I got the email below from a reader who used to live in Kuwait back in the 50s. Not sure how I never came across the video above myself!
Ahmadi In the 50s
I moved out there in 49 and went to the Anglo American school as did my sister Vivienne, In 54 I was sent to school in England and returned every summer to Kuwait on the lollypop Special flights. Most of the Holiday was spent at the Hubara Club around the pool and I remember going to the outdoor cinema with just a chair on the sand.My last visit was in 1966 with a friend from the uk and I took some movie pictures of my time out there, this has been on Utube for some time under the title “Holiday in Kuwait 1966” which some of you may find interesting enjoy
– Nigel Horner
15 replies on “Holiday in Kuwait – 1966”
Hi Mark,
I think you should post an article (or critique) the new logo of the major oil and energy firm.
I think or I will consider this logo as one of the worst in human history.
Did Kuwait used to be cooler in the summer? Or did people tolerate heat better back then?
i think a combination? cuz they didn’t have AC’s everywhere so they must have been more used to being out in the heat.
It was said in the sixties that Kuwait was getting marginally cooler and wetter. Not that a human would detect the change. it was measured by sensitive instruments. The change was attributed to the increase in plant life that needed watering. This meant less reflection from the sand and the green areas tended to retain the cooler air. Thus the air above became cooler and be less able to retain the humidity. Hence temps went down and rain went up. But as I said you needed to be a scientist to detect the change. Then or course the First Gulf War destruction of the oil wells had a similar effect but for a slightly different reason. It blocked the sunlight and made the cooler air shed its humidity. I used to see this effect in Dubai, A Shamal would often be followed by a heavy rain storm.
It was always hot. In the summers, my father used to take his mattress, soak it in water and sleep on the roof.
To be honest I think it was cooler in both summer & winter
Does anyone know how to get in touch with Nigel Horner?
Hi Ivan
I have only just seen your note dated feb 2020 if you want to contact me you can email me
your name does not ring any bells but you never know
look forward to hearing from you
NGH
Nigel, Looks like we do know each other. Our Dads played rugby together and i have a picture of me with your Dad in Basrah in 1950. E-mail me separately and we can talk.
Hi Ivan
Thanks for your reply, I have photos of the Scorpion’s rugby team with my dad in the line up, and I have found a few others on line, but my parents only seem to take pictures of my sister and I . So pictures of other people and places are rare from them.
Where do you live At present? Is it in the uk?
I live in Cambridgeshire currently
Look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Nigel
Dad went out in 48. Mam & I in 1949. I have a few pics of our Dads with KRUFC in the early 50s. I was sent odd to boarding school in 1955. My parents left Kuwait in 1964 the year i graduated from school. I suspect you and I had alternate summers in Kuwait so we lost touch. My crowd included David Marin, John Fidler, Ian Brighty, Robert Lund, Hickmans, Peter Wise, Eric Lazenby and others, I married Barbara Stanley (Sally Stanley’s daughter). I worked in banking in London for a few years before emigrating to Montreal and after a few transfers ended up in the credit card industry based in New York eventually getting involved with smart card roll out based in Dubai from whence i retired 16 years ago. I now live in Florida with my new wife after Barbara died in 2012.Its three years since i was last in the UK.
What a fabulous bit of film that is. Thank you for sharing it with us. Such a slower paced Kuwait , seen many many changes since I arrived at the start of 93.
Just following up from my original piece, In the 50’s you have to remember that the city of Kuwait was about a 10th the size of the present city, it was an arab town with a wall surrounding it and gates through which it was entered. The original airport was about halfway between the current one and the old city, now all built over. there was little in the way of habitation between Ahmadi and Kuwait city apart from Magwa where the hospital was, Had my tonsils out there.there was not alot along the coast between ther city and the Saudi border except the oil Terminal ares and a couple of small villages like Fahaheel.
Most of our time outside school as children and teenager was spent at the Hubara Club round the pool, we would walk home when it was time for tea. there were open concrete storm drains running down through Ahmadi which made fantastic tracks to run our home made soapbox cars down. Quite high speeds could be attained the problem was stopping before the end as there were large rocks . I only remember them having rain in them once. a tremendous rain storm and our garden was about 2 feet deep in water, we swam in the garden. a few weeks later the whole dessert bloomed with irises.
Hey Nigel, do you by any chance remember the Ahmadi Desert Motoring Club and if yes do you have any photos or info you could share. I just uploaded some photos and articles about the club to Flickr and you can check it out here https://flic.kr/s/aHsmRLGiVG
Hi Mark
I don’t have any photos of ADMC, but I do have a couple of the badges, one of which is on the front of my car.