Queen’s Royal College
Inductees 2017 honour ofHall
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“Certant omnes sed non omnibus palma”
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The Queen’s Royal College Hall of Honour recognises the outstanding contributions made by the QRC fraternity to the Nation and beyond. Still in its early stages – there have only been five (5) Inductions – the Hall of Honour confers due recognition on individuals whose achievements rise above excellence and who serve as role models to present and future generations.
It will be nigh impossible to “catch up “ in capturing all of those deserving pioneers of over 150 years of the College’s glorious history but it is important that we continue to laud the maximum possible, even posthumously. Today’s Inductees represent a cross-section of those who have served with distinction and who further enhance the QRC legacy.
The QRC Old Boys’ Association welcomes these distinguished Inductees to the Pantheon of the Hall of Honour; further exemplars as the College redoubles its efforts to produce alumni who will contribute significantly to the wider Community and QRC’s proud history.
“Certant omnes sed non omnibus palma”
immediate past president deryC k
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CIndar JIt Bahadur SIngh, B.a. (OxOn.)
OlIver Penlyn “Pen” Bennett, O.B.e .
hOllIS raymOnd CharleS, B.SC., m.SC., hOn. dSC. (u.W.I.)
hIS hOnOur CyruS PrudhOmme davId K.C.
dr. JefferSOn davIdSOn m.O.m., B.SC., mSC., Ph.d.
PrOfeSSOr emerItuS felIx durIty, B.a., m.d., f.r .C.S.C., O.B.C.
SIr rOBert alexander falCOner, K.C.m.g., C.m.g., m.a.
dOnald “JaCKIe” hInKSOn, B.f.a., dIP. ed., hOn. d. lItt. (u.W.I.)
KelWyn hutCheOn, h.B.m.
WIllIam JOhn lOCKe, B.a. (CantaB.)
lutalO maKOSSa maSImBa, h.B.m., B.a. (u.W.I.), m.a. (u.t.t.)
general SIr franK Walter meSServy K.C.S.I., K.B.e ., C.B., d.S.O. & Bar, C.B.e .
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merlyn PrICe m.d., d.a.B.f.P., f.a.a.f.P., B.SC., m.SC., P. eng., a.m.I.e .e ., m.I.e .C.
euStaCe edWard SeIgnOret C.m.t, BSC. (hOWard), BSC. (WaleS)
Indar Jit Bahadur Singh was a man of service and well known for his knowledge of the Indian diaspora. An alumnus of Queen’s Royal College he went on to Oxford University where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Politics and History. At Oxford he joined the Indian Independence struggle and became the President of the Oxford Union, the first West Indian to achieve this honour.
Bahadur Singh joined the Indian Foreign Service at the invitation of the late Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru and served as Ambassador of India for four decades to Italy, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Malta, Kenya and other African States. Because of Bahadur Singh’s unwavering support of the African Independence movement he was bestowed with the title of Honorary Chief of an African people, the Kikuyu. He was also Blood-Brother of the late Kenyan Statesman, Jomo Kenyatta. Upon his retirement from the diplomatic service, Bahadur Singh founded the India International Centre in New Delhi where he served as its Secretary General.
Bahadur Singh later edited two books on the Indian diaspora - The Other India (1979) and Indians in the Caribbean (1987). He was a well-respected BBC broadcaster and was well known on India’s media, speaking often on Indian affairs. He had a huge influence on Indian foreign policy and used his platforms to affect change.
Despite his ties to India, Bahadur Singh loved his homeland and kept in close contact with his family. He was the Chief Guest at the Conference of the Indian Diaspora held at the University of the West Indies in 1979.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association salutes Hall of Honour Inductee the late Indar Jit Bahadur Singh - Diplomat, patriot, advocate of the right of all people to self-determination and independence.
Oliver Penlyn “Pen” Bennett was born on 9th March 1899 in Craignish Village, Princes’ Town in Trinidad.
Bennett attended Queen’s Royal College and was actively involved in sports. He specialised in track and in particular the 220 and 440 yard flat races. He also played football and tennis, but excelled at cricket.
