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Hilda Maud Ellen McDonald (nee Edwards) (1883 - 1961) was the first nominated woman member of the Antiguan Legislative Council, City Commissioner for St. John's, Antigua, and served as Information Officer during the Second World War. McDonald was also a poet and correspondent for the Circular of the London-based West India Committee.

Life and Career

Hilda McDonald was born in Antigua on 3rd August 1883.

She was a the first nominated woman member of the Legislative Council of Antigua, City Commissioner for St John's, Antigua, Information Officer for Reuters during the Second World War, and Correspondent for the Circular of the London-based West India Committee. Excerpt from the 'Antigua and Barbuda Independence Magazine.

She was also a representative of the British Council in Antigua. During the Second World War she was government information officer and as such was in charge of the organization and programming of Radio Antigua. “And my Grandmother, Hilda McDonald, first woman member of the Antiguan legislative Assembly, corresponded with famous West Indian editors Frank Collymore (BIM) and Arthur Seymour (KYK_OVER_AL) and published a booklet of poems entitled Sunflakes and Stardust which contains a poem I especially loved when I was a young boy and still do”

In addition to these public activities, she was of the greatest assistance to her husband, Dr Archie McDonald in his medical practice and research, becoming eventually a highly skilled observer of the parasites of Ancylostomiasis and Malaria, and of the blood counts associated with these and other diseases. She was an active partner in the research projects on tropical diseases which were contributed by Dr. McDonald to the forward march of tropical medicine. [Source: Obituary Notice: West India Committee Circular July 1961]

As a poet, McDonald published the collection 'Sunflakes and Stardust' with Peterloo Poets and regularly contributed individual poems and prose articles to local and international publications. Four of her poems being broadcast on the BBC Caribbean Voices programme. 'Evensong', 'Custom', 'Nocturne', 'Night in English Harbour' between 1948 and 1951.

Her grandson is the Guyanese writer and editor, Ian McDonald. She died in Tidmarsh, UK on 4th June 1961.