Hilda Bynoe
Encyclopedia
Dame Hilda Louisa Gibbs Bynoe, DBE (b. in Crochu
, Grenada
, West Indies, November 18, 1921) was governor of Grenada (British Dependency) between 1967 and 1972.
A former doctor and Hospital Administrator she is so far the only woman to have been governor of one of the British Dependencies, Hilda Bynoe was the first woman Governor of a Commonwealth of Nations
country, becoming Governor of Grenada, Cariacou and Petit Martinique
.
She spent most of her adult life as a teacher and doctor of medicine in Trinidad and Tobago
.
Born in Crochu, she was educated at the village school where her father, Thomas Joseph Gibbs, was headmaster and where her mother, sister and aunts had at one time or the other been teachers and at St. Joseph's Convent, the island's only Catholic Secondary School for girls.
The first few years of adulthood were spent as a Teacher at the Convent of St. Joseph in San Fernando, Trinidad
and at Bishop Anstey High School in Port of Spain, as a Science Student. In 1944 she left for Europe to study Medicine and graduated from the University of London
's Royal Free Hospital
, then from the London School of Medicine for Women
in 1951.
While still a student, she met and married Peter Bynoe, a Trinidadian RAF Officer; they had two sons, Roland and Michael. The Bynoe family returned to the West Indies in 1953 and Hilda Bynoe served in Guyana
and Trinidad for the next fifteen years.
In June 1968, she was appointed the First Woman Governor in the British Commonwealth and First Native Governor of her island home. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1969.
She also wrote poems, short stories, essays and vignettes. In 1990, she retired to continue her writing and to assist in the care of her granddaughters Olukemi and Nandi.
She continues as Patroness of several organizations, including the Caribbean College of Family Physicians, The John Hayes Memorial Kidney Foundation and The Caribbean Women’s Association.
Dame Hilda has long been a valued member of the Academic Board of St George’s University, True Blue, Grenada
Crochu
Crochu is a town in Saint Andrew Parish, Grenada. It is located towards the southern end of the island, along the eastern coast....
, Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, West Indies, November 18, 1921) was governor of Grenada (British Dependency) between 1967 and 1972.
A former doctor and Hospital Administrator she is so far the only woman to have been governor of one of the British Dependencies, Hilda Bynoe was the first woman Governor of a Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
country, becoming Governor of Grenada, Cariacou and Petit Martinique
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
.
She spent most of her adult life as a teacher and doctor of medicine in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
.
Born in Crochu, she was educated at the village school where her father, Thomas Joseph Gibbs, was headmaster and where her mother, sister and aunts had at one time or the other been teachers and at St. Joseph's Convent, the island's only Catholic Secondary School for girls.
The first few years of adulthood were spent as a Teacher at the Convent of St. Joseph in San Fernando, Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
and at Bishop Anstey High School in Port of Spain, as a Science Student. In 1944 she left for Europe to study Medicine and graduated from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
's Royal Free Hospital
Royal Free Hospital
The Royal Free Hospital is a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London, England and part of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust....
, then from the London School of Medicine for Women
London School of Medicine for Women
The London School of Medicine for Women was established in 1874 and was the first medical school in Britain to train women.The school was formed by an association of pioneering women physicians Sophia Jex-Blake, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Emily Blackwell and Elizabeth Blackwell with Thomas Henry...
in 1951.
While still a student, she met and married Peter Bynoe, a Trinidadian RAF Officer; they had two sons, Roland and Michael. The Bynoe family returned to the West Indies in 1953 and Hilda Bynoe served in Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
and Trinidad for the next fifteen years.
In June 1968, she was appointed the First Woman Governor in the British Commonwealth and First Native Governor of her island home. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1969.
She also wrote poems, short stories, essays and vignettes. In 1990, she retired to continue her writing and to assist in the care of her granddaughters Olukemi and Nandi.
She continues as Patroness of several organizations, including the Caribbean College of Family Physicians, The John Hayes Memorial Kidney Foundation and The Caribbean Women’s Association.
Dame Hilda has long been a valued member of the Academic Board of St George’s University, True Blue, Grenada
External links
- http://www.caricom.org/jsp/projects/personalities/dame_hilda_bynoe.jsp?menu=projects Bio
- http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/womeninpower/Womeninpower1940.htm Women in Power excerpt
- http://cfcportal.net/artman/publish/article_49.shtml Biodata