In 1907, Bennett became the first school boy to play Inter-Colonial Cricket when he represented Trinidad at the age of 18. He had the distinction of opening both the bowling and the batting. In that Regional Tournament, which Trinidad won, he took fifteen wickets for two hundred and twenty runs and had the Barbados side dismissed for fifty runs taking four wickets for eighteen runs. He was an exceptional bowler and could have gone on to greater heights but, his passion was horse -racing.
Bennett’s career in horse-racing forms an integral part of Trinidad and Tobago’s history of that sport. In his horse-racing career, besides being, in later years, a steward, a starter, a breeder and a classifier, Bennett was above all a superb jockey and a skilled trainer. He was the winner of every classic race on the calendar riding well into his fifties with unparalleled success.
Bennett rode his last race at the age of fifty-four and, at the close of his career as a jockey he had ridden some six hundred and sixty winners including the Derby winners of 1930, 1934 and 1935. As a trainer, he achieved similar success, training some nine hundred and twenty winners and being declared lead trainer some twentyfive times.
For services to sport in Trinidad and Tobago, Bennett was awarded the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) in 1960. He was inducted into Trinidad and Tobago’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.
Bennett was laid to rest in an allotment in the family cemetery (the Peschier Cemetery) in the Queen’s Park Savannah - a fitting resting place for one who had ridden several winners in races at the Savannah
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association salutes Hall of Honour Inductee the late Oliver Penlyn “Pen” Bennett - All round Sportsman and Horseman Par Excellence.
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everal local science and management facilities are far better off for the work and research done by Hollis Charles. The Founding Director of the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI), where he served for 20 years, Charles has provided invaluable service and research to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the World Bank, the Organization of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Commonwealth Secretariat, to name a few.
The foundation for his career began at Queen’s Royal College and continued at the University of the West Indies where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering. He later received a Master of Science Degree in Management as a Sloan Fellow of the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, USA.
Charles is a retired registered Industrial Engineer and Management Consultant who has been developing service institutions in the Caribbean for the past 40 years including his own consultancies - the Institute for Management Development (IMD) Ltd and Charles’ Consulting.
He is a Fellow, Foreign Secretary and the Immediate Past President of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences (CAS). He is the Vice President of the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Institute (TTCSI) and a Consulting Principal of the Caribbean Consulting Group (The CCG) Ltd.
Charles has advised on the application of science and technology to development, as well as on the sustainable industrial development policy at national, regional and international levels.
In 2002, he was bestowed with the Award of Honour by the General Assembly of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations for his contributions in this field. In 2013, he received from the Trinidad and Tobago National Institute for Higher Education Research, Science and Technology, the NIHERST Individual Award for Outstanding Leadership. In 2015, the University of the West Indies conferred on Charles the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Sciences.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association recognises the significant contributions of Hollis Charles in the fields of industrial research, management and sustainable industrial policy and welcomes him to the Hall of Honour.
Born on 25th November 1867 in Cedros, Cyrus Prudhomme David through the mentorship of John Jacob Thomas, a Magistrate of that district, won a scholarship to Queen’s Royal College in 1882, which, at that time, was a singular achievement for a student from such a rural community. At the College he was President of the debating club and editor of the “Collegian”.
David was the first person of African descent to win an Island Scholarship (1885) to pursue tertiary studies abroad. He studied law at Gray’s Inn in London and was called to the Bar in 1888 in England, returning to Trinidad in 1889 to practice as a Barristerat-law.
David was considered a brilliant lawyer and was counsel in many high profile cases of the day and later was appointed King’s Counsel.
From early David was a staunch advocate for constitutional reform. He was critical of the system of Crown Colony Government and favoured instead representative government which would result in people from the wider community being directly elected to the Legislative Council. As secretary of the Reform Committee which campaigned for this constitutional change, he also advocated strongly for the restoration of the elected Borough Council of Port of Spain which had been abolished earlier.
In 1904, after the Water Riots in Port of Spain the previous year, David was appointed by the Governor as a nominated Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council. In that body, David continued to campaign for the public good. Upon his retirement from the Legislative Council, David’s tenure of service was highly praised by then Governor Sir George R. Le Hunte G.C.M.G. In 1911, he was appointed to the then newly created post of Commissioner of the Port of Spain District Court, otherwise known as the ‘poor man’s court.’ David felt that this judicial position allowed him to serve better the disenfranchised and, until his resignation from that position in 1920 due to ill health, he dispensed justice to all those who filed suit in petty civil matters before him.
