LAST SHIP WITH INDENTURED IMMIGRANTS – 106 YEARS AGO

THE last ship with Indian indentured immigrants arrived in Trinidad and Tobago 106 years ago.

The vessel was SS Ganges, which docked at Nelson Island on April 22, 1917 with 421 labourers, seven having died during the tumultuous voyage across the “kali pani” (dark waters).

The ship had set sail from Calcutta (since renamed Kolkota) on March 8, 1917 with 124 labourers.

More indentured workers were picked up during at stop at Madras (which has since been renamed Chennai).

The SS Ganges reached then-British Guiana (now Guyana) on April 18, 1917, and 437 immigrants were led off the ship and later assigned to sugar plantations.

The ship arrived in T&T four days later, with 274 men, 115 women, 12 boys, 10 girls, and 10 infants.

The workers were assigned to various estates, including Williamsville, Petit Mourne, Caroni, Tarouba, Cedar Hill, Brechin Castle, Union Hall, Picton, Waterloo, Esperanza, Perseverance, Orange Grove, Bronte, Forres Park, and Vega.

The British authorities took a decision to halt the recruitment of indentured immigrants four days after the sailing of the S.S Ganges.

The recruitment and sailing ended because there was an urgent need for ships to serve Britain’s military effort in the First World War of 1914 to 1918.

India was then a vital British colony.

There was widespread opposition to the system of indentureship, which prompted the British imperial government and the colonial administration of India to cease the practice.

SS Ganges, therefore, became the last vessel to sail the seas with Indian immigrants for the British West Indies.

The legislation used to end the process was the Defence of India Act 1917.

From 1845 to 1917, a total of 147,600 indentured workers were taken to Trinidad.

Indentureship was officially terminated on January 1, 1917.

That meant that all contracts of servitude were no longer valid.

All of that was a mere 106 years ago!