Kathleen Warner (née Davis (1903 – December 1996), was a

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

actress and radio personality, also known as "Aunty Kay". She is best remembered as the long-time host of the popular children's programme ''The Aunty Kay Show'', which aired from 1942 to 1985 on

Radio Trinidad Radio Trinidad was the oldest radio station in Trinidad and Tobago. It began broadcasting in 1947 at 11B Maraval Road in Port of Spain on the frequency 730 AM. Over the years, the station successfully hosted a wide variety of programmes includi ...

every Sunday afternoon. A multi-talented woman, she was during the course of her life a medical student, pianist, singer, actress, dancer, broadcaster and teacher, giving lessons in music and elocution, as well as briefly serving as an alderman of the Port of Spain City Council. A biography of her was being written by historian Tony Martin.

Early life and acting career

Kathleen Davis was born to James Augustus Davis and Ruth O'Neill Davis in

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

, Trinidad, where she went to Trinity Girls School and

Bishop Anstey High School Bishop Anstey High School (BAHS), also known as Bishop Anstey or St. Hilary's, is a government-assisted all-girls secondary school in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. It was founded by the Anglican Bishop Arthur Henry Anstey and opened on Jan ...

, and then in 1919, together with her two older sisters,

Meta Meta (from the Greek μετά, '' meta'', meaning "after" or "beyond") is a prefix meaning "more comprehensive" or "transcending". In modern nomenclature, ''meta''- can also serve as a prefix meaning self-referential, as a field of study or ende ...

and Beryl, completed her education in Britain, attending Redland High School, near

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, as a boarder. She went on to study for two years at the School of Medicine for Women, part of

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

, but had to discontinue medical studies after the death of her father, and later studied speech and elocution in London. Becoming an actress, she featured alongside

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his p ...

in the London stage production of the play ''Stevedore'', by Paul Peters and George Sklar, which opened at the Embassy Theatre on 9 May 1935, with a cast that included Black actors of American, West Indian, African, and English background. A notice by

Nancy Cunard Nancy Clara Cunard (10 March 1896 – 17 March 1965) was a British writer, heiress and political activist. She was born into the British upper class, and devoted much of her life to fighting racism and fascism. She became a muse to some of the ...

in ''

The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...

'' said: "Kathleen Davis as 'Ruby' and the Gold Coastian Ahuma as 'Joe Crump' are both beautiful and have great personality." Kathleen Davis was also in the cast of the 1936 play about

Toussaint Louverture François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (; also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda; 20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803) was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louverture ...

C. L. R. James Cyril Lionel Robert James (4 January 1901 – 31 May 1989),Fraser, C. Gerald, ''The New York Times'', 2 June 1989. who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J. R. Johnson, was a Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist. His works are in ...

(her friend from Trinidad) that was staged in London's West End starring Robeson. In addition she acted in several films, including in a leading role in ''

Debt of Honour ''Debt of Honour'' is a 1936 British drama film directed by Norman Walker and starring Leslie Banks, Will Fyffe, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Garry Marsh. Based on a story by Sapper, and scripted by Tom Geraghty and Cyril Campion, the film is al ...

'' (1936), starring

Leslie Banks Leslie James Banks CBE (9 June 1890 – 21 April 1952) was an English stage and screen actor, director and producer, now best remembered for playing gruff, menacing characters in black-and-white films of the 1930s and 1940s, but also the Choru ...

Broadcasting career

Returning to Trinidad after the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Davis began the broadcasting career for which she is best remembered, as the children's presenter "Aunty Kay". Back in England for the 1953 coronation of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

, she took part in a celebratory BBC Children's Television programme, together with

Boscoe Holder Boscoe Holder (16 July 1921 – 21 April 2007), born Arthur Aldwyn Holder in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago, was Trinidad and Tobago's leading contemporary painter, who also had a celebrated international career spanning six decades as a designer and ...

, Sheila Clarke, Billy Sholanke and the

Russell Henderson Russell Audley Ferdinand "Russ" Henderson (7 January 1924 – 18 August 2015) was a jazz musician on the piano and the steelpan. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, he settled in England in the 1950s. He is most widely recognised as one of the ...

Steel Band.

