The Mendes legacy

A scene from the film 1917.

By Kimberly Wallace

WHEN British director Sam Mendes won the most coveted awards at the 77th Golden Globes on Sunday night, he paid homage to his Trinidad-born grandfather Alfred Hubert Mendes, who fought in World War I and was the inspiration behind the critically acclaimed war drama 1917.

Serving as a rifleman in the war that changed the world was only the start of his eventful life. Mendes, a Portuguese creole, became a famous Trinidadian author. To learn more about him Kitcharee turned to Dr Jo-Anne Ferreira, senior lecturer in linguistics at The University of the West Indies who wrote the book The Portuguese of Trinidad and Tobago: Portrait of an Ethnic Minority which was first published in 1994 and revised in 2018.

In her book, Ferreira, who is also of Portuguese descent, extensively documented among other things the contributions of the Portuguese community since their arrival to T&T 185 years ago.

Alfred Hubert Mendes was the son of Alfred Mendes and Isabella Jardine. He made the decisionagainst his father's wishes-to join the war effort when he returned from studying in England. He was among a contingent of 60 or so men who boarded a steamship and left Trinidad to fight in the Great War. They arrived in England in December 1915. Mendes was later awarded the Military Medal for bravery in battle on land and wrote about his experiences in the book The Autobiography of Albert H Mendes 1897-1997 which was edited by Michèle Levy.

In the decades after the First World War, Mendes became one of the Caribbean's most famous writers. In her book Ferreira noted that 'Mendes, a pioneer Caribbean writer and important novelist was a member of the Beacon group. The group was named after the successful magazine The Beacon which published political and literary essays, short stories and poetry which flourished in the 1930s.' Ferreira added that Mendes, was considered the most prolific writer of all the members of this revolutionary group which comprised great literary trailblazers such as CLR James, Ralph de Boissière and fellow writer of Portuguese descent Albert Gomes.

Just how prolific an author was Mendes?

He wrote and published two novels, an autobiography, 60 short stories and poems and he also edited The Beacon's predecessor-the magazine Trinidad. According to Ferreira, Mendes wrote not only about life in Trinidad but he also produced the first fictional work on the Portuguese of Trinidad in his novel Pitch Lake. His literary accomplishments earned him an honourary doctorate from The UWI in 1972. Today he is remembered for his contributions to West Indian literature and society, Ferreira noted in her book.

Mendes was also a civil servant and was once the general manager of the Port Authority.

Levy has edited volumes of Mendes' work including The Man Who Ran Away and Other Stories of Trinidad in the 1920s and 1930s; Selected Writings of Alfred H Mendes and Alfred H Mendes: Short Stories, Articles and Letters.

Mendes' legacy lives on in his novels and short stories and amongst his relatives who have inherited his penchant for storytelling.

AND THE WINNER IS...: Sam Mendes accepts the award for Best Director - Motion Picture for 1917 at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel last Sunday. PHOTO: NBC

Mendes served as rifleman in WWI and was THE INSPIRATION: A young Alfred H the inspiration behind his grandson Sam

Mendes's film 1917.