Charles Arundel Moody
Charles Arundel Moody | |
|---|---|
 Moody c. 1943 | |
| Born | Charles Arundel Moody 15 April 1917 London, England |
| Died | 11 January 2009 (aged 91) West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Other names | Joe Moody |
| Education | Alleyn's School |
| Occupation | Soldier |
| Father | Harold Moody |
Charles Arundel "Joe" Moody (15 April 1917, London – 11 January 2009, West Palm Beach, Florida) was a Black British soldier who was the first commanding officer (Lt. Col.) of the 3rd Battalion Regiment of the Jamaica Regiment.[1]
Biography
Charles Arundel Moody was born in London, England, the son of Harold Moody and his wife Olive. Harold was a medical doctor and the political activist who founded the League of Coloured Peoples (LCP). Charles attended Alleyn's School, Dulwich.
Military career
Moody was 22 when the Second World War started in 1939. Under the impression he was eligible to become an officer in the British Army, he went to Whitehall for an interview, where he was dismayed to learn that only those of pure European descent could be commissioned as officers.[2] However, his father mobilised the League of Coloured Peoples, the International African Service Bureau and the West African Students Union to campaign against this colour bar.[2]
External links
References
- ^ Syracuse Post Standard. "Charles Arundel "Joe" Moody". Legacy.com. Verizon Media. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ a b Bourne, Stephen (2012). The Motherland Calls: Britain's Black Servicemen and Women 1939–45. Stroud: The History Press.