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The Autobiography of Alfred H. Mendes, 1897-1991 PDF

225 Pages·2002·9.75 MB·English
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UWI PRESS BIOGRAPHY SERIES The University of the West Indies Press invites the submission of work to be considered for publication in this biography series. We recognize the need to record the lives and achievements of people of the Caribbean, but we would not exclude biographical accounts of expatriates who have lived and worked long and hard with us to our mutual advantage. The series will not be limited to accounts of those who, by whatever means, have achieved wide acclaim or notoriety. Far more numerous than the famous are the many individuals who, by stern and skilful performance in the fields, the workshops, the marketplaces and in the service of their compatriots, have contributed much but remain unrecognized. This series is also for accounts of them and is dedicated to the solid contributions of the unsung. A Man Divided: Michael Garfield Smith Jamaican Poet and Anthropologist 1921-1993 Douglas Hall Law, Justice and Empire The Colonial Career of John Gorrie 1829-1892 Bridget M. Brereton White Rebel The Life and Times ofT. T. Lewis Gary Lewis Bechu 'Bound Coolie'Radical in British Guiana 1894—1901 Clem Seecharan Breaking the Glass Ceiling The Stories of Three Caribbean Nurses Jocelyn Hezekiah The Autobiography of Alfred H. Mendes, 1897-1991 Michele Levy (ed.) This page intentionally left blank The Autobiography of ALFRED H. MENDES 1897-1991 Edited by Michele Levy University of the West Indies Press Barbados • Jamaica • Trinidad and Tobago University of the West Indies Press 1A Aqueduct Flats Mona Kingston 7 Jamaica © 2002 by Michele Levy All rights reserved. Published 2002 06 05 04 03 02 5 4 3 21 CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA The autobiography of Alfred H. Mendes, 1897-1991 / edited by Michele Levy p. cm. — (UWI Press Biography Series) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN: 976-640-117-9 1. Mendes, Alfred Hubert, 1897-1991. 2. Authors, Trinidadian - 20th century - Biography. 3. Trinidad and Tobago — Biography. I. Levy, Michele. PR9272.9M45Z56 2002 823.914 Cover illustration: Rex Dixon, Conversation Piece (1996). Gouache and ink on paper. Collection of the artist. Book and cover design by ProDesign Ltd, Red Gal Ring, Kingston, Jamaica. Printed on acid-free paper. Printed in the United States of America. For Bianca and Bruce with love This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Illustrations ix Editor's Note xi Introduction Alfred Hubert Mendes, West Indian Writer, 1897-1991 xv THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY Chapter 1 Madeira Prologue, 1846-1897 3 Chapter 2 Early Memories, 1897-1912 12 Chapter 3 School in England, 1912-1915 26 Chapter 4 War, 1916 41 Chapter 5 War, 1916-1919 55 Chapter 6 Writing - Trinidad, 1919-1930 66 Chapter 7 Writing - Trinidad, 1931-1933 76 Chapter 8 Writing - New York, 1933-1940 89 Chapter 9 Writing - New York, 1933-1940 99 Chapter 10 New York, 1933-1940 112 Conclusion Trinidad, 1940-1972; Barbados, 1973-1978 732 Appendix A "Looping the Loop" 755 Appendix B Letter to Ellen Mendes from Alfred Mendes in Portugal 757 Appendix C Nine Sonnets "For R—" 759 vii Contents Appendix D Extract from the remembrance delivered by Stephen Mendes at his father's funeral service 164 Appendix E Alfred H. Mendes's Family Tree 166 Chronology 168 Notes 174 Works by Alfred H. Mendes 181 Works Cited 188 Index 190 viii Illustrations 1. Isabella Mendes 14 2. The Mendes family home at 19 Stanmore Avenue 42 3. Alfred Mendes in uniform, c. 1916 44 4. Jessie Mendes 68 5. Ellen Perachini, aged seven 110 6. Ellen Mendes as a young woman 114 7. Alfred Mendes with Lea and Ellen Perachini, Long Beach, New York, c.l 936 115 8. Alfred and Ellen Mendes with their son Peter, 1939 118 9. Alfred Mendes, his eldest son, Alfred John, and his brother Frank, Long Beach, New York, c. 1937 119 10. Ellen and Peter Mendes, 1939 121 11. Acting Deputy General Manager Alfred Mendes on a tour of the Port with the acting governor of Trinidad, the Hon. P.M. Renison, and General Manager H.O. Culhane, 1950. 735 12. Alfred Mendes in London, 1950 136 13. Alfred Mendes and Eric Murray, Trafalgar Square 137 14. Alfred and Ellen Mendes, c. 1948-1950 140 15. Alfred Mendes in his "gardening cap", 1967 143 16. Alfred Mendes with colleagues from Singer Sewing Machine Co. 144 17. Alfred Mendes, 1972 146 18. Alfred Mendes on being made a doctor of letters of the University of the West Indies, 1972 147 19. Alfred Mendes with his son Stephen, grandson Jason and granddaughter Bianca, "Coolgardie", Barbados, c. 1975 148 20. Alfred Mendes at his son Stephen's home, Trinidad, c. 1982 149 ix

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