Notes of a Native Governor General: The Memoirs of Sir Elliott Fitzroy

As this narrative unfolds, Barbadians—particularly young Barbadians—will get a first-hand glimpse of how our hero, a boy from relative obscurity, was able to emerge from the inconvenient shadows of the rural village to become the occupant of the highest office in his native land. His elevation did not come about by accident of birth, by sponsorship, or by a stroke of luck. When this second-last child of a family of eight was growing up in the remote and obscure village known as Boscobel, it was beyond the realm of the imagination that one day he would occupy the highest office in the land.

This story is not only about Sir Elliott Belgrave, it is about the descendants of slaves who fought to preserve their dignity and independence at a time when Barbados was shaking off its colonial restraints and claiming its sovereignty. It allows us to share in the struggles and triumphs of a brave son of the soil.