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from WWII. “I became a corporal. But I
suppose I should start at the beginning.”
The beginning was in 1924 in Jerusalem.
Agnes was born to a James and Sadeeka
Summerville. James was British national
who was the District Commissioner in
Palestine. He spoke fluent Arabic and
had studied at AUB. While at univer-
sity, he lost his mother and was aghast
when his new Arab friend didn’t reply to
his mother’s letters which arrived from
Latikia. James took it upon himself to
correspond to the mother and update her
on her son’s life. When the mother later
sent her daughters to study in Lebanon,
she trusted James to be a good friend.
One of the daughters was Sadeeka. It is
told that James used to walk for hours to
see Sadeeka (who was studying in Brou-
mana) and would walk back in a hurry to
make it back to Beirut before the Bab el
Idriss doors closed.
“But anyway,” continues Agnes. “I was
born in Jerusalem and my brother fol-
lowed soon after.”
The family lived in Baghdad for a while
before moving back to Palestine. At the
age of 12, Agnes was sent to boarding
school in the UK – as ‘proper’ British chil-
dren are supposed to do.
Unfortunately, WWII broke out that
year and Agnes wouldn’t see her parents
for almost 10 years. In 1944, the Brit-
ish government called on her to serve in
the army. “So I was placed in the nursing
unit in a hospital in Scotland,” she said. “I
tended to Italian POWs.”
In 1947, her parents – still in Palestine –
claimed a “compassionate leave” for their
daughter to tend to her ‘ailing mother’.
“That’s how I was able to leave the army
and return to Jerusalem,” Agnes chuckled.
A year later, however, Israel came into
being and Agnes and her parents fled to
Beirut. Once here, Mary Dodge (wife of
then AUB president) immediately sum-
moned her. “We are looking for a first
grade teacher for ACS,” she said. “And I
think you will do.”
And so it was that Agnes found herself
in a teaching career. Shortly after, the
Tapline came into the scene and Ameri-
can businessmen flooded the capital (this
is, according to Agnes, was when build-
ing blocks began to appear in Beirut to
accommodate these new high paying
renters). Secretaries were wanted and girls
flocked to secretarial schools. Agnes was
one of them. Unfortunately, shorthand
wasn’t her forté and in despair her male
teacher finally told her: “you’re never going
to learn this so I might as well marry you.”
Michel Shamma ‘34
and Agnes were
wedded in 1952.There was no doubt that
their three boys (
Johnny ‘72, Nadim ‘74
and Ramzi Shamma ‘82
) would attend
IC.
Today, her grandson is an IC student.
Tucked in a corner on a hallway shelf in
Agnes’ home are a dozen or so old albums
neatly fitted with black and white fading
photographs. In them are snapshots of
James, Sadeeka, Agnes, Michel, aunts,
uncles and cousins in Baghdad, Jerusalem,
Scotland and Beirut.
Agnes lovingly runs her hands over them.
There are still many many stories still untold.
Agnes’ childhood home on Jeanne D’arc Street. It has since been demolished.
Agnes in the British Army
during WWII
Agnes and her brother, Ronald, in
Baghdad
SUMMER
2011
19
As part of the IC Community
Section, the IC Newsletter is
looking for interesting stories.
If you’re an IC alumni, parent or
grandparent with an interesting
story to tell, we’d love to hear it!
You may also submit your story
- not to exceed 500 words with a
photo. (IC reserves the right to
edit submissions at the editor’s
discretion).
If interested, please contact
ReemHaddad at: rhaddad@
ic.edu.lb