Commonwealth Office: West Indian Department 'B' and Foreign and Commonwealth Office,...

FCO 44

1967-2000

This series consists of records of the West Indian 'B' Department relating to responsibilities for UK and Commonwealth relations with the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the British Virgin Islands, and its successor in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the West Indian Department.

From May 1972 the records are those of the West Indian and Atlantic Department, relating to the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the British Virgin Islands, the Falkland Islands and dependencies, the British Antarctic Territory, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha.

By former file reference

Earlier records on the Falkland Islands, Antarctic territories, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha are in FCO 83

Earlier files on the territories managed by the Commonwealth Office West Indian Department B are in CO 1031

WB and HW file series

Public Record(s)

English

• Commonwealth Office, West Indian Department B, 1966-1968
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office, West Indian and Atlantic Department, 1972-1998
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office, West Indian Department, 1968-1972

4956 file(s)

Open unless otherwise stated

From 1999 Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Topics

International

Caribbean

Polar

Americas

Africa

Series is accruing

The West Indian Department 'B' was abolished in October 1968, when responsibility for relations with the territories for which the department was formerly responsible passed to a new West Indian Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (which also handled relations with British Honduras, St Vincent and Montserrat).

This department was replaced in May 1972 by the West Indian and Atlantic Department, with responsibility for Bermuda and the Bahamas passing to the Caribbean Department, and responsibility for the Falkland Islands and dependencies, the British Antarctic Territories, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha being added.