David died in 1923 at age fifty-six but his dream of representative or elective government was not realized until 1924 when the then electorate was able to vote for seven representatives in the Legislative Council.
In addition to his legal and political work, David was also one of the original members of the Board of Management of the Royal Victoria Institute, an elected member of the Committee of Management of the Trinidad Public Library and Vice Chairman of the Trinidad Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association heralds Hall of Honour Inductee His Honour Cyrus Prudhomme David K.C. - An early advocate for representative or elective government and a judicial and legal servant of the people.
Hailing from the village of Roxborough in the Island of Tobago, Dr. Jefferson Davidson is known for his humility and for his commitment to both family and country.
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He began his education at the Ebenezer Methodist School in Betsy’s Hope, Tobago. From there, he went on to Bishop’s High School also in Tobago and subsequently attended Queen’s Royal College in 1944.
Dr. Davidson was valedictorian of his graduating class at Acadia University, Canada from which he holds a B.Sc. He also holds a M.Sc. in Animal Breeding and Genetics from Cornell University, USA and a Ph.D. in Genetics from McGill University in Canada.
Notwithstanding his academic training in the sciences, public service was his true calling. He is a former Chairman of The Tobago House of Assembly and held several other important posts, such as Secretary of Agriculture, in the Assembly for some twenty years. During his time as a politician, Dr. Davidson advocated strongly for greater autonomy for Tobago, promoting, in this respect, the idea of a fully independent Tobago ‘with secure territorial boundaries’.
In addition to his career in politics, Dr. Davidson is also a published author with several of his scientific papers being published in various international scientific journals. He is also the author of two books; Tobago versus P.N.M. (1979) and more recently A Chronicle of the Tobago House of Assembly (1976 – 2013) in May 2017.
Dr. Davidson has been a teacher as well as a lecturer but remains a good old-fashioned Tobago farmer.
In 2015, Dr. Davidson was the recipient of the Public Service Medal of Merit (Gold). On receiving this National Award, he was reported as saying that he never felt that what he was doing over these many years was deserving of a National Award. As far as he was concerned, he was ‘simply doing what was expected of him by his family.’ He credits his accomplishments in life to his strict Methodist religious upbringing which has served him well throughout the years.
In his retirement, he operates a medical laboratory in Scarborough, Tobago together with his wife and business partner.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association salutes Hall of Honour Inductee Dr. Jefferson Davidson- A true son of the soil of Tobago, a committed public official and exemplar.
Scholar, humanitarian, lecturer, author and pioneer in the field of neurosurgery, Professor Emeritus Felix Durity is well known for his commitment to the advancement of the field of medicine and providing quality care to his patients. Born in San Fernando, Trinidad, Durity attended Presentation College until 1953 and then attended Queen’s Royal College (Q.R.C.) during the period 1954 to 1956.
According to Dr. Durity, he “experienced an entirely heightened academic experience at Q.R.C. in Languages, where he has fond memories of his teachers, but in particular, the somewhat cynical but entirely adorable classes in Latin led by Mr. Isaacs. It was pure joy and excitement to come to classes where an open mind was encouraged, debate was vigorous and there was a pervasive ambience of freedom!”
At Q.R.C., Durity came first in Spanish at the Higher School Certificate Examination in 1955 and was awarded the Stollmeyer Spanish Prize. He was also the recipient of the C.S. Doorly Latin Prize awarded to the student coming first in Latin in the Higher School Certificate Examination.
Durity attended the University of British Columbia (UBC) Canada where he received his B.A. in Biology in 1958, graduating as one of five students on the Dean’s Honour Roll. He then graduated from UBC as an MD in 1963 with an Alpha Omega Alpha membership – reserved for the top five percent of students. He then became the first trainee in Neurosurgery at UBC and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada in Neurosurgery in 1970.
From July 1973 to December 1974 Professor Durity was a Research Fellow in Cerebrovascular Physiology in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania. He returned to UBC where he was Head of Neurosurgery until 2002 and later that year became the visiting professor to the West Indies and then to Ghana in 2003. His clinical work focused on trauma and problems related to increased intracranial pressure, cerebral vascular disease, and skull-based surgery.
