How to order direct from the author
Goodnight God BlessFROM FARRINGDON TO KUWAIT
Pauline Waters
SOFTBACK £12.00 & UK postage £3.00
By Post: Mail to Pauline Waters, 16 Ingleby Court, Sunderland, SR4 7NF
Cheque payable to Pauline Waters
By Email pauline3.waters@gmail.com or MOBILE 07786024011
Bank transfer details Pauline Waters
07-13-10 83948145
Pauline Waters
SOFTBACK £12.00 & UK postage £3.00
By Post: Mail to Pauline Waters, 16 Ingleby Court, Sunderland, SR4 7NF
Cheque payable to Pauline Waters
By Email pauline3.waters@gmail.com or MOBILE 07786024011
Bank transfer details Pauline Waters
07-13-10 83948145
 |
| Pauline Waters |
INTRODUCTION
This book follows
the life of a family, a street, and a town within England and the world during the
years
1974-76.
It is based on letters which were
written by Stan to his son Stephen and family during the years 1974, 1975 and 1976.
The handwritten letters were posted from Farringdon in Sunderland to Kuwait City
in Kuwait.
His son Stephen went to university
at eighteen years old and, after a few years of working for the local government
in England, accepted a position as a Town and Country planner working for the government
in Kuwait.
The usual form of communication
then was by letter writing. There was an efficient postal service both locally and
internationally.
Stan lived in a council house
on an estate called Farringdon in Sunderland. He had been invalided out of the shipyards
where he had worked as an engineer since leaving school. His days were spent tending
to his garden, doing some housework, making ready cut rugs, and sewing embroidered
articles. Daytime television did not exist but his daily paper, The News Chronicle,
provided a crossword which was completed every day.
Stan loved to receive a letter
from Stephen. He would wait for a letter to arrive from Kuwait and then he would
reply to it. The letters were written in the style of the spoken word as if he were
talking to his son or having a conversation with him. He always replied to an incoming
letter and numbered his to aid continuity.
In his letters he mentioned news
of family members, neighbourhood events, local and national news as well as the
cost of living and rising prices. The local Sunderland football team was regularly
mentioned and usually related to the players weekly performance on the pitch or
news of injuries and transfers.
Stan wrote detailed accounts giving
a clear reflection of life during those years.
He wrote thirty letters over the
period of three years. He expressed his thoughts, fears and opinions which at the
time, he did not verbalise to his family.
_______________________________________________________
This book follows
the life of a family, a street, and a town within England and the world during the
years
1974-76.
It is based on letters which were
written by Stan to his son Stephen and family during the years 1974, 1975 and 1976.
The handwritten letters were posted from Farringdon in Sunderland to Kuwait City
in Kuwait.
His son Stephen went to university
at eighteen years old and, after a few years of working for the local government
in England, accepted a position as a Town and Country planner working for the government
in Kuwait.
The usual form of communication
then was by letter writing. There was an efficient postal service both locally and
internationally.
Stan lived in a council house
on an estate called Farringdon in Sunderland. He had been invalided out of the shipyards
where he had worked as an engineer since leaving school. His days were spent tending
to his garden, doing some housework, making ready cut rugs, and sewing embroidered
articles. Daytime television did not exist but his daily paper, The News Chronicle,
provided a crossword which was completed every day.
Stan loved to receive a letter
from Stephen. He would wait for a letter to arrive from Kuwait and then he would
reply to it. The letters were written in the style of the spoken word as if he were
talking to his son or having a conversation with him. He always replied to an incoming
letter and numbered his to aid continuity.
In his letters he mentioned news
of family members, neighbourhood events, local and national news as well as the
cost of living and rising prices. The local Sunderland football team was regularly
mentioned and usually related to the players weekly performance on the pitch or
news of injuries and transfers.
Stan wrote detailed accounts giving a clear reflection of life during those years.
He wrote thirty letters over the
period of three years. He expressed his thoughts, fears and opinions which at the
time, he did not verbalise to his family.
_______________________________________________________
FROM FARRINGDON TO KUWAIT STEPHEN’S JOURNEY
I applied to Kuwait Municipality
in 1973 to work as a Town and Country Planner. I went to the Kuwait Embassy in London
for my interview with Mr Alan Mathieston who represented Kuwait municipality. A
team of six civil engineers and planners were appointed. In November 1973 I travelled
out with my wife and two children to commence work before Christmas. Others in the
group waited until after Christmas. We were given accommodation in a government
guesthouse. The food provided for us was very spicy and did not suit my baby son.
I travelled daily with a representative from the Kuwait housing department to view
potential housing accommodation for my family. We eventually selected a three-bedroom
apartment in a residential suburb area of Shuaib which adjoined Al Shuaib. Most
of the accommodation was in medium rise residential flats. As I had arrived before
the rest of the team, I had the advantage of meeting my Kuwaiti colleagues before
them. The British Council gave me a list of dos and don’ts e.g. when meeting Royalty
address a female member of the Royal household as Ma’am (sounding like Jaarm).
