Commander Carloyn Wilfroy Bellairs
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Commander Carlyon Wilfroy Bellairs (R.N.) Christie Lovat & Danielle J. Donnelly Bellairs, the Naval Commander While in command of the HMS Active, Bellairs recorded his first visit Carlyon Wilfroy Bellairs was born to Barbados; arriving in port at 10:30 in March 15th 1871, the third son of the morning of March 1st, 1890. There Lieutenant General Sir William Bellairs are no records of Bellairs’s personal (d. 1913) and Emily Craven Gibbons. opinion of the island at this time, but His father, Sir William Bellairs was a we can only assume he was impressed, career soldier; much-decorated and as he would later chose to retire to the knighted for distinguished military island with his wife. service overseas. Although we know little about Sir William, he was Bellairs, the Journalist and Politician certainly a man proud of his son’s work. Several letters from Sir Williams Commander Bellairs retired from enthusiastically praised his son as the Navy in 1902, to pursue a second “adding to the illustrious Bellairs career in journalism and politics. Many name”. The opinion of his father meant years later Bellairs continued to recount a lot to the young Bellairs, as he the exploits of his naval years fondly… retained these letters in his personal “I may have forgotten some of my files throughout his life. navigation and seamanship, still I have an old affection for the sea service, and Bellairs was educated as a naval I know what the comradeship of the sea cadet, first at school, then in 1884 (at service is like. They are the best age of 13) aboard the H.M.S. Britannia. comrades in the world”. Bellairs Bellairs proved himself to be an able continued to follow the events of the seaman. He rose quickly through the Navy during his journalistic years, and ranks to Commander and invented it featured as a prominent topic in his several improvements on existing naval political life. devices, which were subsequently adopted by the naval service. Bellairs entered politics as Liberal MP for Kings’s Lynn in 1906. He was in his element as a parliamentarian in pre-war Britain, penning many scathing articles on Britain’s unpreparedness for an upcoming war with Germany or France and trying to push Britain to strengthen her neglected Navy. Perhaps the lack of action from his political party caused Bellairs to lose faith in the Liberals, because in 1909 he defected to the Conservative party. The HMS Active (1897). Image: In 1910, Bellairs took a break from www.battleshipscruisers.co.uk]. political life to nurture a new relationship with Charlotte Pierson. Charlotte was an American from a military background like C.W. Bellairs, daughter of the late Colonel H.L. Pierson of Laurence, Long Island. Perhaps this mutual understanding of military life helped the two live harmoniously, as they wed in 1911 and were married happily until Charlotte’s death in 1939. During the time between their marriage and Bellairs’s next stint in parliament, the couple spent several years as members of the Lansdowne Bellairs during his early years as a member of parliament. club in Barbados. The Bellairs’ [Image: Lafayette]. continued visits to the Caribbean island showed the appreciation they had for Bellairs, Promoter of Human Rights the island. During his later years in parliament In 1913, Bellairs returned to as a Conservative, Bellairs spoke out politics. He served as a member on the strongly on many human rights issues, London County Council until 1915, which ironically would have branded when the next parliamentary elections him a progressive liberal by modern were held. At this point, Bellairs was standards. During 1918, Bellairs elected to represent the Maidstone expressed his adamant support for the Borough for the Conservative Unionist Woman’s Suffrage Bill (he referred to Party. During these years before and this as the Woman’s Emancipation during WWI, Bellairs’ past experience Bill), citing how bravely women had as a naval officer was once again a stepped up during the First World War great asset to his political and to support the country. In one article, he journalistic career. At the end of WWI, wrote admiringly, “Women are doing Bellairs was elected MP for Kent much themselves to shake men out of (Unionist Party), and represented this apathy into cooperative effort, so as to constituency until his retirement in build a better world and a better 1931, although in 1922 he switched Commonwealth.” After the Suffrage back to the Conservative Party when Bill was passed, Bellairs continued to the Unionists disbanded. During his actively support women’s rights in remaining time in parliament, Bellairs Britain and abroad, and would often lectured to senior officers at the eventually bequeath his considerable Royal Navy College and was president estate to a women’s educational of the Poetry Society. He received institution. several honours. These