Professor Durity has received numerous awards including the Rocke Robertson, AD Forward and AD Mackenzie Awards from UBC for the best undergraduate and postgraduate teaching (1986, 1999, 2000, 2001), the “Best Doctors in Canada” (1998), the Award of Excellence at UBC Medicine’s Golden Jubilee, the BCMA Cam Coady Award for Excellence and Humanitarianism (2004), the UBC Medical Alumni Wallace Wilson Leadership Award for lifetime excellence, the Order of British Columbia, and Honorary Membership in the Canadian Medical Association.
However, it is Professor Durity’s bedside manner that makes him a neurosurgeon extraordinaire. He is well known for sleeping in the Emergency Room to be on hand for the next patient to arrive with a head injury. He cares for each of his patients and extends his time and efforts to them.
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The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association Hall salutes Hall of Honour Inductee Professor Emeritus Felix Durity for his commitment to the field of medicine.
Born on February 10th 1867 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, Robert Alexander Falconer attended Queen’s Royal College (Q.R.C.) after his father, a Presbyterian minister, was posted to a church in Trinidad. Falconer won the coveted Island Scholarship from Q.R.C. in 1884 and entered the University of Edinburgh in Scotland where he graduated with an M.A. in 1889. He later spent three years at the Divinity School of the Free Church of Scotland.
Though ordained in 1892 he never held a clerical position, but excelled in academia and became an influential educator. He first took a lectureship at the Presbyterian College in Halifax, Nova Scotia where he taught New Testament Greek and later, was made Professor of New Testament Exegesis. In 1907 he became the 5th President of the University of Toronto and served in that Office for 25 years. He understood the importance of integrating academics with practical application and during his tenure introduced more vocational curricula combined with higher degree programmes. He was published in several learned journals.
Sir Robert was knighted in 1917 for his advocacy of wartime recruitment, despite his failure to retain German faculty members in 1914. He was also an advocate of amicable international relations between English speaking nations, but was averse to advocating America’s dominance of these affairs.
He is well known for having written several books on current affairs including- The German Tragedy and its Meaning for Canada (1915), Idealism in National Character (1920) and The United States as a Neighbor (1926).
Always proud of his Alma Mater, the Q.R.C. 100 records at page 29 that “Old Boy” Sir Robert Falconer wrote in 1917 to the then Principal Mr. Burslem:-
“My school days are very frequently in my memory, and I am sure that the thorough training which I received during the eight years I was at the Royal College made possible whatever success I have since attained. It was a good school. We were well taught, and I cannot forget what Mr. Miles, Mr. Burke and others did for me.”
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In 1929 Sir Robert declined the principalship of the University of Edinburgh due to ill health and later retired in 1932. A quintessential academic he produced his most notable contribution of religious scholarship - Pastoral Epistles in 1937.Sir Robert was also President of the Royal Society of Canada (1931 - 1932). He died on November 4th, 1943.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association recognises the invaluable contributions of Hall of Honour Inductee the late Sir. Robert Alexander Falconer- Scholar, educator and influencer.
Donald “Jackie” Hinkson, born on the 13th of September 1942, attended Richmond Street Boys’ Primary School where he won a Government Exhibition to Queen’s Royal College (Q.R.C.), his father’s Alma Mater and where his two older brothers were then enrolled. It was at primary school that he produced his first drawings, mostly copies from comic and other books. His excursion in oils began at Q.R.C. and which would see him perusing the shelves of the Central Library on Queen’s Park East to look for books on art. He developed a friendship and collaborated with fellow Q.R.C. student Peter Minshall which culminated in an exhibition in 1961 of five young artists inclusive of Pat Bishop, Alice Greenhall from the Bishop Anstey High School and Arthur Webb, another Q.R.C student, held at the Art Society’s headquarters.
After completing his A Levels in Languages, Hinkson enrolled at the Academie Julien, Paris, in 1963 on a one year French Government scholarship in art. In 1965 he attended the University of Alberta, Edmonton, on a five year Canadian Government scholarship. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with distinction in 1969 and a diploma in Education in 1970.
He immediately returned to Trinidad to honour his contractual agreement with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and began teaching art at his Alma Mater until 1986 when he resigned to become a professional artist. In the past 47 years, Hinkson has held innumerable regional and international exhibitions of his work. His murals adorn many buildings, the biggest of which is now installed in the atrium of BPTT’s Queens Park West Plaza Port of Spain.
