First International Flight Stone and Plaque

First International Flight Stone and Plaque graemelovell (Atlas Obscura User)

Approaching the green, on the right-hand side of the fifth fairway at Rockley Golf & Country Club, stands a large stone. This marks the spot where international aviation history began in Barbados.

Barbados’ first international arrival came by way of an Avro Avian. On March 29, 1929, British aviator Bill Lancaster flew the aircraft from Guadeloupe to the Rockley Golf and Country Club where the plane touched down. The golf club also happens to be the oldest on the island dating back to 1910.

Lancaster was already a celebrity before the flight, having flown with companion Chubbie Miller from England to Australia, making her the first woman to do so. Lancaster’s later life was marred by scandal and tragedy. He was acquitted of killing Miller’s new lover, before crash-landing in Algeria attempting to break the speed record traveling from England to South Africa.

His log confirms that he remained alive for at least eight days, but his remains were not discovered until 1962, when French troops came across his mummified body and the crash site.

Know Before You Go

There is space to walk down the right hand side of the fifth hole, without interfering with players. The Rockley Golf & Country Club has a hole-by-hole video, and a brief aerial shot of the memorial stone can be seen toward the end of the footage of the fifth hole.