Robert W Griffith was born on 13^th August 1904 but his birth registered as 6^th August in the registry. Griffith’s father who was a manager of Weekes Estate saw first-hand how workers were being treated on the Estate which perhaps influenced him in his later years to form the Montserrat Trades and Labour Union in 1946.   Through the MTLU, Griffith as leader championed the cause of the voiceless, illiterate, and un-empowered workers across Montserrat. Griffith understood from an early age the cost of living and inflation, so he vigorously fought for the workers to be treated fairly, he lobbied for better working conditions, fairer and better wages.

Before Montserrat moved from the plantocracy system into the democratic system, Griffith was already forcibly standing up for Montserratians. Griffith began his political career in 1943 under the plantocracy system where he held the distinguished title of Deputy President of the Legislature. He was also the local representative for the Leeward Islands Federal Parliament which was held in Antigua and became their official delegate to Britain at Buckingham Palace. He was the first Montserratian to make representation for the island at an international level in a political forum.

Marse Bob as he more affectionately called was known for his industrial relation actions to include calling out of the HMS Bigbury Bay and the Defence Force in the early 1950s. Though this caused him to lose favour with the British, Griffith was willing to die for Montserratians.