Antigua and Barbuda has laid to rest Harold Christopher Carter MH, the last surviving member of the legendary 39ers, in an Official Funeral and Thanksgiving Service held at St Andrew's Anglican Church on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
According to Antigua News Room, Carter passed away on December 26, 2025. His death marked the end of a living connection to one of the most significant chapters in the nation's labour history.
The 39ers were the men and women who founded the Antigua Trades and Labour Union — the first workers' union in Antigua and Barbuda. Carter was among a group of thirteen men arrested in 1951 for leading a protest against the brutal and oppressive plantocracy system that had long dominated the islands.
The weight of that legacy was acknowledged by Prime Minister Hon. Gaston Browne, who said to Carter in January 2020, "You represent the struggle and sacrifices made for the progress and development that Antigua and Barbuda enjoys today."
The official service drew a distinguished gathering of the nation's leadership. Among those in attendance were Governor General His Excellency Sir Rodney Williams, Prime Minister Hon. Gaston Browne, President of the Senate Hon. Alincia Williams-Grant, Sir Molwyn Joseph, Hon. E.P. Chet Green, Hon. Maria Browne, Police Commissioner Everton Jeffers, newly elected Member of Parliament Randy Baltimore, and Senator Hon. Johnathan Joseph.
The presence of such senior officials underscored the profound respect the nation holds for Carter and the generation of workers he represented.
