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
