British Guiana in 1914

Overview

British Guiana (now Guyana), is situated on the north coast of South America, lying to the east of Venezuela. It covers an area of around 90,272 square miles, and in 1911 the population of British Guiana was around 269,000, rising to 314,000 in 1917. Its principal exports were rum and molasses, forming around 81% of domestic exports in 1914.

Home Front

Crowds assemble in Main Street, Georgetown, 1913

CO 1069/356

On 29 July 1914 the Governor, Sir Walter Egerton, issued an order for the demobilisation of volunteer companies and for raising a new militia company of 80 men. The following day he issued an order calling out active and reserve forces in the regions of Demerara and Berbice for military service (CO 111/596). A military infantry reserve of 211 men was formed, to which two companies of militia were added, creating a defence force of 343 men (CO 111/596). A further proclamation was made on 2 August 1914 for the calling out of the Royal Naval Reserve, of whom there was only one member in British Guiana, the harbourmaster, L H J Tunney. (CO 111/596). A further 29 men were recruited for the Nigerian Railway Department for service in Nigeria (CO 111/596).

 On 8 August 1914 the export of sugar was prohibited, with export permits to be granted only to the United Kingdom. On the advice of Colonel G C de Rinzey, Commandant of Local Forces, and Captain Richter, Officer Commanding Military Artillery, the port of Georgetown was declared closed at night and a government steamer was turned into an examination steamer (CO 111/596). Orders were issued for the arrest and detention of German and Austrian subjects arriving in British Guiana. As a result, around 20 prisoners of war were held at the penal settlement in Georgetown. A small number of German and Austrian residents, such as missionaries and estate managers, were allowed to remain free under local conditions (CO 111/596).

In October 1915, the Colonial Office received a letter from Mrs Sophia Pilcher of Godalming, complaining of pro-German activities in British Guiana. Of particular concern was the allegation that the Governor’s Private Secretary, the Chief Censor and the head of the government radio station were ‘comfortably boozed most evenings’ at the house owned by the ex-consul of Germany. This was thought intolerable given that the German Secret Service was ‘wide spread and mischievous’  within South America and that English people were so confiding. The letter was dismissed as no more than a little piece of malevolent gossip (CO 111/603).

Lady Egerton raised an appeal for subscriptions to the Prince of Wales Fund, Queen Alexandra’s Fund, the Red Cross Fund and the National War Relief Fund and by 12 September 1914 $12,816 had been raised. A war relief sewing guild was also organised and gifts of clothing were sent overseas (CO 111/596). In November 1914 a gift of 500,000 pounds of rice to the value of £20,000 was made to the British Government, with a note from the Combined Court of British Guiana expressing the ‘deep loyalty of the people of British Guiana to the Crown and their unshaken confidence in the triumph of the Empire and its Allies in the war so justly undertaken to prevent oppression, and to safeguard the freedom of the nations of Europe and the integrity of the British Empire’ (CO 111/597).

British Guiana contingent

The Barracks, Georgetown

CO 1069/355

A company of the British West Indies Regiment was formed in 1915 from volunteers who had made their way to Britain. In 1917 two further detachments were despatched to the British West Indies Regiment (CO 111/618). The unit war diaries do not distinguish between companies but the British West Indies Regiment formed 11 battalions, and were on active service in Egypt, West Africa, France and Flanders and Italy.

Captain Robert John Craig of the British Guiana Contingent, 1^st Battalion, West Indies Regiment, was awarded the Military Cross ‘for gallantry and devotion to duty’ at Baghdad on 20^th September 1919. According to the citation, ‘he took his company through an artillery barrage fire in a most efficient manner. Throughout the day and night he and his company were exposed to heavy shell fire, and it was due to his skilful leadership that the casualties in his company were so few’. (WO 389/8 part 2) 

Key figures

Sir Walter Egerton

Governor of British Guiana (1912-1917)

Detail of NPG Ax46143 , Sir Walter Egerton, © National Portrait Gallery, London.

Key documents

Aerial photograph of Georgetown CO 1069/357

• Despatches from Walter Egerton, Governor of British Guiana, 1914-1917 CO 111/595-611
• Despatches from Wilfred Collet, Governor of British Guiana, 1917-1919 CO 111/611-622
• British Guiana, Sessional Papers, 1914-1919 CO 114/151-191
• British Guiana, Government Gazettes, 1914-1919 CO 115/119-128