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.