Thanks, for your welcome notice,.
In view of the - Suez War 1956 - , approaching memory day, I would like to start by documenting, the following
topic lines,
This would complement the rest of the previousely topics ,published here as well as the future topics to be
published in due course , regarding this Suez War 1956 and the Anglo-French Invasion of Port-Said ( Nov. 5th
until their departure on Dec. 22ed 1956). In addition, many photos will be uploaded to enrich and add more
value to the topics lines.
Please notice, that those topics, have been published sind many years and many of them are still accessable
in Internet.
It is also worthy, to ( republish ) many topics written by veterans of that war, which document a lot of mostly
unknown events in the cit ypublished earlier, in a specialised domain about Britains Wars. So you will have impressions and events of both sides... Anglo-French and Egyptian.
Dr. Yahia Al Shaer
Destiny, Luck or circumstances ??
Luck or mere circumstances may have played their major part in my life. I was born in Port-Said on December 18th., 1937, grown up and spent my childhood and the early teen years in this Multicultural, half European City with its various civilisations. As the rest of the Port Said citizens, our life was bound to the Suez Canal, my father who was working as Engineer at the International Suez Canal Company ). Witness of some modern Egyptian History Living in Port Said was a coincidence of life, that helped to witness the most critical era of the modern.
Egyptian History
This begins with ( vague) memories of the British troops defending the city against the Nazi Air raids, when we had to rush to the bomb shelters in the night, the darkening of the city with the funny smelling of burning barrels to create black smoke, the deafening sound of AA Boufer guns and the mighty search light scanning the sky for unwelcome invaders ( German or Italian bombers ) attacking the Suez Canal. Then there was peace, Germany surrendered. Many troop transport ships passed through the Canal, carrying hundreds and hundreds of British and Commonwealth soldiers either directions north back home or south to the British colonies and Australia. The large British camps dominating the city were full of English soldiers ( men and women). The Royal Navy Fighting Ships and the military equipment have characterised Port Said, it started to flourish, and the social life began to vivid...... No long time was gone, to witness again the beginning of the another war, the first 1948 ( Palestine) War. The euphoria, the volunteers, the Egyptian troops parading through the main streets and once again, the AA deafening sound. The city was military area again. Loses, death, defeats and agony prevailed. My eldest brother Mohamed Hady has volunteered to fight in Palestine aside the Egyptian Army.
President Anwar El Sadat
Our father had engaged all of the family members in hot political and intellectual discussions aimed at understanding the importance of liberating Egypt from all the foreign influences, particularly the British Occupation of the Suez Canal. Although he was a pro Monarch, he opposed the King in many issues. The time was unmerciful to the child Yahia and did not give the opportunity to grasp what happens, until King Farouk´s - political police - started to surprise us quite often with their famous early dawn visits, in order to arrest my eldest brother Mohamed Hady and throw him again and again in the foreigners prison of Port Said dedicated for those who are active politically. This special prison was at the backside of the Police station facing the Ferry-boat dock, opposite to the Suez Canal, which happened to be one of the battle sites during 1956 War.
Hady was a leading member of Misr El Faith (Young Egypt) movement, which aimed at fighting the British Occupation - by all means -. Often, I had to join our servant when he brought food to him and to his cell comrade (with hidden instructions in my shorts from Mohamed Makhlouf, the one who used to print the Propaganda leaflets against the Occupation, and later against the Anglo-French troops in Port Said ), because the police guard let me in without searching. I never imagine that this friendly dark-skinned man sharing the cell with my brother was Major Mohamed Anwar El Sadat !!!!!. and as it happened , would become sometime the President of Egypt ???. King Farouk was the Egyptian Monarch. Who ever thought of it ( except Gamal Abdel Nasser, later).
The 1936 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty
It did not last long, before the Egyptian Prime Minister, Nahas Pasha has annulled on the 15th October 1951 the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian treaty with Britain. See THE SUPPRESSED STORY Violent and armed terror attacks against the British Camps in the Suez Canal area have taken place on daily basis. My brothers and second eldest brother were active in these attacks ( I was the youngest and fourth boy). The Anglo-Egyptian battle of Ismailia , was an important Milestone in the history of Liberation movements in Egypt. Its pages began to be written with blood, both of the Egyptian civilians and the British soldiers residing in the Suez Canal area.
The Egyptian Revolution
| I rejoined the university to study Political Sciences and International Economy then continued in Europe with the MBA Business Administration studies followed by the PhD studies of International Economy and Law. After that, I have specialised in the Computer Business as Management Consultant. The years go by, but between a time and then, I recall the wonderful life in Port Said in the 1950s and smile, then ask myself, would this all had happened to me if I were born some years earlier or later ??. I doubt it or better say I really don't know. Is it Destiny, Luck or just mere Circumstances , or may be all these factors together ?? We will never know. |
Dr. Yahia Al Shaer
