John Barnes

But if you wanted to become, you wanted to be an army officer in any of the Caribbean islands, Barbados, Trinidad, anywhere, you had to go to Jamaica.

That's the biggest one.

That's where the army was.

So he was from Trinidad.

He then came to Jamaica to join the British West Indies Regiment.

Became a lieutenant, went to Sandhurst, came back captain, colonel.

Then Jamaica became a socialist country in the 70s, which meant that they were going to get friendly with Russia and Cuba.

My dad's head of the army.

So the ex-prime minister, Michael Manley, you know about Michael Manley, came to my dad and he said, where do your allegiances lie?

Meaning, we're now going to become a socialist country.

And what normally happens under those circumstances is that they organize a coup.

America would organize a coup to take over the country, as they do all over.

So he wanted to know that my dad was with him.

But my dad said, listen, I'm an army officer, so I don't have allegiances.

My duty is with the country.

But he didn't want to hear that.

So he sent my dad to England.

I was 12 years old as a military attaché to get him out of the country.

And then the lieutenant colonel then went above my dad and became the head of the army because he wanted my dad out of the way in case he's head of the army and we become communist.

And so therefore, that's the only reason I came to England.