included the Silver Medal, from the Society of the He detested slavery and denounced Arts, and the offer of a baronetcy in the purchase of timber by the British 1927 (which he respectfully declined). Empire from the Soviet Union, where prisoners of war and peasants (driven into slavery through excessive taxes) were used to cut and process the lumber. He wrote “...the timber from Soviet Russia is red with the blood and soaked with the tears of an unhappy, oppressed people in the shackles of slavery”. Bellairs also anticipated the strife caused by Jewish settlements in the Middle East. For example, he commented venomously on what he viewed as an imminent war promoted in Britain’s old Palestine mandate by the failure of the British or Americans to ensure equal rights to both Palestinians and Jews. He wrote, “There is no Commander Carlyon Bellairs (1922) during his prosperous democracy or liberty about it but just political years. [Image: Bassano, National Portrait Gallery, frank blackmail.” Bellairs also spoke London]. strongly against organized religion, an uncommon thing for a political figure at Bellairs, in Retirement the time. For example, he repeatedly criticized the superfluous wealth Bellairs and his wife bought a 5- amassed by the Pope and clergymen at acre property on the oceanfront in the expense of their flock. Of this, he Barbados in 1936. They promptly built wrote, “The religion of materialism is a house on the property and moved the only one really suited to man”. there permanently in 1938. This residence, known as Seabourne House, Although Bellairs retired prior to remains on the Bellairs Research World War II, he continued to follow Institute property today. However, there the military news closely. He was was a considerable difference between particularly disturbed by the concept of the property donated by Bellairs, and nuclear weapons, and their use in a the Bellairs Research Institute as it civilian setting. In his words, “It was a exists today. In 1951, when Bellairs ghastly mistake to use atom bombs first contacted the University, his estate against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even consisted of Seabourne House, three if we allow that the war was not already smaller houses, and several small out- won by the operation, there should have buildings. There were also crops of been a prior attempt to make the sugar cane, cassava, bananas, guavas, Japanese understand the situation...” limes, coconuts, and a few head of Ever the optimist, he later predicted that poultry and dairy cows. Today, the the existence of nuclear technology Bellairs Research Institute lands are would both put an end to superfluous considerably smaller, following sale of wars between nations, and provide some land to a neighbouring resort (The cheap electricity to the poor. Coral Reef Club). Although Seabourne House still stands, other structures on the property were replaced by dormitories and research facilities. There is now little evidence of the crops and livestock once present on this property, although coconuts are still Honourable Charles Vincent Massey collected from the coconut trees. (the Governor General of Canada at the time), and requested that Mr. Massey direct him towards a suitable women’s college in Canada to receive his property. Mr. Massey recommended that Bellairs consider the Royal Victoria College for Women in Montreal. At the time, this was the women’s college of McGill University. Bellairs was enthusiastic about the idea, and immediately contacted the then Principal of McGill University, James Seabourne House seen from the beach (1962) [Image: The McGill Archives]. F. Cyril. Through a series of letters, it was eventually decided that Bellairs Unfortunately, only a year after the would donate his property to the Royal couple moved into Seabourne House, Victoria College for women, to serve Charlotte passed away. Bellairs chose all of the functions and conditions he to stay in the home they built together had originally intended for Wellesley for the remainder of his life. Although College. He also bequeathed his he often wrote to England, and considerable collection of personal continued an interest in military events, manuscripts, books, and political both in England and overseas, there are writings to the Royal Victoria College, no records of him returning to his along with a stipend of 400£ for a homeland. young female student to build her future career on the information he had The Bequest of the Bellairs’s Estate collected over his lifetime. In 1954, James F. Cyril traveled down to In 1951, Bellairs began his quest to Barbados and officially opened the bequeath his property to a women’s Bellairs Research Institute. Happily, college as a memorial to his wife. Bellairs lived long enough to see the Initially, it was his desire to donate the creation of the educational memorial he property to Wellesley College of made to the memory of his wife.