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It became apparent about two years after Spain had relinquished her authority over her Central American colonies, and Guatemala had settled in the role of an independent state, that the boundaries between that country (Guatemala) and British Honduras would have to be settled by Great Britain. For this task to have been authoritatively accomplished there had to be agreement by both parties. After years of planning, each country presented a team of surveying experts to carry out this important work of demarcation of the traditional boundaries between British Honduras and Guatemala.

MEMBERS OF BOUNDARY COMMISSION

The team from British Honduras was approved by Great Britain after it was pointed out that it was not necessary that British surveyors be detailed to do the work, since qualified men could be obtained on the spot. The Boundary Commission of 1933, therefore, comprised the following persons from British Honduras who at that time and afterwards, as a result of the splendid work done on the Commission, held important positions in the country:

F. W. BRUNTON, C.B.E., Surveyor General and Acting Governor;

SIR ARTHUR WOLFFSOHN, Surveyor General and Acting Governor on several occasions;

JAMES WAIGHT, O.B.E., Surveyor General;

G. S. BUSBY, Senior Surveyor and Surveyor General, Trinidad and Tobago;

HENRY FAIRWEATHER, M.B.E., Government Senior Surveyor and Director of Housing & Planning; Member Inter-American Planning Society;

ALLAN ANDERSON, Government Senior Surveyor;

GEORGE A. ELLIOTT, Surveyor General; and

WILTON YOUNG, Government Senior Surveyor and Surveyor General Mid-west Nigeria.

A RESPECTED AUTHORITY

The Boundary Commission was respected by Guatemala. Great Britain also accepted the Boundary Commission of Guatemala. Having been a member of the British Honduras Boundary Commission, Mr. Henry Fairweather, because of his knowledge and experience, was fully able to speak on this very important subject in order to enlighten his own people on various specific points of geographical and historical interest.

AN IMPRESSIVE SPEAKER

Mr. Fairweather was specially asked to deal with the subject because of Guatemala’s attitude in pursuing an unfounded claim to the territory whose boundaries she had accepted since 1933. Mr. Fairweather was brought before an open-air mass meeting of citizens on Thursday night the 13th July, 1967.

Thousands of people assembled at this open-air meeting which lasted for over two hours. The people were kept standing all this while, and they listened with rapt attention as the speaker very timely and impressively gave the facts.

(Ed. NOTE: The above is excerpted from pgs. 7-9 of a booklet entitled “BRITISH HONDURAS-GUATEMALA BOUNDARY.” The booklet was arranged and edited by Ernest E. Cain, author of “CYCLONE HATTIE” and other writings on British Honduras. It was translated into Spanish by Mr. Fairweather’s daughter, Marjorie Fairweather Laing, B. A., Dip. Ed.)