I worked
in Aden as a civilian for Marconi Marine from
1961 to 1964 and lived with my wife at a block
of flats in Steamer Point (Tawahi) called Palida
Terrace which was just up from the pier and
opposite the block that housed the "Orient
Pharmacy" in those days - you may not be able to
recall it due to your age at the time and the
changes that must have occurred in that area
from 1965 onwards. Our veranda enabled my wife
to sit and watch me going to and fro in the
harbour and the coming and going of all the
ships that passed through in those days. We
also had a flat on the beach road at Khormaksar
for a time.
Our
offices were located in the P & O Building which
overlooked the Crescent and Victoria Gardens where the Arabs played
football and did their bag-pipe marches in those
days. I am sure the
Crescent Hotel may well be
a place you remember. My job was to repair
communications, radar, echo-sounders, gyro
compasses and autopilots, and whatever other
aids to navigation that ships passing through
the Port of Aden carried. Of course a number of
these were tankers passing through Little Aden,
including BP Tankers and ships of any
nationality.
In those
days we were members of the Gold Mohur Swimming
Club which was around the Point past the Cable
and Wireless Offices where the magnificent rock
formation stuck out into the sea like an
elephants trunk. You may well recall those
rocks as they would have appealed to a young
lad. Also, because of my close association with
the BP Tanker fleet, I was made an Honorary
Member of the BP Club. My wife and I also had
good friends in the forces when we were in Aden
and would often go to the Officers Club in
Steamer Point. Likewise the Harbour Pilots had
a club which we were also invited to use!
Sounds like lots of clubbing but in reality I
was on 24 hour call 365 days a year as ships
came and went within a few hours for bunkers and
I was kept extremely busy.
Our son
was born in Aden on the 20th January 1964 - so
we have one Arab in the family!! I also have a
daughter born in Cape Town - yes I worked in
South Africa for many years, and twin daughters
born in Chelmsford (UK). As my wife was born in
Durban we are very much a League of Nations!!
You did
not mention the Queen of
Sheba Water Tanks*-
did you never visit them? We often went to see
them and found them quite incredible - somewhere
or other we have many slides taken of the tanks
and Aden and it's surrounds. I keep promising
my family I will have a slide show one of these
days so they can see a part of our lives which
my wife and I grew to love in those four years.
I
thought you might find the image of my driving
license interesting - I have obscured the
signature for security sake, the picture would
be of little use to anyone as I've changed just
a little since those far off days!
*
Tawila Tanks
