pARLIAMENT FAcTs

The red house suffered gravely from this invasion since the building was shot at and even shelled. in the aftermath, bullet holes were visible on walls, doors, windows and the ceiling of the Chamber. There was a gaping hole at the southern end of the building on the ground floor, made by a B-300 weapon fired on the night of July 28.

Seven people were killed in the red house as a result of the attack on the building:

1. roger george – assistant Superintendent;

2. Lorraine Caballero – Clerical Officer;

3. malcolm basanta – estate Policeman;

4. mervyn Teague – government broadcasting Unit employee;

5. arthur guisseppi – ex-policeman;

6. george francis – Chauffeur; and

7. Solomon mcleod – Police headquarters Sentry many more were injured. mr. leo des Vignes, mP for diego martin Central, was shot and later removed to the hospital, where he died. a portrait now hangs in the Parliament Chamber in his memory.

Eternal flame as a temporary measure, sittings of both the lower and Upper Houses (two each) were held at the Auditorium of the Central Bank, but with the opening of the fifth Session of the Third Parliament on november 5, 1990, sittings were once again held in the red house, not at its customary place, but at the southern Chamber. it was not until July 26, 1991, that the traditional Chamber was restored to its original status, and Parliament reconvened in that Chamber with a rededication and memorial service, in which a commemorative plaque bearing the names of all those killed in and around the red house, was unveiled. An eternal flame, symbolising “the need to be evervigilant in the protection of our democracy” was also lit outside, on which is inscribed the oath of allegiance of members of Parliament, the National Anthem, the Affirmation of the People and the names of the victims of the attempted coup.