Hinkson has published several books of his works among them “What Things Are True” his memoir of becoming an artist. In 2010 his collection of some 100 sketch pads were inscribed into the UNESCO Heritage Trinidad and Tobago Memory of the World Register. They are to be donated to the University of the West Indies. He is currently working on his book on 50 years of his watercolours to be launched in September.
Hinkson married Caryl Blache-Fraser in 1967 and has three children. His two sons attended Q.R.C. and, two of his nine grandchildren are currently enrolled at Q.R.C.
In 2011, the University of the West Indies conferred on Hinkson the Degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, the citation stating, inter alia, “He is to the visual arts what (Peter) Minshall is to MAS and Pat Bishop was to song...”
A committed son of the College, Hinkson is a Past President of the QRC Old Boys’ Association. In 2016, the College was the recipient of a combination of Hinkson’s love for art and for his Alma Mater when he generously donated a seventeen (17) foot long frieze of his drawings of important chapters of QRC’s History commencing with the College’s beginning as Queen’s Collegiate School. This pictorial history has been mounted in the North Block.
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The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association welcomes home Hall of Honour Inductee Donald “Jackie” Hinkson and acknowledges his deep devotion to the development of the fine arts in Trinidad and Tobago - painter and sculptor extraordinaire.
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hristmas would not be the same in Trinidad and Tobago without hearing the voice of entertainer, national icon and living legend, Kelwyn Hutcheon streaming through the airwaves. In his 69 year career, his name has become synonymous with the season in very much the same way as fruit cake, parang and gift giving, with beautiful renditions such as Kiss Me for Christmas, Happy Holiday, How I wish I were a Child Again and At Christmas your Heart goes Home.
A Queen’s Royal College alumnus, Hutcheon began singing at the age of 11 where he became a staple on Radio Trinidad featured on the segment The Boy Wonder of Trinidad–Kelwyn Hutcheon Sings. The show ran for 3 years and ended when Hutcheon went from boy soprano to a sultry tenor. He resumed singing at age 19 with the Tom Durham Orchestra, and his popularity earned him another radio contract in 1954.
In 1960 he recorded “An Orchid for You”, written by the composer of the Trinidad and Tobago National Anthem, the late Patrick Castagne. Hutcheon prides himself on singing songs written by local composers but does not shy away from singing other songs by the greats such as Bing Crosby, Mel Torme and Louis Satchmo Armstrong. However, it is for Castagne’s Kiss Me for Christmas that he is most recognised.
In December 2006 Hutcheon was presented with a 20-year continuous performance award by Former President of Trinidad and Tobago His Excellency Professor George Maxwell Richards on behalf of the Carols by Candlelight Committee. Hutcheon has also been featured in six (6) editions of Caribbean Airlines’ inflight Magazine Caribbean Beat.
Hutcheon describes himself as “Trini to the bone,” and said he will continue to entertain the public, “as long as my voice permits.”
In the 2015 National Awards, Hutcheon was the recipient of the Hummingbird Medal (Silver) for Loyal and Devoted Service to Trinidad and Tobago.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association celebrates the voice and talent of Kelwyn Hutcheon and welcomes him to the Hall of Honour.
In his novel “The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne” playwright and novelist William John Locke writes - “no matter through what realms of the fantastic you may travel, you arrive inevitably at the commonplace.” Through his writings, Locke took the reader through fantastic worlds that inevitably lead to common understandings about love, relationships and human nature.
Originally from (then) British Guiana, Locke attended Queen’s Royal College and was Head Boy. He was also an ardent rugby player and known as “Red” Locke because of his flaming red hair. A brilliant student, he won the prestigious Island Scholarship in 1895. Locke entered St. John’s College, Cambridge University and graduated with Honours in Mathematics in 1884. He became a Schoolmaster but was not particularly fond of this vocation. He subsequently became the Secretary of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1897- a post he held for a decade.
Locke published his first novel in 1894 – “At the Gates of Samaria” to little acclaim. It was not until 1905, with his novel “The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne” and in 1906 “The Beloved Vagabond” that he truly achieved success. Locke’s success in America and Britain cannot be understated. His books have made the New York Times BestSellers List on five occasions, and his works have been made into 24 motion pictures including the famous 1918 film “Stella Maris” and the 2004 film “Ladies in Lavender” (with stars Dame Judi Dench and Maggie Smith). In addition, four of his books were made into Broadway plays.
