The presentation of awards of knighthood to three former test cricketers — Andy Roberts, Richie Richardson and Curtly Ambrose — by the government of Antigua and Barbuda has prompted me to do some research, and I have discovered that in the history of the Virgin Islands, only one Virgin Islander was awarded a knighthood. That was in the 1970s, when James Olva Georges was knighted by the Queen. Besides that, so far only OBEs, CBEs and MBEs have been offered to VIslanders. Even the British governors who serve the territory are not knighted.
The title Dame was bestowed on Virgin Gorda native Janice George-Pereira recently, but this distinguished honour was awarded to her because she is now the chief justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and it is the custom for chief justices to be honoured with knighthood. In fact, Dame Janice is the first female chief justice in the ECSC.
One wonders why the Commonwealth Office in London is not too liberal with offering knighthoods to VIslanders. Surely there are a few cases worth consideration, such as former Premier Ralph O’Neal; Financial Services Commission Managing Director Robert Mathavious, who placed the territory on the financial services map; and maybe a couple of educators.
Antiguan knights
In Antigua, besides these three former test cricketers, several other nationals have been so honoured, including politicians, lawyers and diplomats. Even non-Antiguans were included in the highest national knighthood group, including Fenton Ramsahoye of Guyana, for his outstanding legal work; Brian Alleyne of Dominica, who acted as chief justice of the ECSC; and Ronald Sanders of Guyana, who served as high commissioner in the United Kingdom under the Lester Bird administration.
Knighthood was also bestowed on Sir Ronald by Her Majesty the Queen in her Birthday Honours in 2002.
Ancient tradition
Knighthood is an English tradition dating back to ancient Rome, and Antigua and Barbuda, a former British colony, adopted the “knighthood” award in 1998. Its honour, however, is not given by the Queen, but by the government of the twin-island state, and it is handed out by the governor general, who is the head of state and the Queen’s representative. There are also honours for outstanding females called “dames.”
There is disparity, however, since a wife of a knight is called “Lady,” but the husband of a dame does not have a title.
Elsewhere
Barbados, a former British colony that gained independence in 1966, by Letters of Patent on July 25, 1980 included knight and dames in its national honours. Since then, dozens of nationals have been so honoured, including the cricketers Clyde Walcott, Conrad Hunte, Wes Hall and others; academics Keith Hunte and Hilary Beckles; trade unionist Leroy Trotman; politician Erskine Sandiford; former Prime Minister Henry Forde; former Chief Justice David Simmons; Richard Cheltenham, and several others. The dames including Nita Barrow and Billie Miller.
Two other outstanding Barbadian cricketers, Garfield Sobers and Everton Weekes, were knighted by the Queen.
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