get cold at the thought of that memory,” Diana recalled. As the story goes, at approximately 16:00hrs, Monday July 6, 1964, the wooden Son Chapman vessel had just left the docks of Hurudaia, a timber grant settlement 16 miles up the Demerara River, after letting off three passengers. On that day the vessel was captained by Herman Softleigh.
Enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Demerara River and the cool afternoon breeze were the persons on board, inclusive of passengers and crew members. Suddenly, about 300 yards from Hurudaia, the calming atmosphere was interrupted by a loud explosion which claimed the lives of 43 persons inclusive of two children and six Demba employees. Chaos broke loose as the 27 persons and six crew members who survived the explosion, swam to shore while others were rescued by passing vessels as they watched the “Son Chapman” sink. It is said that this was one of the gruesome acts of political violence which was perpetrated during the 1963 to 1964 disturbances.