Our household items arrived in
a shipping container. My new leather full length coat was stolen in transit. I purchased
a smart double-breasted suit which I never wore as there were no formal occasions
to attend. Letters mailed to me took twelve days to arrive at my postbox. I attended
a course with Keith, one of the engineers, to learn Arabic, but found it difficult,
so left the course. The technical officers spoke English. The chief engineer of
the municipality was married to an English lady. He had qualified at Oxford University.
I occasionally met his second in command who was just as powerful as his boss. He
loved cheese on toast. He left suddenly with all his salary and allowances which
had been given to him, apparently not keen on the living conditions. Our team had
the task of initially designing a subdivision which included deciding how many dwellings
would be built on the site. The plan was given to the draughtsmen and surveyors.
The next day the ground was flattened and building commenced. There were a few thousand
Kuwaiti in the population at that time. The Royal family were very wealthy. They
had gold number plates on their cars.
On my first week there I witnessed a public execution. The condemned prisoner was marched into the main city centre from the prison and
executed. A series of small pictures recorded the event in the local newspaper.
Luckily, it was not a regular occurrence.
The Kuwaitis were mainly educated
in the USA. They wore white dishdashas with real gold cufflinks and gold clips on
their shoes, which were changed daily. The technical workers were mainly from the
United Kingdom, United States and Europe. The manual labourers were from India and
Pakistan. The Arabic language in Kuwait was very different to the language in other
parts of Arabia. Pure Arabic was spoken in Mecca. ‘Yela’ meant ‘come or go’.
I worked from 7 am until 2 pm. Some workers had an afternoon siesta and returned
to work in the evening. I was given two months holiday per year. My children attended
an English-speaking school. The wives of our team members were able to apply for
jobs. My wife worked as a typist for the United Nations. We had a nanny called Sebastian
who lived in an adjoining room. She did the ironing and babysat for us. She was
very happy; we were too. Initially I thought I would be working there for two years.
In fact, I was there for six years 1973 to 1979, before leaving for another position
in Qatar.
REVIEWS
SUNDERLAND ECHO 29 August 2025
https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/people/im-shining-a-spotlight-on-life-in-sunderland-in-the-1970s-5292718
I applied to Kuwait Municipality
in 1973 to work as a Town and Country Planner. I went to the Kuwait Embassy in London
for my interview with Mr Alan Mathieston who represented Kuwait municipality. A
team of six civil engineers and planners were appointed. In November 1973 I travelled
out with my wife and two children to commence work before Christmas. Others in the
group waited until after Christmas. We were given accommodation in a government
guesthouse. The food provided for us was very spicy and did not suit my baby son.
I travelled daily with a representative from the Kuwait housing department to view
potential housing accommodation for my family. We eventually selected a three-bedroom
apartment in a residential suburb area of Shuaib which adjoined Al Shuaib. Most
of the accommodation was in medium rise residential flats. As I had arrived before
the rest of the team, I had the advantage of meeting my Kuwaiti colleagues before
them. The British Council gave me a list of dos and don’ts e.g. when meeting Royalty
address a female member of the Royal household as Ma’am (sounding like Jaarm).
Our household items arrived in
a shipping container. My new leather full length coat was stolen in transit. I purchased
a smart double-breasted suit which I never wore as there were no formal occasions
to attend. Letters mailed to me took twelve days to arrive at my postbox. I attended
a course with Keith, one of the engineers, to learn Arabic, but found it difficult,
so left the course. The technical officers spoke English. The chief engineer of
the municipality was married to an English lady. He had qualified at Oxford University.
I occasionally met his second in command who was just as powerful as his boss. He
loved cheese on toast. He left suddenly with all his salary and allowances which
had been given to him, apparently not keen on the living conditions. Our team had
the task of initially designing a subdivision which included deciding how many dwellings
would be built on the site. The plan was given to the draughtsmen and surveyors.
The next day the ground was flattened and building commenced. There were a few thousand
Kuwaiti in the population at that time. The Royal family were very wealthy. They
had gold number plates on their cars.
On my first week there I witnessed a public execution. The condemned prisoner was marched into the main city centre from the prison and
executed. A series of small pictures recorded the event in the local newspaper.
Luckily, it was not a regular occurrence.
The Kuwaitis were mainly educated
in the USA. They wore white dishdashas with real gold cufflinks and gold clips on
their shoes, which were changed daily. The technical workers were mainly from the
United Kingdom, United States and Europe. The manual labourers were from India and
Pakistan. The Arabic language in Kuwait was very different to the language in other
parts of Arabia. Pure Arabic was spoken in Mecca. ‘Yela’ meant ‘come or go’.
I worked from 7 am until 2 pm. Some workers had an afternoon siesta and returned
to work in the evening. I was given two months holiday per year. My children attended
an English-speaking school. The wives of our team members were able to apply for
jobs. My wife worked as a typist for the United Nations. We had a nanny called Sebastian
who lived in an adjoining room. She did the ironing and babysat for us. She was
very happy; we were too. Initially I thought I would be working there for two years.
In fact, I was there for six years 1973 to 1979, before leaving for another position
in Qatar.
REVIEWS
SUNDERLAND ECHO 29 August 2025
