Turks and Caicos Islands

26 May is National Heroes Day in the Turks and Caicos Islands, though the islands (two groups) are actually a British Overseas Territory—not a nation. The original inhabitants were Carib Amerindians, but following colonial many nations have been in control of the area. And, there are pirates too. In the 18th century, the islands were a popular pirate hangout spot. Matey!

Bermudian salt collectors settled in the islands in 1678 or so. I never even knew there were salt collectors, let alone Bermudian ones. It was under French control for a while in the 18th century, then the British. In 1799 the islands were annexed by Britain as part of the Bahamas—the Bahamas, incidentally, first settled by Bermudian puritans. (Bermuda had puritans! I’ll get to revisit this when it’s their turn, no doubt.)

They were made a separate colony in 1848, and then in 1872 were made part of the Jamaican colony. 4 July 1959 saw then become a separate colony, but until 1962 there were part of the Federation of the West Indies. Since 1976 the islands have had their own government, and in 1979 independence was agreed upon—but when the People’s Democratic movement lost power to the Progressive National Party the move was reversed. Oh, and the then leader of the country, Norman Saunders of the PNP, was convicted in the USA on drug charges. Scandal nation! While the PNP again won the by-elections following the conviction of chief minister Saunders, the governor dissolved the government in 1986, after allegations of arson and fraud associated with the government. The post-Saunders leader, Nathaniel Francis, was deemed unfit to rule. Scandal nation! A new constitution was created, and new elections held in 1988, when the People’s Democratic Movement once more came to power.

It’s a small population—well under 50,000. But there are still poets. 82 percent of the population is located on the Caicos Islands. Also notable is the fact that the astronaut John Glenn landed off the coast of Grand Turk upon his return from orbit in 1962. Claim to fame!

Today’s poem is by Gilbert E Brooke—he was a ship’s surgeon who became the government Medical Officer in the Turks and Caicos Islands 1897. He also became the J.P., District Commissioner, Police Magistrate and Coroner for the islands in 1899, and then, in 1900, the Receiver of Wreck (I want that title) and Marriage Officer. Later he emigrated to Singapore, and became a Lecturer in Hygiene at the Singapore Medical School. In 1922 he published Oddments, which includes his poems. He must have been fascinating. I’ve been trying to find out if there are copies of his book anywhere—it seems the library of the Singaporean Embassy has a copy on microfilm. I found the poem online here.


The Caicos Islands, West Indies

O salt-laden land, with your rocks and your thatch trees,
How oft have I toiled through your tropical wilderness
Though only returning to jaws of Charybdis—
Ephemeral structure, culicidal, chiggeral—
Despite protestation.

O land of the palm and the bush odoriferous,
O home of the sand-fly, and genus anopheles,
Full oft did you haunt me in fever malarial --
Shapes pallid, Walterian, grinning, rapacious --
All horrible phantoms.

O Islands of Caicos -- the last of created things --
With water bacterial, foetid, mephitical;
Eroding the desert with vapours Avernian:
And yet I escaped from a death choleräical,
O marvellous Islands!

—Gilbert E. Brooke