My father, Tom Belisle who was born
in Belize on 11 Oct.1923, sailed into the United Kingdom from Belize
at the invitation of the British government. Together with other
fellow Belizeans who had been selected for their knowledge of forestry
and woodcutting he was sent to the northern most part of Scotland
in order to help the UK in its war effort.
There while billeted in the village of Golspie he met, courted
and impregnated my mother but due to being required elsewhere he
left the area before I was born. It was 40 years later, as a result
of a chance encounter at a cocktail party in St John's Wood in London,
while mingling and chatting to some interesting people that I was
introduced to a girl called Debbie who told me she was from Belize.
With her flowing black wavy hair and wide smile she was a very
attractive and cheerful lassie. After we exchanged a few pleasantries
I told her I'd never been to Belize and began to ask her questions
about her country. She told me it was a beautiful country with lush
tropical rainforests, beautiful sandy beaches and hundreds of small
islands. It has the second largest barrier reef in the world which
attracts a lot of American tourists she explained. The beautiful
Belizean girl, Debbie Belisle, turned out to be The High Commissioner's
daughter, who though no relation was able to do some research and
as a result I was soon, for the first time, to meet my father. |
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After leaving the Highlands Tom had eventually settled down and
for many years he worked on the railways in the north-east of
England. He told me he had posed for this photograph when he was
37 years of age.
My dad acknowledges having sired 4 boys and 5 girls.
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After meeting my father I used to
visit him very frequently in order to get to know him and my new-found
family.
Ted took this picture of Dad and me in 1985 in the
front garden outside their house in Yewcroft Avenue at Denton Burn,
an area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. |
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Dad married soon after he left the
north of Scotland and settled with a number of other Belizean in
Newcastle. His first wife produced her first but his second child
on 9 Sept. 1954. She died at this time and dad took on a baby-sitter
to look after baby Tom.
Taken near their home this is my brother Tom with his wife Marion
and family Thomas, Claire and Lee.
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Dad's next child born on 8 Dec 1955,
a girl called Jane whom I have never met.
Dad later married the baby-sitter, it was probably cheaper than
paying her. Here with my eldest brother Tom and Ted, my youngest
brother who is 21 years old in this photo
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Linda born 5 July 1960 was Dad's
first child with Pauline the babysitter, though I believe she was
his wife by the time of the birth and would have been 17 years at
this time, 20 years younger than her husband my father. I also discovered
Linda is dad's favourite child. She's now married with a family
of her own. |
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My stepmother became pregnant again
almost immediately for on the 11 Mar. 1961, eight months later the
next addition to the family was my sister Lorraine. She, like myself
is slightly darker skinned than my father's other children and up
to this time she had no partner or children. |
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One year later there followed a very
handsome man, my brother Mark who was born on 7 Mar. 1962 but I
have never had an opportunity to meet him and have no photograph
of him.
A year and a half passed and on 23 Aug 1963 Pauline
gave birth again this time to another girl who was named Paula. |
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My little brother Ted born 20 Jan.
1965 at 6 o'clock in the morning, is my favourite sibling out of
Tom. He came to stay with me in London one weekend and I took him
round the pubs and clubs where he loved the metropolis and had a
really good time. We looked so much alike that everyone knew he
was the younger brother. |
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My youngest sister, Diane, born 20
Jan. 1966 was in heavy pregnancy with child to her fellow Trevor
at this time. |
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My stepmother Pauline Margaret Rose
Belisle came into this world on 7 Sept. 1942 making her 19 months
older than myself and joined Linda and me on the garden wall. |
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