A telegram reveals Rebecca West's hidden influence on a refugee's fate

A reader discovered a physical telegram tucked inside a used copy of Rebecca West's travelogue, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, at a library sale in Georgetown.

The telegram was sent by West, who used her real name, Cicily Andrews, to invite Ann Cottrell Free to a lunch in Buckinghamshire. Free, a former Newsweek correspondent, had kept the message for decades because it documented a private interaction regarding a woman West described in her book.

The book describes West's 1937 travels through Yugoslavia, where she met a Jewish singer she called the Bulbul. While the Bulbul appears as a minor character in the 1200-page narrative, Free later located the singer in a refugee camp on the Sinai peninsula in 1947. Free contacted West to share this news, leading to the meeting where West and Free discussed securing a future for the singer.

During the meeting, West reportedly treated Free with coldness, asking her what train she intended to take home after a brief tour of her estate. Although West did not credit Free for the connection, West eventually used her influence to secure a teaching position for the Bulbul in England. Free kept the telegram as a memento of the encounter, and it remained hidden in the book until its recent discovery.