Circular No 967

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

Caracas, 16 of May 2020 No. 967

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Dear Friends,

There follows an exchange between Charles-Henri Dunoyer de Noirmont, and Don Mitchell.

Interesting insights.

I must clarify the numbering system that I use in the pictures,

First two numbers represent the year on which the photo was taken.

Second two letters represent the author of the picture if we know, otherwise UN for unknown, or LK for Ladislao Kertesz.

The next four numbers are either a sequence or numbers taken and used from facebook.

FB means that I have downloaded it from facebook.

Other letters have to do with those in the photo or GRP for group, FAM for family, or WFE for wife, etc.

EXAMPLE: 10CD0010CDUFAM

The picture was taken in 2010, by CD Charles Henri Dunoyer De Noirmont, 0010, number of photo, CDU Charles Henry de Noirmont, FAM, family

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Love is the way. Into Your Hands - A Brand New Canticle by Nigel Boos & The Assumption Chorale.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra_OQvGMd7M

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idmitch@anguillanet.com

18 Apr 2020, 15:52

Hello, Charles,

How good to hear back from you with photographs.

I am forwarding this reply to Ladislao, in case he would like to feature some of the photographs in his Circular, for the benefit especially of the Old Boys who were at Mount during the time that you were there.

The one of you with Joel Blandin in 1958 was previously published in Circular No 740 in 2016 when you sent it to us.

But the others are new.

Keep well, and wear your facemask when you go shopping.

Best,

Don

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From: Charles-Henri Dunoyer de Noirmont <chdenoirmont@hotmail.fr>

Sent: Saturday, 18 April 2020 13:21

Dear Don,

Your wife is right.

It is actually the picture of my "Confirmation " in April 1959, just after returning from Trinidad at the "Ecole Lacordaire", in Marseille held by Dominicans.

I had been already 3 years in that same college before departing to Trinidad for a year at the Mount.

I do not have any photographs of my time at the Mount and I doubt any of us has, since privately-owned cameras were scarce.  I believe that only "official" photographs are to be found, or taken by parents when visiting their sons.

I have a picture of Joël Blandin and myself, plus my sisters and cousins in 1958. He sits first from left, I sit next to him.  At that time, he was living in Saint Claude, Guadeloupe.

I send you another picture of yours truly taken in March 1959, somewhat less religious.  (I am still an avid hunter).

Also, a picture of my family.  From left to right: Amaury de Laforcade, husband of our daughter Hortense, myself, my wife Anne Claude, our daughter Pauline, our son Edouard.

And a more recent picture of myself in "full regalia" at Pauline's wedding.  Time passes by so quickly!

I had invited Joel to spend some holidays at my uncle and aunt de Pompignan, at that time living in Mayaro.

Of de la Horie I have nothing to share.

Best regards. 

Charles 

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idmitch@anguillanet.com

18 Apr 2020, 11:06

Hello again, Charles Henri,

I see now why I must have forgotten the incident.  As I understand the psychology of it, we are more likely to remember our little triumphs, but our failures are, in time, blotted out of our memory. It helps with maintaining our self-esteem and to stop us harbouring bad feelings 

What a charming boy in that 1959 photograph.  From the gown you are wearing, it must have been taken at what in English we call your “Confirmation”.  My wife tells me that at about seven years we went through a Roman Catholic ritual called “First Communion”.  She tells me there are seven “Sacraments”.  These are two of them, she reminds me.  Maggie was educated at a Convent girls’ school in the UK, and she clearly has a much better memory than me.

You did not copy the story of the two little boys fighting to Ladislao  I am sure that it was a mistake, as you know he loves these little bits of Mount history for the Circular. So, I’ll send it to him. If you don’t mind, he will enjoy the photo as much as I did. Though it was not taken at Mount, it shows you in France a year after you left Trinidad.

I received a note from him a few minutes ago in which he says, “There is a de la Horie, Fennau as a boy from Venezuela.  This name “de la Horie” sounds like it may be the same French boy you remember. Can you recall anything else about him?  Our records on him are bare.

Best,

Don

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From: Charles-Henri Dunoyer de Noirmont <chdenoirmont@hotmail.fr>

Sent: Saturday, 18 April 2020 10:35

Dear Don,

So it was you "Boxhead"!

The Almighty has given me a good memory, which I fortunately kept at now nearly 74 .

You were one of my tormentors at the time, for some reason I don't remember, maybe just because I was one of these "froggies" which the British loath ever since Eleonor of Aquitaine and the Hundred Years War.

I perfectly remember our fight, on the road next to the cricket ground, opposite to the swimming pool entrance.

After a first round without decision, one of us drew a line on the ground and said :

" Let's see who dares to cross the line".

I did, jumped on you, held you flat on your back, with a stranglehold on your throat, until someone pulled me away from my quarry before you choked.

From that moment, the bunch of tormentors left me quiet saying: "He can beat Boxhead"

I send you herewith a picture of the "froggie" taken after my return in France, in 1959, in a college held by Dominicans.

Maybe will it ring a bell to you?

I keep an awful memory of my scholarship at the Mount in 1958.

I think that in all my boarding school years, from 8 to 17 at Dominican and Jesuits in France it was, without doubt, the worse.

Charles

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idmitch@anguillanet.com

Sat, 18 Apr, 04:13

Hello, Charles,

I have searched Nigel’s database, and can find no trace of an alumnus named La Horie.  Do you have a copy of the database?  If you would like, I can send it to you.  It is an Excel file.

Sadly, Boxhead was indeed Don Mitchell.  I hope we did not hurt each other.  My brother was one year behind me at Mount, and was inevitably nicknamed “Small Boxhead”.  So, I became “Big Boxhead”.

I am copying this to Ladislao, as he is always looking for items for the Circular. If he posts your message below, it might stimulate a memory or two.

And, don’t forget, if you find anything of interest in your archives, to copy it by scan or by photograph and send it to us for our school archives.

Keep well during this difficult Coronovirus time.

Best,

Don

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From: Charles-Henri Dunoyer de Noirmont <chdenoirmont@hotmail.fr

Sent: Saturday, 18 April 2020 03:57

Dear alumnus,

Being confined at home by the Corona Virus epidemic, I have enough time to look into my archives for the first time in 44 years and sort them out.

I found back my 1958 pocket diary, at the time I was at the Mount, in Prep "B" and found the name of the fourth Frenchman with Deleuze, Blandin and myself.

His name is: La Horie.

I cannot remember his Christian name but maybe one of us might find it back.

Question: 

Was Mitchell nicknamed "Boxhead "?

I remember having a terrible fight with "Boxhead" next to the cricket ground.

Best regards

General (Retd) Charles Henri Dunoyer de Noirmont.

35 Rue de la Grange Colombe

78 120 Rambouillet.

France

chdenoirmont@hotmail.fr

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Fennau De la Horie

Charles-Henri Dunoyer de Noirmont  <chdenoirmont@hotmail.fr>

18 April 2020 at 10:46

His nickname was:

"Funny "

Charles

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De: Ladislao Kertesz <kertesz11@gmail.com>

Envoyé: samedi 18 avril 2020 16:40

Don,

There is a de la Horie, Fennau as a boy from Venezuela.

But no further information

Ladislao

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EDITED by Ladislao Kertesz,  kertesz11@yahoo.com,  if you would like to be in the circular’s mailing list or any old boy that you would like to include.

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Photos:

58CD0010CDU, First communion Charles Henry Dunoyer

10CD0010CDUFAM,  Charles Henry Dunoyer family

59CD0010CDU,  Charles Henry Dunoyer hunting

15CD0010CDUFAM, Pauline with father