Circular No 757

Newsletter for alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.

Caracas, 8 May 2016 No. 757

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Dear Friends,

Here is another well appreciated life story that I found interesting with information of family connexions to Trini families.

Maybe you readers can work up something similar.

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From: Charles-Henri Dunoyer de Noirmont

Sent: Sunday, January 3, 2016 11:03 AM

Subject:: Joel Guy Blandin

As requested, here is the story of my life after Mount.

Mount Schooldays

You asked if I knew “Toby”.  Joël Blandin and I were in Prep "B" at Mount St Benedict in 1958-59. I remember him very well, altogether with de Leuze and another Frenchman, nicknamed "Funny" whose family name I forget.

I was not in good terms with him, since he was somewhat of a bully to me, and heavier than myself.

We were the only three Frenchmen among a throng of Trinis and Brits, and more often than not I had a rough time. 

Luckily, my old friend Gerald Kenny, now deceased, came to my rescue.

I remember inviting Blandin for holidays at my aunt's: Mrs de Pompignan, in Mayaro, to mellow his feelings towards myself, but it did not work as much as expected. I have a picture of us, which I attach. Blandin is sitting first on the left.  I sit next to him.

The picture was taken at my aunt's, Mrs Chantal de Pompigan, at her estate on Mayaro Beach during a holiday in 1958.Mrs. de Pompignan had married the brother of my grandmother, Mrs. Agostini, born Elisabeth de Pompignan.  She stands behind the children, (circular 740) amongst whom are my two sisters, and our Trinidad cousins, Florence and Christiane Agostini. The other picture is of me taken at the time I was at Mount St Benedict. (circular 746)

I cannot say I have good memories of my schooldays at the Abbey School. My parents had divorced dramatically, my mother snatched my sister and me away from Rome, Italy, where I was born and lived happily during my first 8 years. She took us to France, then to Trinidad, then back to France a certain number of times.

I felt sad at Mount from being away from my new home in Port of Spain.  The food was disgusting; I was grappling with English, and battling with the Imperial measures: pounds, ounces, poles, furlongs, fathoms and else, all totally foreign to me.

Plus "Bobo" and the "Dean", armed with his cane.

The only friendly priest I remember was Brother Vincent.

I had no friends, except Gerald Kenny.

Coming back to Trinidad in 2007, to take care of my aging mother, I was glad to meet again with Gerald Kenny and Brian Lewis, the best swimmer of our time.

I also met a priest, Anthony de Verteuil, very shortly, in the plane between Trinidad and Barbados. He was also at the Mount. We did not recognize each other, but reading his name on the tag on his bag, I ventured to ask him whether he was the boy I had known.  Bingo!

I remember having invited him for holidays in my Grandfather's "Constance Estate" in Icacos, during some holiday, possibly in 1959.

I believe he (Michael Anthony de Verteuil) wrote a book: “Great Estates of Trinidad" which I have here and in which there is a genealogy of my Trinidadian grandparents: Frank and Elisabeth Agostini.

Since my mother died here, after I brought her to France, to receive better medical treatment for her Alzheimer disease, I have had no more occasions to return to Trinidad.  All that I loved there has turned to ruins: 

My Grandparent's mansion at 145 Henry Street is in shambles, Constance Estate in Icacos was swept away by the sea, and Montserrat Estates were sold.

Mrs. Danielle Agostini, my aunt, and her son Philippe are my only family still living in Trinidad.

My military career:

So far as my military career is concerned, it folds into two parts:

First, I served 30 years within the Army (Armour) and second, 12 years within the French Armed Forces Inspectorate, which is directly subordinated to the Defence Minister, with full powers of investigation within all the Armed Forces, Army, Navy, Air Force, etc.

Within the Army, 

After graduating out of the Saint Cyr Military Academy in 1970, as a second Lieutenant, I selected the Armor and was sent for a year's course at the Armour School, in Saumur.

After that, I served 3 years in a Scout car Regiment in Perigueux, in the South West of France, not far from where my aunt, Mrs de Pompignan, had retired after selling her estate in Mayaro.

Then I volunteered to serve in the French Foreign Legion, a privilege reserved for the 5 best ranked cadets of St Cyr (I came out N° 2).  I spent a year in Corsica, instructing young Legionnaires the "Basics", during a cycle of 4 months, repeated 3 times, without stop.

Then I was assigned to a scout car regiment belonging to the French Foreign Legion in Orange (South East of France) and promoted Captain.  There, I married Anne-Claude de Chasteigner, whom I had met in Perigueux.

I was then assigned to the command of a tank company in Kaiserslauern, Germany, during 3 years, from 1977 to 1980.