''The Aunty Kay Show'', 1942–85

As Aunty Kay, she became a popular broadcaster on Radio Trinidad, hosting one of the most important shows for young people of the time, which ran for 43 years (1942–85) and "featured mostly talented young people from the low-income areas who came every Sunday to display their singing talents.... It was a half-hour show which began at two o’clock in the afternoon and ended at two thirty. But, that half-hour was enough time for those talented children to get their fifteen minutes of community fame to show their various talents.""Style, Sensibility & Prejudice – The Shows"
The International Steelband Hall of Fame, 23 October 2006 – Volume 1, No. 4. As Richard Bolai recalls, "recitations, singing and oration was encouraged. What was particularly striking about the show was the theme song. One of Auntie Kay's signature items was her eloquence in grammar, this always struck me as ironic because the theme song was filled with slang." ''The Aunty Kay Show'' provided an early platform for many of Trinidad and Tobago's performers to make their debut as youngsters,"Hall Of Fame: Kathleen Warner – 2006
, Trinidad and Tobago Publishers’ and Broadcasters’ Association. including

Heather Headley Heather Headley (born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian-born American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the titular role of ''Aida''. She also won the 2010 Grammy Aw ...

Lancelot Layne Lancelot Layne (died 28 July 1990) was a rapso artist from Trinidad and Tobago. Biography Lancelot Layne was born to a Ms. Ethel Strawn (''née'' Serrano) and raised in Gonzales, Trinidad, a village near Port of Spain. He had a start in many loca ...

and calypsonian

Slinger Francisco Slinger Francisco ORTT CM OBE (born July 9, 1935), better known as Mighty Sparrow, is a Trinidadian calypso vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist. Known as the "Calypso King of the World", he is one of the best-known and most successful calyp ...

, better known as The Mighty Sparrow.

Personal life

In 1924 Dr Percival McIntosh Clarke became her first husband. Her daughter, Sheila, was born in England (and would eventually marry artist and dancer

). They returned to the Caribbean at the outbreak of

, surviving shipwreck when the path of their ship the ''Simón Bolívar'' was mined by the Germans on 18 November 1939. Kathleen Davis subsequently married Hilton Warner, in 1955. She died in December 1996 at the age of 93.

Honours and legacy

In 2006, she was posthumously honoured with an Award for Excellence by the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters' Association, for her "Outstanding & Pioneering Contribution to the development of radio in Trinidad and Tobago, with special emphasis on providing an avenue for the exposure of young talent and contributing to the overall development of young people". On 21 July 2007, she was one of 10 women remembered as having "made a mark in culture" to be honoured in Amadi Productions' annual concert entitled "Ambataila Women" at La Joya. Forming part of the Emancipation 2007 celebrations, the concert was creatively based around the cultural contribution of: Marjorie Padmore,

Olive Walke Olive Walke, MBE (21 December 1911 – 10 September 1969) was a Trinidadian musician and ethnomusicologist who was one of the first to collect regional Caribbean folk songs. She founded the well-known choir, La Petite Musicale and directed it fo ...

, Kathleen "Aunty Kay" Warner, Olga Comma-Maynard,

Cheryl Byron Cheryl Byron (c. 1947 – June 17, 2003) was a visual artist, dancer, singer and social and cultural advocate. Biography She started her studies in her native land, Trinidad and Tobago. There she also studied dance with Neville Shepard and acted ...

Winifred Atwell Una Winifred Atwell (27 February or 27 April 1910 or 1914There is some uncertainty over her date and year of birth. Many sources suggest 27 February 1914, but there is a strong suggestion that her birthday was 27 April. Most sources give her ye ...

Daisy Voisin Daisy Voisin (23 September 1924 – 7 August 1991) was a Parang singer and composer. Life and career Voisin was born and grew up in Carapal Erin, Trinidad and Tobago. She began her singing career in the Village Council and other local groups. A ...

, Jean Coggins-Simmons,

Beryl McBurnie Beryl Eugenia McBurnie (2 November 1913 – 30 March 2000) was a Trinidadian dancer. She established the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook, Port of Spain,, and promoted the culture and arts of Trinidad and Tobago as her life's work. She helped to ...

and Beulah "Lady B" Bobb."Ambataila Women: Remembering Our Women"
TriniView.com. A collection of her memorabilia is held by The University of the West Indies Library.

Early life and acting career

Broadcasting career

''The Aunty Kay Show'', 1942–85

Personal life

Honours and legacy

References

External links