A soldier’s tale of the early UAE
dubai — Few expats living in the UAE today can say they’ve been here since before the country became independent, let alone say they knew the country’s founders and were granted access to the inner workings of Emirati royal families. But one RAK resident, Briton David Neild, can say it all; he was there when it all happened.
At the age of 20 in 1959, Neild volunteered for the Trucial Oman Scouts, a paramilitary force established by the British in 1951 and headquartered in Sharjah. He went on to serve for years in the UAE, and later wrote a book, A Soldier in Arabia, about his time here.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Neild recalled his first impressions of what was then the Trucial States, Neild said it was “quite a shock to the system.
“Nothing could prepare you for just how isolated it was, or the lack of facilities. There weren’t any,” he said. “It was a very remote area, which hardly anyone outside had ever heard of.
“There wasn’t a single tarmac road. The camel was the main mode of transport. Dhows were used to ferry cargo and passengers, for instance, between Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi,” he added. “The only vehicles usable were military Land Rovers and Bedford three-tonners.”
‘He was just a great person’
Among the Emiratis who Neild got to know during his service in the country was the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was then the Ruler’s (Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan) representative in the Eastern Region, at Jahili Fort in Al Ain.
“He was an incredible person,” Neild remembers fondly. “It was very apparent that the people loved him. He was a great leader and stood out from other people.
“He was very inquisitive and had a very searching mind,” he added. “But the conversation would always end up in history, hunting, and hawks. He loved that. He was just a great person and you were aware of it.”
The first martyr
Despite being temporarily re-assigned in 1961 for service in Kenya, Germany and Northern Ireland, the British Army eventually fulfilled Neil’s request to return.
Eventually, following a bloodless operation to resolve tribal unrest in RAK in 1968, Neild left the British Army and came into the service of RAK ruler, Shaikh Saqr bin Mohammed, who wanted him to command the RAK’s own forces.
It was while serving in RAK that — two days before the UAE’s Independence in 1971 — Iran invaded and occupied the Tunb Islands, which they continue to hold to this day.
According to Neild, he was informed of the invasion at 5 in the morning, and quickly rushed to the Ruler’s palace to inform him.
“We were all taken by surprise when the islands were invaded,” he said. “We had six policemen on the island, and we were making plans to put a troop of my soldiers there, but that wouldn’t happen until the 2nd of December.”
One of the policemen, Lance Corporal Salim Suhail, did not survive the Iranian attack.
“He was shot dead trying to protect the flag of Ras Al Khaimah,” Neild noted. “He was the first martyr, and was buried on the island very quickly by local fishermen.
“The other five were arrested and taken back to Iran, to be released a few months later,” he added.
‘Never could have imagined’
Neild, who moved back to RAK — which he has “always considered home” — after stints in Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa, said he never imagined the UAE would become what it is today.
“It would have been beyond my wildest dreams that they would come to see this transformation from that remote, isolated, littleknown region,” he noted.
“People like Shaikh Zayed and Shaikh Rashid of Dubai had the vision and prepared the foundations for what the UAE has become,” he added. “But I’d be very surprised if any of them envisaged the incredible transformation that one sees today.”
Importantly, Neild noted that while the country may have undergone drastic changes in the last 45 years, it has successfully managed to maintain its culture and traditions.
“Although there has been this incredible transformation, the culture of the people hasn’t changed. When I go to Eid celebrations or weddings, for instance, it’s like going back in time,” he said. “The traditions and cultures are still what I remember from the early days.”
bernd@khaleejtimes.com