Locke died in Paris, France in 1930.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association acknowledges the phenomenal contribution to Literature by Hall of Honour Inductee the late William John Locke.
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The power of the word, in the riddum of the word.
These words of Lutalo Masimba, more popularly known as Brother Resistance, define the essence of a ‘rootical’ world beat called Rapso which is the poetry of calypso blended with the African rhythms of Trinidad and Tobago. Like the late Lancelot Layne, a 2009 Q.R.C. Hall of Honour Inductee, Masimba has been instrumental in developing the musical genre “Rapso”.
A 1973 graduate of Queen’s Royal College, Masimba was engaged in cultural activities even when at College. He was a member of the team that rekindled the College’s steelband and was also involved in developing its calypso competition. He was also part of the team which represented QRC in the first Mas Competition for Schools. He also spearheaded football chants to urge on the College’s football team and in 1973 won the National School’s Disc Jockey competition representing QRC with the sobriquet “Resistance”.
Masimba obtained a B.A. in History and Economics from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Trinidad, where he served as Vice President of the Student Guild. Later, he graduated from the University of Trinidad and Tobago with an M.A. in Carnival Arts.
An internationally acclaimed artiste with performances worldwide, Masimba is also a published author and actor playing the lead role of Aldrick in Earl Lovelace’s “The Dragon Can’t Dance” and being nominated for a Cacique Award.
He is currently President of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Association and has also served as President of the Copyright Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago, President of the Writers’ Union of Trinidad and Tobago and President of the Staff Association of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago.
Masimba has conducted workshops on Calypso, Rapso and the Oral Traditions of Trinidad and Tobago at several Universities and Educational Institutions locally and abroad.
In 1980 he won the National Poetry Award and, in 1992 he was awarded the Humming Bird Medal (Silver). Masimba was honoured in 2011 as one of fifty distinguished Alumni of the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies.
The QRC Old Boys’ Association applauds Hall of Honour Inductee Lutalo Makosa Masimba more popularly called “Brother Resistance’, for his outstanding contribution to the culture and music of Trinidad and Tobago- Rapso Musical “Ambassador Extraordinaire”.
General Sir Frank Walter Messervy was born in Trinidad on 9th December 1893. He was the son of Myra de Boissiere who married an Englishman, Walter Messervy. Young Messervy attended Queen’s Royal College and then Eton College in England. In 1913, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and was commissioned into the Indian Army as a 2nd Lieutenant.
In 1914, he joined the 9th Hodson’s Horse. He saw action in the First World War in France, Palestine and Syria but, the emotional scars of that war called him home where he spent time recuperating with his family.He subsequently returned to the United Kingdom where he attended the Camberley Staff College, becoming a brevet Major in 1929 and a brevet Lieutenant- Colonel in 1933.
During the Second World War he was promoted Colonel on the Staff of the 5th Indian Division, Ethiopia in 1939 and, subsequently, made Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for conspicuous bravery. Thereafter he was promoted Major General and made Commander - 4th Indian Division, North Africa (1940-1941), Commander - 1st Armoured Division, North Africa (1941), Commander - 7th Armoured Division, Operation Battle-axe (1941-1942), Commander - 43rd Indian Division, India (1942-1943) and Commander - 7th Indian Division Arakan 1943 where he was awarded his second Distinguished Service Order following the capture of Mutlulla.
Messervy, mentioned in despatches four times, was promoted Lieutenant General. He was made Commander of the IV Corps Burma where he also took the surrender 1944-1945. He took the surrender of all Japanese forces in Malaya on behalf of the Allies and was promoted Full General in 1945.
His willingness to join his men in the trenches earned him the sobriquet “the Spearhead General” and his tendency not to shave in battle saw him referred to as “the Bearded man”.
After the Second World War, Messervy was made General Officer Commander-inChief Northern Command India from 1946-1947 and, with the partition of India, he served as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army from 1947-1948.
Messervy retired in 1948. Thereafter, he served as Deputy Chief Scout and as a Berkshire County Councillor.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association salutes Hall of Honour Inductee General Sir Frank Walter Messervy – “a Soldier’s Soldier”.
