Anguillian national, John E. Brooks, who spent most of his life in the United Kingdom as a factory worker, athlete, Army Officer, Nursing Home owner, Magistrate, Councillor and Mayor, is to launch an autobiography this Friday, January 25, between 6 and 8 pm at the Public Library. The book is entitled “Finding My Way In A Strange Land”.
The book captures Mr. Brook’s life story from 1955 when he first left Anguilla for England. “My father said to me: ‘go away and better yourself, and my mother said to me: ‘go away for five years, get enough money and come back to Anguilla and build a house’”, he recalled. But the enterprising national of The Valley “discovered that there was more to life in England than coming back home to build a house.”
His formal employment in England came two years after his arrival there. “I got a letter from the Ministry of Defence requesting that I do two years compulsory military service,” he recalled. He acceded to that request and after some delay was promoted to the rank of Company Sergeant, then later Warrant Officer Class Two. He served for twenty-six years in the Army and was awarded the British Empire Medal.
He left the military service in March 1984 and, along with his wife, started a number of successful Brooklyn Nursing Homes which were sold in 2003. He later stood as a candidate for the Conservative Party but was not elected. “I did a good job, but I lost by fifty votes only and that gave me the sweetness of politics. Consequently I became a member of the Conservative Party,” he said.
In 1989 he was appointed to serve as Magistrate in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and remained in that position for twenty years. In 2002 he was elected Councillor of a local area and served there for many years. In 2005 he was selected as Major of Banbury for one year.
“Recalling his successful years in England, Mr. Brooks said: “I wasn’t a graduate of any kind. Had I been a graduate, I would have probably gone a lot further, or I might not have gone that far. But this was a case of you never know unless you try.”
Mr. Brooks, who is of much assistance to Anguillians travelling and sojourning in England, is back home for three months to promote his book and to do some repair work to his paternal home.
In recent years, Mr. Brooks built his own family’s home in Anguilla overlooking Crocus Hill, just down from the old Court House site. It is a three-story residence with one floor for each of his three children. He and his St.Kitts-born wife, Audrey, are continuing to live in England.He is the brother of Ms Audrey Brooks. Their parents were the late Adalbert Brooks and Inez Brooks of Hope Cottage in The Valley.
