Kingston, 4 December 2025 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has paid tribute to “a most remarkable woman,” Ena Collymore Woodstock, who has died at the age of 108.

Minister Grange said that Mrs Collymore Woodstock, lived a life of exceptional service during which “she entered and succeeded in fields that were either reserved for men or dominated by them. This included the military and law.”

The Minister recalled how Mrs Collymore Woodstock, who was from Spanish Town, became the first Black woman Radar Operator working on anti-aircraft guns during World War II.

“She had joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, which was a branch of the British Army because she wanted to be part of the war. She moved from Jamaica to London and was disappointed that she was given the same administrative tasks that she was performing here. So she wrote to the War Office to say she didn’t come all this way to be part of the typing pool, she came to fight. After that she was transferred to the Anti-Aircraft Service where she made history as a Radar Operator.”

After military service, Mrs Collymore Woodstock studied law before returning to Jamaica where she established several firsts.

“She was the first woman in our country to be appointed Clerk of the Court; first woman appointed Assistant Crown Solicitor; and first woman to be appointed a Resident Magistrate in Jamaica,” recalled Minister Grange who added that Mrs Collymore Woodstock was “a role model, a pioneer, a trailblazer, a most remarkable woman who proved that women were capable of succeeding at anything.”

Minister Grange said Mrs Collymore Woodstock was passionate about improving the condition of working women and advocated for the establishment of nurseries at the workplace.

“She will always be remembered for setting the stage for women to rise and succeed,” said Minister Grange.

END