During the Napoleonic Wars some of the Caribbean Islands changed hands more than once. During this time, English Harbour in Antigua and Port Royal in Jamaica were the principal Royal Naval bases. By 1850 Castries in St Lucia, with its’s defendable harbour, had come to attention as a suitable base. It was always in contention with Bridge Town, Barbados as the best location.
British Caribbean Islands
The Caribbean area had come to prominence during the 18th century after initial exploration by the Spanish and Portuguese. During the various wars with the French some of the islands changed hands a number of times, but the British were able to retain a number of key locations. The key locations in the Caribbean were:
- Port Royal and Kingston, Jamaica (Coaling Station)
- Port Castries, St Lucia, (Coaling Station)
- Bridge Town, Barbados
- Port of Spain, Trinidad
- Belize, British Honduras
- Georgetown, British Guiana
The various British Islands in the Caribbean were administratively split into the Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands, which were each treated as seperate colonies.
The Leeward Island included Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Dominica (1833-1940), Montserrat, Nevis ( & St Kitts) , Saint Christopher and Virgin Islands.
The Windward Islands included Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, British Tabago (Trindad & Tabago).
Jamaica with the naval harbour at Port Royal, and commercial harbour at Kingston, was a separate colony from 1655 to 1962.
