When Premier Robert Bradshaw, of the former Central Government in St. Kitts, charged that a number of people from Island Harbour had taken Anguilla from him in 1967 one of the frontline freedom fighters was Mr. Hope Wallace Webster.
Born on December 10, 1934, Hope, as everyone called him by his first name, was only 33 when he and many young men and women from island Harbour, and across Anguilla, became a band of freedom fighters and foot soldiers of the Revolution. In the modern history of Anguilla, they were all allied to Revolutionary Leader James Ronald Webster, along with others in the vanguard of the Revolution, contending for the separation of a grossly-neglected and impoverished Anguilla from St. Kitts.
After thirteen long and arduous years, Anguilla won its freedom and eventually became an Oversees Territory of the United Kingdom. The Government and citizenry of Anguilla have never lost sight of the men and women who were intimately involved in the Revolution. Their memory is being perpetuated in two awards: the badge of Honour and Queen’s Certificate.
Wallace Webster
Hope Webster is the latest of the awardees whose passing has been celebrated for his contribution to the Revolution. He died on October 27, 2019. The Service of Praise and Thanksgiving, for his life, filled St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, East End, to capacity on November 23. Wrapped in the National Flag of Anguilla, his casket was taken through an impressive corridor of flags which lent much to the significance of the event and the patriotism of the fallen freedom fighter.
During the service, Premier Victor Banks delivered the Official Statement of Condolence. He said in part: “The Government and people of Anguilla join in expressing our sympathies on the passing of Mr. Hope Wallace Webster. Like many other Anguillians he was a proud dedicated patriotic, endowed with a noble sense of humility and an unwavering devotion to his country. He selflessly made the ultimate sacrifice, serving on the frontline, standing guard many sleepless nights in the bushes – and on the beaches – with fellow citizens in the 1967 Revolution.
“He was tasked with burying a large number of rifles and ammunition possessed, at the time, by Anguillian patriots.
“Perhaps the most unique role he played in the Revolution was being given the responsibility to destroy all evidence of a stolen motorboat that returned the Anguillian patriots who made the infamous voyage to St. Kitts, on June 9th, 1967, aboard the MV Rambler.
“On May 30th, 2003, the Badge of Honour and Queen’s Certificate were bestowed upon him for the role he played in the Revolution.”
The Leader of the Opposition Ms. Palmavon Webster, the Elected Representative for Island Harbour, also paid tribute to Mr. Hope Webster. She stressed that he was dedicated to his homeland, was a very active member of the Island Harbour community and a leading fishermen. She observed that the whole of Anguilla respected and admired him – and described him as a national hero.
Earlier, his daughter, Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne, a former Speaker of the Anguilla House of Assembly, spoke about his involvement in the Anguilla Revolution along the lines mentioned by Premier Banks and of his patriotic love for the island and generosity as a fisherman. She also spoke about her father’s life as a sailor, his family leadership qualities, and many of the personal characteristics of her father which won him much acclaim among his family and the residents of Island Harbour.
“Today, a generation has quietly ended. One of the brightest lights in our family has been dimmed – an inspiring life we loved is stilled and life will never be the same,” she concluded. “We find solace in the words of the Psalmist: “Precious in the eyes of our God is the death of his faithful one.”
The Right Rev. Errol Brooks and the Rev. Raliville Christian conducted the Service of Praise and Thanksgiving. “I admired how he attended worship regularly with his family,” Bishop Brooks observed. “He got it right. When a father set the example for attending worship, more than likely the rest of the family will follow suit.” The Bishop took the opportunity to bring spiritual comfort to the grieving family- saying they were not alone, and urged them to have hope and trust in God.
On the Anguilla Revolution, he said: “During the days of uncertainty, 1967 -1969, Hope Webster was among those who were prepared to risk limb and life to secure a better living for all Anguillians. We owe a great debt of gratitude to those men and women for their contribution to this island’s development; and today as we say fare thee well to our brother, Hope, I would like you to consider our lives, and the living hope that is ours, because of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.”
As part of the National Funeral, flags were flown at half-mast on Government and private buildings; the casket of the late freedom fighter was draped with the National Flag and was borne to the Church and the Sandy Hill Cemetery by a contingent of the Royal Anguilla Police Force. There, another contingent of the Force fired a gun salute in honour of the deceased. The flag which covered the casket was presented to his widow, Mrs. Ursula Webster, on behalf of the Government of Anguilla, by Sergeant Ronnie Fleming.
The Police contingents, the Police/Community Band, the Anguilla Jubilee Choir directed by Ms. Lois Hazell, with Mr. Devaunie Richardson on the organ, and the Starlight Singers, led by Ms. Barbara Webster-Borne, performed very well, adding much patriotism, pomp and ceremony to the National Funeral.