The students of Queen’s Royal College are known for excellence in academia as well as sport, and Victor Noel was no exception. He entered the College on a teaching bursary in 1920.
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He excelled in sports generally and track and field competition in particular. He represented the College in track competitions in Barbados against the Lodge School. His experience in the world of sport would serve him later on, as his passion for athletics led him into several sporting administrative roles.
Noel entered the Teachers’ Training College in 1927, and upon graduation was immediately appointed Principal of Anglican Schools. First, St Patrick’s at Mt. Pleasant, Tobago; and then, in 1935, at the St. Joseph’s Anglican School. Later, he was transferred to the St, Mary’s Anglican School in Tacarigua. His next assignment was at the St. Paul’s Anglican School in San Fernando where as Head teacher he prepared pupils for the College Exhibition Examination some of whom won the Madoo Medal for placing First in the Country in that examination. Among his many pupils were former President of the Republic His Excellency Professor George Maxwell Richards T.C, and former Principal of Q.R.C. Walter Jones (both Hall of Honour Inductees). Noel was transferred to Richmond Street Boys’ Anglican School in 1946 where his pupils continued to win the Madoo Medal.
In 1958 Noel became a School Supervisor in the Ministry of Education, and upon his retirement was appointed Vice Chairman of the Statutory Boards Commission. He later became the Assistant Secretary of the Teachers’ Union, and represented the National Youth Council at the World Assembly of Youth as one of its Executive Members.
His love for sport ever present, Noel was an administrator in several sporting associations. He was a referee and member of the Lanes Football Club in the Southern Amateur Football Association, Captain of the Goodwill Cricket Team and Secretary of the Amateur Athletic Association. In 1956 he was one of the pioneers in the creation of the West Indies Athletic Championships. In 1958 he hosted the Second West Indies Athletic Championships at the Queen’s Park Oval and was also Manager of Trinidad and Tobago’s Track and Field Team at the Commonwealth Games.
Noel’s diligence and commitment to service were present right up to the very end of his life. While serving as the Acting Chairman of the Statutory Boards Commission he passed away in 1985.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association recognises the outstanding contributions of Hall of Honour Inductee the late Victor Noel…Educator par excellence.
Dr. Merlyn Price first attended Tranquility School and later Queen’s Royal College (Q.R.C.) where he graduated in 1955. While at Q.R.C. he represented the College at tennis and cricket, was the pianist for the Q.R.C. music group when they performed on Radio Trinidad, and he was Captain of “C” House.
Dr. Price has had a distinguished professional career, first in electrical engineering and then in medicine. In 1961 he graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Electrical Engineering from Manchester University, England. Later, he went on to receive a M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. During the pursuit of his Master’s Degree, Price developed a mathematical proof for the complete torque characteristics of single phase induction — the first proof that gave the value of the double frequency torque in single phase induction motors. He later worked as a design engineer for several notable projects including “The Great Athabasca Oil Sands” project and a secret U.S. military project.
Despite his incredible success in engineering Dr. Price switched careers and entered the field of optometry, focusing primarily on research. He graduated from the University of Berkeley with a B.Sc. in Optometry and went on to the medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. In true Q.R.C. fashion, Dr. Price became the first student to complete an M.D. in three years at the University. This great achievement was followed by a three-year residency in Family Practice and later, he became a Diplomate and Fellow of the American Board of Family Practice. He eventually went into private practice where he retired.
Dr. Price is committed to sharing his knowledge with young, promising doctors in his field. He was a full-time teacher at University of California, San Francisco and later became an Assistant Clinical Professor, Assistant Chief of Family Practice at Valley Medical Center in Fresno, California and part-time teacher of “Medical Law and Ethics” at Fresno Community College.
Well known for his work in the community, Dr. Price was recognized as a distinguished citizen of the Golden State (California). In 2000 he won the prestigious National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Fresno Chapter Image Award for Health, an award that he values dearly. Dr. Price has also received Certificates of Recognition from the Mayor of Fresno, the California State Assembly and the Senate and Congress of the United States.
The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association proudly salutes Hall of Honour Inductee Dr. Merlyn Price - Renaissance Man and Humanitarian
Eustace Edward Seignoret was born in Curepe in eastern Trinidad on 16th February 1925.
