Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

� Learie Constantine and his wife with the first prime minister
of an independent Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Eric Williams.
Race Relations Board and the UK Sports Council, and was
Governor of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
The collection represents all the material that was
taken from Lord Constantine’s study at his home in
England at the time of his death. It includes personal and
business correspondence, photographs, manuscripts,
hand-written notes of meetings and important events,
typescripts of speeches, interviews, transcripts and
postcards. It also contains books written by and about
Lord Constantine, books on cricket and other subjects,
newsletters, periodicals and newspapers from 1948 to
1971 from his personal library. There are approximately
5000 photographs in the Constantine collection depicting
his social and public life as a cricketer and coach, diplomat,
peer, official overseas visits and other noteworthy events.
Of particular significance are several photographs
that depict the art of cricket. Constantine details each
element of cricket including holding the ball, positioning
of the body, catching and batting.
The collection is an excellent source material for the
study of the history of cricket in the West Indies, England
and the Commonwealth and the role of cricket as an
agent of social mobility. It also highlights the theme
of immigration from the Commonwealth in the 1950s
and 1960s, focusing on India and the West Indies.
The collection presents an excellent window into race
relations and the treatment of immigrants in Britain
in this critical aspect of British history.
448 Constantine collection