Thursday, 15th April 2010

Unfortunately Victoria Clark, who was due to speak on 15 April, has had to cancel at short notice due to unforeseen circumstances. 

However, our Chairman Dr Noel Brehony has kindly agreed to step in and give a talk entitled South Arabia after the British left: the birth and early years of the Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen, based on the early chapters of his forthcoming book.

The time and venue is unchanged, i.e. 5.30 for 6 p.m. at the Middle East Association, 33 Bury Street, London SW1Y 6AX.

Thursday, 27th May 2010

David Gwynne-James will give an illustrated talk about his recent book Arabian Peninsula 1958: An Account of Operations in the Dhala Region April 19-June 2 1958. 

The talk is an account of the deployment of a Task Force to this region of the Western Aden Protectorate in 1958 and describes “the Jebel Jihaf operation”, which was first mounted to relieve Fort As Sarir, where a British Political Agent, Fitzroy Somerset, was held hostage.

David Gwynne-James served with The King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (later the 3rd Battalion, The Light Infantry, now The Rifles) between 1957 and 1970 where his postings included Kenya, Aden, Muscat, Singapore and Malaysia. 

On leaving the Army, he became a Director of Arthur Young & Co (later Ernst & Young) for 20 years and subsequently ran Management Consultants Gwynne-James Associates. Arabian Peninsular 1958 is his third book.

The talk will start at 6.00 p.m. (drinks from 5.30 p.m.) at the Middle East Association, 33 Bury Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6AX. 

This event is also free for Members, but please advise the Hon. Secretary if you wish to attend.

AGM

A notice with the agenda will be sent out separately, but meanwhile members might wish to note that this year’s AGM will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, 17th June at the Yemeni Embassy.

BBC Radio 4 Document

Those who missed the programme earlier this month about British involvement in Yemen in the 1960s might be interested to listen to it 
online. 

Humanitarian Citadel

Unfortunately we were unable to show this film as planned on 25th February due to equipment failure. Apologies to those Members who were disappointed, but we hope the impromptu discussion and lively conversation held in its place proved an acceptable substitute. 

The screening will be re-scheduled once a suitable venue has been found.

Annual Subscriptions

Members are reminded that subscriptions for 2010 are now due from those Members who have not signed Banker’s Orders. Cheques for £20 should be made out to ‘The British-Yemeni Society’ and posted to the Hon. Secretary at the address below.

Essay Competition 2009

The Society is delighted to announce that first prize has been awarded to Shuaib Almosawa for his essay The Yemeni Abandoned Lifestyle and second prize to Mohammed Awadh Aulaqi for Thoughts from Yemen. Shuaib’s essay will be published in the 2010 Journal.

British-Yemeni Society Grant 2010

This year’s academic grant has been awarded to Thanos Petouris for fieldwork towards his PhD thesis The anti-colonial movement in Aden and the Protectorates of South Arabia 1937-1967.

Al-Burdun

Members may be interested in an article and 12-minute documentary film The Boarding House: the Yemeni Community of South Shields which was featured in last month’s issue of Saudi Aramco World magazine. The article and film are available to view online.

Queen of Sheba: Treasures from Ancient Yemen

The above catalogue, edited by St John Simpson (ISBN 0-7141 - 1151 -1 The British Museum Press) is now available from the new British Museum bookshop at £9.99, reduced from £24.99.

To find the bookshop: enter British Museum by main entrance, turn left on ground floor, walk through cloak room and mini shop to hall with Assyrian sculpture. Turn left again here and you will find yourself at the entrance to the bookshop.

Academic conference on Yemen

The Society of Arab & Islamic Studies (University of Exeter-UK) along with the Sheba Center for Strategic Studies, the University of Sana’a and the Centre for Gulf Studies (University of Exeter-UK) will hold an international academic conference Yemen from the Threshold: Identity, Regionalism and Globalization in Sana’a, Yemen from 17th – 19th May 2010. Further information is available at www.yemen-2010.com.

Members’ contact details

We occasionally need to make last minute changes to the programme and make every effort to keep members up to date. Where members have provided an email address, this is a simple procedure; for members without email, the Hon. Secretary will advise as many as possible – and practical – via telephone.