Papers relating to Vera Manley

Small collection of papers relating to the life of Vera Manley. It comprises a letter sent from Vera Manley in Petrograd giving an eye-witness account of events during the Russian revolution of February 1917. It was composed over seven days and vividly describes the unfolding situation. The letter comprises ten leaves; with later envelope used for its storage.
There are also modern copy images of two photographs taken in 2011, showing a photograph of an older Vera Manley, then Vera Moody; a copy of a letter written in 1929 when in a rudderless ship in the Atlantic Ocean, and a copy of a talk given in Jamaica in c 1965 on changes in education.

Vera Holme Manley, (1890-1968) was born in Jamaica to Thomas and Margaret Manley. One of her siblings was Norman Manley (1893-1969), later a leading Jamaican lawyer and statesman who served as Chief Minister, 1955-1959, and as Prime Minister, 1959-1962; he was father of Michael Manley; her other siblings were Muriel and Roy.
In 1917 Vera Manley was studying music at the Academy in Petrograd (later Leningrad, now St Petersburg) and was also teaching English. She was a pianist, and went on to teach music in two public schools in England, Malvern and Prior's Field.
She married Ludlow Moody of Kingston, Jamaica. Moody (1892-1981) studied medicine at the Medical School attached to King's College, London. On his return to Jamaica he worked as a government bacteriologist from 1920-1925, subsequently setting up his own private practice. He was awarded a CBE in 1966. Moody's brothers were Harold Moody, a London physician and founder in 1931 of the League of Coloured Peoples [see article in SCF 'The World's Children', June 1931]; and Ronald Moody, dentist and sculptor, works by whom are in Tate Britain as well as in Jamaica.
Vera Manley was Ludlow Moody's first wife; they had one child born in 1926, Pamela Margaret Moody. Vera worked in music and in education. She gave piano recitals and taught music, and was founder of the School of Music in Kingston, Jamaica, the auditorium of which in 2011 was re-named 'The Vera Moody Concert Hall' in her honour. The Concert Hall is part of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, so named in 1995 after Edna Manley, sculptor and 'Mother of Jamaican Art', the wife of Norman Manley and Vera's sister-in-law.
Vera Moody was a member of the Secondary Education Commission and served as chairman of the education authority in Kingston, working enthusiastically to impove the standard of education in Jamaica. She was awarded the MBE for services to education.

Sources: information provided by the donor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Manley (accessed December 2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Moody (accessed December 2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Moody (accessed December 2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edna_Manley (accessed December 2013)

Open, access to all registered researchers.

Received as a gift from Mrs Pamela Ball, daughter of Vera Moody nee Manley and University of Birmingham alumna, 25 November 2013

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Description compiled by A. George, December 2013, in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; and National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997

A catalogue of this collection is available on the online archive catalogue. Click on the Finding Number to view the full catalogue. A paper copy is also available in the Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections Department.

The letter and envelope were formerly in the possession of the donor; the original photographs of which we have scanned copies remain in the possession of Mrs Ball