Month: June 2026

The Life and Times of Mona Baptiste

Mona Baptiste, passenger No.7 on the historic voyage of the Empire Windrush from the Caribbean to England in 1948, was born on 21st June 1926. We continue our celebration of the centenary of her birth with a short film that tells how she came to be on board the Windrush and what became of her after the ship docked at Tilbury.  Of the many passengers on board the ship, Mona was arguably the most talented and would go on to be one of the most successful.

It was a remarkable life. She was a remarkable woman and you can watch the film and learn more about her by clicking on the image below:

We are grateful to Dr. Milton Brown, Chris Morgan and the team at KirkleeslocalTV.com for making this tribute possible.

 

 

21st June 2026: Celebrating Mona Baptiste’s Centenary

After a voyage of over four thousand miles and a full month on board the Empire Windrush, this is the sight that greeted Mona Baptiste on the day of her twenty-second birthday.

She had left behind her in Trinidad, family, friends and a burgeoning career; ahead lay an uncertain future in a country ravaged by war and blighted by racism.

It is evident from this photo, taken at Tilbury at the time of her disembarkation the day after her birthday, that she was looking forward to whatever the future might hold.

We know now that she would enjoy a multi-faceted career on the radio, television, on stage, in cabaret shows and on the silver screen. There were two marriages as well, one disastrous, the other idyllic. It was a full life, cut tragically short by a sudden illness in 1993 at the age of sixty-seven.

The full story of her remarkable life and career can be found in our book ‘What About the Princess? The Life and Times of Mona Baptiste’.

Today we celebrate Mona Baptiste.