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The Right Excellent Errol Barrow (1920-1987) is perhaps the most beloved of all Barbadian statesmen.
A lawyer by profession, he entered the political arena in 1951, when he joined the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and immediately won a seat in the House of Assembly. Four years later, he left the BLP and formed the Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
He contested the 1961 general elections as leader of the DLP and became Premier, a position he held until 1966, when he led Barbados to independence from Great Britain. He then became the nation's first Prime Minister and led the nation until 1976.
During his first 15 years as leader of Barbados, Barrow achieved many social reforms and national advances:
In 1967, he received the Head of State Award for “outstanding service to the country” from Lions International.
In 1976, the DLP lost the general elections and Barrow became leader of the opposition. Ten years later, the party was returned to power and Barrow once again became Prime Minister. The Right Excellent Error Barrow died in office the following year on June 1, 1987.
January 21, his birthday, is a national holiday, and he is one of Barbados' 10 National Heroes.
Tactile Marks for the Visually Impaired. An L for the $50.
The Coat of Arms
Series Date and Governor’s Signature
Independence Square is a civic space that overlooks the Careenage in the capital city of Bridgetown. Standing high above Independence Square is a statue of the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow, who is also known to Barbadians as the Father of Independence.
The transparent window at the bottom of the note has an embedded image of Independence Square, the same image featured on the back of the note. The image catches the light and changes colour when the note is tilted.
Lines of Barbados' National Anthem printed on the back of the note light up under UV light.
The number "50" appears in the broken trident when the note is held up to the light.
Under UV light, a smaller broken trident appears between the two partial tridents near the centre of the note.
"FIFTY50" is found in very small print behind the denomination numeral at the top of the note.
