Samples of my work available now on Amazon Books. Each picture is linked to Amazon Books.
Set against the shifting political landscape of the late twentieth century, this historical nonfiction memoir offers a rare, eyewitness account of life and work in the Middle East during times of conflict and transformation. The author’s career in marine engineering and dredging takes him from Britain to Kuwait, where he becomes both participant and observer in events that shape regional history. He survives the 1990 Iraqi invasion as a hostage, returns to assist with post-war reconstruction, and later watches as international forces once again move toward conflict in 2003. Interwoven with these events is a personal story of marriage, family, moral conviction, and resilience. Grounded in lived experience rather than ideology, this book explores the human consequences of political decisions and the quiet strength required to rebuild—both nations and lives—after history has passed through.
Light struck down in a hard blade and everyone nearest it moved at once, not from courage but reflex. The man later found first had the nearest space and used it before someone bigger could block him. He got one shoulder through, then his head, then his right arm, dragging against the frame, sucking air that smelled of rain and fish and diesel and the clean shock of outside.The deck was wet. The sky low and grey-black. And ahead, just beyond the angle of the boat, a light from shore. He thought: real.
Then a boot hit his shoulder from behind, someone shouting to get back, another man above striking down at him. He got one knee under himself anyway. A face loomed at the edge of sight—weathered, thick-necked, furious. Another figure behind it in a better coat, stiller than the crew, not touching anything yet. He began begging before he knew he had chosen to beg. Work. Money. Please. No police. Alone. I go alone.
The words came out in Romanian and fragments of English and were probably useless in both.
The Medway towns of 1961 sat in that quiet space between the old world and the new. The war had ended more than fifteen years earlier, yet you could still feel its aftershocks in the cracked brickwork, the patched-up roofs, and the way older folks still measured life in “before the war” and “after.” But for the young—kids who had grown up knowing only peace—there was a restless sense that something bigger was coming.
The dockyards were the heart of the place, thumping with the clang of metal on metal, the hiss of steam, and the calls of men who’d been working there since before anyone in the group was born. Ships rose like giants above the rooftops, their grey hulls catching the weak Kentish sunlight. For the boys who wanted a trade, the dockyard was the obvious path; for those who didn’t, its looming presence was a reminder of what they might end up doing if they didn’t find something better.
In September 2018, an article appeared in the Financial Times of Glasgow showing that Thompson Enterprises were involved in the acquisition of 380,000 barrels of Iraqi crude oil.
The newspaper article showed evidence that the oil had not been purchased through the established avenues as laid out by UN resolution 1476 as implemented in 2003, but through back door channels using small barges loaded in Basra.
The product was then trans-shipped into a 45,000-dwt tanker laying at anchor in Kuwaiti waters close to Bubiyan Island in the northern Arabian Gulf.
There was no proof whatsoever that the oil had been illegally procured by Thompson Enterprises, but it did cast doubt on the integrity of a reputable British company. However documents eventually produced by Thompson legal team showed lawful purchase of the product through legitimate channels. But it led to suspicions and questions as to why they needed to procure oil by this method.
It was common knowledge that Iraqi crude oil was being brought to the international markets through black market channels, and there were many examples of open corrupt practices throughout Iraq.
