Michael Roberts
I have chanced upon several ‘new’ photographs of Woolf –some on his own and a few with his wife Virginia. I present them here as another ‘chapter’ in the Leonard Woolf series in Thuppahi. They are placed in rough chronological order on the basis of my readings of his age in each picture. Repetition has been avoided –so they make up a supplement to the previous items on Woolf placed in Thuppahi this year.
One dimension of his life’s encounters is clear: he had an affinity with dogs. Dogs feature in several photographs and were certainly a ‘fixture’ at his home in the years after Virginia passed away. He also hada dog with him when I interviewed him at his home, namely, “Monk’s House, in Sussex as one event in the roberts Oral History Project in December 1965.**
SEE
** Michael Roberts: “The Roberts Oral History Project in the 1960s: Origins …. Outcomes,” 4 Decemebr 2020, https://thuppahis.com/2020/12/04/the-roberts-oral-history-project-in-the-1960s-origins-outcomes/#more-47446
Fascinating as always, Michael!
Thanks so much, Sir!
Thank you Michael. Very interesting of a person with great affinity towards Ceylon of that period.. Rex
Another Englishman who had a great affinity towards Ceylon now Sri Lanka is H.R. Freeman. He even contested an election and represented the people of Anuradhapura in the Legislative Council. There is a street named after him in Anuradhapura.
What is interesting to us today about his election victory is, he defeated a native Sinhalese! The Sinhalese people preferred a white man over one of their own. Such a victory is unthinkable today. Democracy betrayed.
Brigadier Ranjan de Silva.
A HIGHLY PERTINENT Historical note, Ranjan. There were some unconventional Englishmen around …. one being CJR Le Mesurier.
nor must we forget the Left-leaning Aussie BRACEGIRDLE;…..OR…. the several missionaries in the north,east, west and south who supported indigenous capacities and took on the colonial government at certain points of time. There is scope for a book on this topic.