Background
Charles Duncan O'neal was born on 30 November 1879 in Barbados.
Charles Duncan O'neal was born on 30 November 1879 in Barbados.
He left Barbados for Scotland in 1899 to study medicine at Edinburgh University.
After graduating, he worked as a doctor in the English city of Newcastle, also becoming involved in the Independent Labor Party and winning a seat in the Sunderland County Council.
O’Neale returned to Barbados before World War I but soon moved to Trinidad, where he practiced medicine and was involved in local politics. He returned home in 1924 and found the political climate for propagating socialist ideas much more receptive, largely as the result of the work of Clennell Wilsden Wickham and Clement Innis, who published a progressive newspaper, the Weekly Herald.
O'Neale himself finally won a seat in the House in 1932. However, in the four years he spent in the House, he was unable to secure legislation on most of his demands because of the conservative nature of the Assembly, chosen by an upper- and middle-class electorate. However, O’Neale’s importance lay in his success in galvanizing the Barbadian masses and workers into an effective political organization.
In October 1924 O'Neale and Wickham formed the Democratic League, which was rooted in the principles of socialism with a program aimed at obtaining universal adult suffrage, recognition of trade unions, collective bargaining, compulsory education, and welfare and social security measures. O’Neale also formed the Workingmen's Association, which became the labor appendage to the league.
In 1924 the league enjoyed its first electoral success when one of its members was elected to the House of Assembly.
