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Edgar Clement Gittens

1918 - 1987  (69 years)

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Standing L-R: Annie (Foster) Gittens, Ed "Bruds" Gittens, H.Reid Front Row L-R: Paul Foster, Mary "Jess" Foster

By the way I wish to thank you very much for the picture you sent a few days ago - the one with the picture caption "Bruds, mother. H.Reid, Paul and Jess". The picture is taken outside our house "The Markham" in Hastings. I have always wanted to have a picture of the 'fence' dividing our house from the house next door. It's more like 'patchwork' than a fence. And more so because you have provided the name of the gentleman "H. Reid" whose name I could not recall and I have at least two or three pictures of him from my mother's photo album. His 'claim to fame' is that - I am pretty sure he was the first overseas guest at our parents guest house.
Because of the hard times we were going through during the depression, my father's salary could not support house rent, a wife and three children and soon to need funds to send Jess and me to secondary school. This was just around the time that we moved to the Markham in 1930. The owner of the house agreed to extend it, added three additional rooms, two at the back and one to complete our apartment downstairs. A side verandah on the leeward side of the house was also added and this served as a dining room for the guests and our dining room was downstairs. We lived downstairs and the guest house was upstairs with five bedrooms. Mr. Reid reminded me of a movie star who was popular when ' talking pictures' came to Barbados about the early 40s. His name was Ruggles so I have always referred to Mr. Reid as Mr. Ruggles. He was a Canadian from either Montreal or Halifax, I think probably Monreal.
Every winter in the 30s he would arrive on one of the "Lady Boats" of blessed memory and take up residence at the Markham and he would stay until mid-April and return on one of the Lady Boats.
Every day he would enjoy early morning coffee and toast in his room, then breakfast at about 7 or 7.30; lunch at noon; afternoon tea at 4pm - with toast and cake or similar and finally dinner at 7. I tell you he and all of o ur guests - ate WELL. I wish I could find out what rate they paid. It would have been a pittance, but it made all the difference to our way of life and my father's health. He was a 'worrier' and would get bouts of depression. But when the guest house got going he had no further problems and enjoyed very good health throughout his life.
So now I know Mr. Ruggles' real name. I am so grateful to you as I wanted to use his name in the story I am writing and one of the pictures I have of him. The one you sent would be great. He became one of the family.

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