Staff and Students

The first governing body of the University College of the West Indies (UCWI) was a Provisional Council composed of representatives of the seven contributing territories (A.J. Lucknoo, British Guiana; Lennie Hannays of Trinidad and Tobago; Hugh Springer from Barbados; Garnett Gordon from the Windward Islands; Sydney Christian from the Leewards Islands and Harrison Courtenay from British Honduras), the Principal (Thomas Taylor), two representatives of the Inter-University Council for Higher Education in the Colonies (Sir James Irvine and Raymond Priestley), and when appointed, the Director of Extra-Mural Studies (Philip Sherlock) and the Medical Advisor (Bernard Williams).

Its first meeting was in January of 1947 in the house of the British Council. The second meeting of the Provisional Council, held in January of 1948 was at the UCWI's temporary offices at 62 Lady Musgrave Road. It was not until the third meeting of the Provisional Council that it met in one of the barracks-style wooden buildings at Gibraltar Camp, the site selected for the UCWI. At that first meeting of the Provisional Council, the Principal outlined plans to begin teaching medicine in October of 1948. In preparation, the architects, Norman and Dawbarn were instructed to draw up the plans for the site which included a library, teaching laboratories and some houses for faculty.

In September of 1948, Hugh Springer was appointed Registrar while Ralph Swaby joined the UCWI's emerging administrative team as Bursar and Hugh Holness became Accountant. Karl Craig was placed in charge of maintenance services and Leo Sullivan in charge of grounds. With the administrative team in place, the Principal and Registrar set out to recruit the teaching staff.

Among the first teaching staff were Geoffrey Asprey (Botany); Cedric Hassell and Sidney Martin (Chemistry); Norman Millott (Zoology), and a Jamaican, Francis Bowen (Physics). Harold Holdsworth was appointed Librarian and Ellie Woo-Ming of British Guiana, Assistant Librarian. In the spring of 1948, a small interviewing committee went to the Eastern Caribbean to interview students seeking admission to the first M.B.

Finally, after much preparation in October of 1948, the first 33 students arrived to study medicine. There were 10 women students and 23 men who took up residence in their rooms in the huts at Gibraltar Camp.