bw 14

transcript |  attack by a german u-boat in carlisle bay | up

Male voice: The seventh day of September, 1942. The CNS Cornwallis makes its arrival in the Carlisle Harbour. The eleventh day of September, 1942, the Canadian freighter awaits an escort to ensure her safe arrival at the next port of call, Trinidad. At exactly 4:37 pm, Barbados time…

First female voice: …an area well beyond was startled by a tremendous explosion in Carlisle Bay. A second explosion that soon followed, caused a large, curious crowd to gather at the wharf side in Bridgetown, and the assistance of the volunteer fire brigade, formed not long previously, had to be enlisted to clear this potentially dangerous area. There were two more explosions in the anti-torpedo net in a position that indicated that the Norwegian ship was the intended target of the torpedoes, but the net was proving effective in stopping them. The ruthless war being waged at sea, in all theatres generally, and in the Atlantic particularly, had made it necessary for every British and allied merchant ship to be armed and ….

Second female voice: …O five pm the Cornwallis was struck with steady accuracy abreast of number two hold. From beginning to end, the entire U-boat attack on Carlisle Bay had lasted half an hour…

artist profile | karen proverbs | up

The script in Karen Proverbs’ dramatic recreation of an incident that occurred on Barbados’ seashore during World War II (the attack on the C.N.S. Cornwalis by a German U-Boat) is taken from Warren Alleyne’s book Barbados at War 1939-1945: A Historical Account (Barbados: Warren Alleyne, 1999, pp. 22-28). The soundscape begins with the sound of waves gently lapping against a ship but as the drama unfolds, the sound of the waves intensifies and a loud explosion and screams are heard in what the artist describes as a “rather chaotic moment!” By the end of the presentation, listeners are told that this was the “dark” day in 1942 in which the war reached Barbados’ shores.

Karen Proverbs holds an Associate degree in History and English Literature from the Barbados Community College (1999) and a BA (Honours) in History from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus (2003). She is currently employed at the Barbados Department of Archives as an Archives Assistant 1.