We were thrilled to stumble across a photo of Mona that we hadn’t seen before. It was on the topfoto.co.uk site and captures Mona just before she disembarked from the Empire Windrush. It was taken the day after her 22nd birthday and shows a young woman eagerly looking forward to her new life.
Since our book was published Mona’s second husband, Liam, has dredged the recesses of his memory and offered us some fresh insights.
There was a well-established story on the internet that Mona found work in a jewellery shop soon after arriving in London and it was here that she was spotted by the wife of the bandleader Ted Heath or someone else connected with the band. But was the story true? Liam has this to say:
Mona wasn’t one for hanging around! I do recall she mentioned working soon after arriving but not any of the details. Her earliest non-performing work was in a jewellers shop where she was very happy with her employer, and which kept her in funds while she hustled for musical work. I think she stayed there for about a year before the career took off.
No mention of Ted Heath but the original story is half confirmed.
A second query we had was how Mona had paid for a 1st class ticket on the Windrush (£48, about £1200 in today’s money). Again Liam has something to add:
Am quite sure she paid her own Windrush passage as she actually mentioned it at some stage; saving up herself and also getting some contribution from good friend/s She was proud of that being able to purchase first class herself.
Perhaps more will emerge. We can’t wait!
Meanwhile, if you haven’t yet got your copy, What About the Princess? is available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-about-Princess-times-Baptiste/dp/B0B1BNCCBJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ALANUXC5NDAS&keywords=what+about+the+princess&qid=1654861137&sprefix=what+about+the+princess%2Caps%2C1447&sr=8-1