I was selected in January 1980 to join the Staff College in Compiègne, North of Paris, for a 6 months course.  Then I was assigned as a gunnery instructor at the Armor School for officers and non-commissioned officers.

During the two years from 1980 to 1982 I went through working at night and holidays to prepare the examination for promotion to a higher rank.  When I was selected, I went through 4 years of studies, 2 at the Institute for Political Sciences in Paris, 2 more at the War College also in Paris.

As a Major, I was the assigned from 1986 to 1988 to the Army Headquarters in charge of management, recruitment of officers, non-commissioned officers, and enlisted personnel.

On promotion to Lt Colonel I was assigned to a tank regiment in Lunéville, in the East of France, as "Operation officer" in charge of training, budget, and ultimately, and later as Second in Command to my Commanding Officer from 1988 to 1990.

On return to Headquarters, I was put in charge of the new policy of recruiting, after France had discarded the draft, and switched to an-all enlisted personnel.

As Colonel, I was then selected to command a tank regiment in Laon, North East from Paris, for two years from 1992 to 1994

Shortly after being back to Headquarters, I was assigned to NATO's Headquarters in Naples, Italy, to serve as second in command of the "Press Information Office" of Nato's operations: "Implementation Force" (IFOR) in former Yugoslavia. These headquarters were deployed in Sarajevo in November-December 1995 to put an end to the bitter civil war raging in Yugoslavia ever since 1992 between Croats, Serbs and Bosnians.

There, I was assigned to the cabinet of a four star American Admiral, Leighton Smith, rather puzzled to have as a subordinate, and spokesperson, a French colonel speaking English with a slight "Trini" accent.  I am sure he wondered for some time if I were a spy.

I worked with a small team of foreign officers, among which a US Navy Captain, a US Air Force Colonel, a British Major, an Italian Lt Colonel reserve officer, and I, were in charge of some 40 persons: officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers coming from all NATO's countries, serving night and day at the Press Center.

The small team ended up in "a band of brothers”, still keeping in touch and meeting from time to time in Paris, Rome, or in San Diego, USA.

I set up the NATO Press Information Office (PIO), from scratch in Sarajevo, and stayed there almost a year.

Due to my knowledge of English, thanks to my student days at Mount St Benedict, perfected during my lengthy civilian and military studies, I was one of the very few French high ranking officers able to deliver press conferences, daily, in English, to the international Press media people in Sarajevo, some 90 of them, not all pleasant.

Looking by chance at CNN News in Trinidad, my mother nearly fainted to hear and see her son on TV from Sarajevo, since I did not have time to warn her beforehand of my new assignment.

On returning from Sarajevo, in 1996 I went through preparing, at night and on holidays, a new selection for being an Inspector General of the French Armed forces. I was selected out of 8 candidates.

Armed Forces Inspectorate

The second part of my career starts in 1997.

As an Inspector general, I specialized in the control of international procurement programs for the Army, Navy and Air force, be it missiles, tanks, guns, ammunition, photo equipment, etc, dealing with industry, finance and allied staff.

I resigned in 2008, to take care of my aging mother, until her death, in Rambouillet Hospital. 

There goes a 42 year-long military career, and here I attach a photograph of an old Alumnus of the Abbey School Mt St Benedict taken at a recent wedding.

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Kazim Abasali <empowerwithart@gmail.com>

Apr 21 at 3:52 AM

Hi Nigel,

The MSB Database is updated with the latest updates.

Just have to get those photos from moving around.

Will work on that......Kaz

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On Sun, Apr 10, 2016 at 1:30 AM,

Kazim Abasali <empowerwithart@gmail.com> wrote:

May he rest in peace. Nigel, I posted on Facebook for the Boys.

Will update the database too.

Take care, God bless you and family.....Kaz

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On Sat, Apr 9, 2016 at 6:47 PM,

Nigel Boos <nigelboos@gmail.com> wrote:

Kazim,

I hope this email finds you in improving health.

I’ve been informed this morning by Trevor Evelyn, that MSB Old Boy, Scipio Soodeen has died and is now before his God and Judge.

May he rest in peace.

I did not know him, but he is the cousin to Dr. Tyrone and Trevor, his older brother. Scope lived in Barbados.

Please pass on this news to the MSB OBs, and thank you again for your continuing good service to our little community.

Have a nice day.

Nigel

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EDITED by Ladislao Kertesz.  Contact me at kertesz11@yahoo.com, if you would like to be in the circular’s mailing list or there is any Old Boy that you would like to include.

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Photos:

15CD0002CDU, Charles de Noirmont

15LK3728FBALAWFE, Arnold Lawrence and wife

09LK4975FBRLEWFE, Raul Leoni and wife

08LK4967FBRAF, Richard Farah