He attended Queen’s Royal College and later Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1948. He subsequently proceeded to the University of Wales where, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Agricultural Chemistry.
Seignoret first worked as an agricultural officer in the Department of Agriculture from 1953 until 1958. He then served as Deputy Secretary and Administrative Officer in the West Indies Federal Civil Service from 1958 until 1962. With the demise of the Federation of the West Indies, Seignoret joined the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Service as an Assistant Secretary in 1962.
As a Trinidad and Tobago Foreign Service Officer, Seignoret was first posted as First Secretary to the Permanent Mission of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations in New York from 1962 until 1965 and remained a career diplomat throughout his entire public service career that culminated in several ambassadorial appointments. His first was as Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations in New York from 1971 to 1975.
During this New York assignment, Seignoret served with distinction as Vice Chairman of the UN Special Committee against apartheid and was simultaneously appointed by Government in 1973 as Trinidad and Tobago’s first and non-resident Ambassador to Cuba.
He served subsequently as Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Head of the Foreign Service, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and as High Commissioner to Guyana. Ambassador Seignoret retired in 1985. He also received the Chaconia Medal in that year.
Following his diplomatic career, Seignoret continued his advocacy against apartheid serving as the first Chairperson of the Anti-Apartheid Organization of Trinidad and Tobago. Seignoret was passionate about enforcing sanctions against sportsmen who had played in South Africa and had the distinct honour of being a Commonwealth Observer for South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994.
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The Queen’s Royal College Old Boys’ Association lauds the commendable dedication of Hall of Honour Inductee and distinguished retired Diplomat Eustace Edward Seignoret for his outstanding public service and efforts at both the global and national levels in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa— A diplomat of the highest order and anti-apartheid advocate extraordinaire.
SsourCes
Bahadur SIngh, Indar JIt
• In the Service of the Public by J R P Dumas;
• Q. R.C. 2004.
Bennett, OlIver Penlyn
• Biographical Note submitted to the QRC Old Boys’ Association;
• Trinidad and Tobago Sports Hall of Fame;
CharleS, hOllIS raymOnd
• Biographical Note submitted to the Q.R.C. Old Boys’ Association;
• UWI Today.
davId, CyruS PrudhOmme
• Port of Spain Gazette of Tuesday 16th October 1923;
• The Book of Trinidad by Gerard Besson and Bridget Brereton;
• Q.R.C. 2004.
davIdSOn, JefferSOn
• Biographical Note submitted to the Q.R.C. Old Boys’ Association
durIty, felIx
• Biographical Note submitted to the Q.R.C. Old Boys’ Association;
• Q.R.C.100.
falCOner, rOBert a.
• Q.R.C.100;
• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia;
• The Canadian Encyclopedia;
• Quebec History Marianopolis College.
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hInKSOn, dOnald “JaCKIe”
• Biographical Note submitted to the Q.R. C. Old Boys’ Association;
• UWI Today.
hutCheOn, KelWyn
• Biographical Note submitted to the Q.R.C. Old Boys’ Association.
lOCKe, WIllIam J.
• Q.R.C. 100;
• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
maSImBa, lutala
• Biographical Note submitted to the Q.R.C. Old Boys’ Association.
meSServy, franK
• Biographical Notes Chaguaramas Military Museum – Kelshall, Gaylord Lt. Cmdr.;
• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia;
• The Caribbean History Archives by Paria Publishing Co Ltd
• Spearhead General - Maule, Henry
nOel, vICtOr
• Biographical Note submitted to the QRC Old Boys’ Association.
PrICe, merlyn
• Biographical Note submitted to the Q.R.C. Old Boys’ Association.
SeIgnOret, euStaCe
• Biographical Note submitted to the Q.R.C. Old Boys’ Association.
AaCknowledgements LIENOInnovations
Produced by LIENO Innovations Ltd.
All Biographies were written by Karryl Whitehall-Morren and compiled and edited by Lt. Col. Anthony Whitehall.
Special thanks, to Justice Rolston Nelson and Mr Phillip Sealy for their critical reviews and inputs.
Very Special thanks to Master Ralph Doyle for his patient and diligent research and editorial input.
The sketches of the Q.R.C.Main building used by the kind permission of Donald “Jackie” Hinkson.
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queen’s royal college old boys’ association