RAS AL KHAIMAH // When Sheikh Saqr asked his men who should be responsible for his sheikhdom's protection before unification, they suggested a tall Briton whose blond hair was hidden by his checked ghutra.
Aged 30, Lt Col David Neild was the youngest officer of the Trucial Oman Scouts (TOS), the British security forces present in the Trucial States.
The men of his regiment knew of his loyalty to the region, a loyalty some felt ran too deep.
It was Lt Col Neild's second posting to the Trucial States, where he had first come in 1959, just out of his teens. After his first tour, he served in Kenya, Berlin, Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK before reapplying for the TOS.
"I started getting hungry for the desert again. I think once the desert has got into your blood, it's hard to get it out again," he said.
"They said, 'You are not Lawrence of Arabia'. But I said 'No, you know, I really must go back or I will consider leaving the army'."
He returned in 1966, weeks before the accession of Sheikh Zayed, father of the UAE and its founding President.
Lt Col Neild, who is originally from Portsmouth, came to know the late Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed, the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, in 1967, during his time as the first squadron commander based at Hamham.
"I just had enormous respect for him from the start," Lt Col Neild said. "He just had an aura about him. Sheikh Zayed was the same. They were just very special people. Sheikh Rashid of Dubai was the same. Those three stood out as giants."
The respect ran both ways.
Lt Col Neild, who is now 75, caught the sheikh's eye when he helped to resolve a dispute with outlying tribes. He was summoned to the palace and asked to leave the British army to command a local force that would protect the royal family and the emirate's internal affairs.
"It's not every day you get asked to form your own private army," said Lt Col Neild. "I was very honoured but I said I would have to think about it. I was a bachelor and it didn't take long for the adrenalin to kick in.
"It wasn't the money," he said. "It was the challenge.
"Any professional soldier who suddenly is told, 'Form your own private army' - it has only happened to very, very few people ever."
The RAK Mobile Defence Force was formed in 1969. It was the fourth private army to be established along the coast after the British announced plans for a withdrawal from the Trucial States in 1971.
Negotiations were under way for the formation of a union among the seven emirates, Bahrain and Qatar. Two thirds of Ras Al Khaimah's borders were in dispute and American companies were still optimistic about the discovery of oil there.
"We started literally from scratch," said Lt Col Neild. "I was the only British officer ever in it."
Within three years, he had trained 300 RAK citizens and armed the emirate with armoured cars, mortars and machine guns.
"I've never been the most patient of people and one needed a lot of patience and tolerance ... I was very lucky I had very good Arab officers in senior ranks. Without them, we could never have achieved it."
Soldiers did three months of basic training with assistance from the TOS. Many had never held a weapon before.
"It was very much down to a tribal allegiance," said Lt Col Neild. "Sheikh Saqr had the loyalty of his people because he was a great man and everything he ever did, he looked at what was best for Ras Al Khaimah and its people, always."
Having completed three years of service, the Briton left in January 1972, once the mobile force was self-sufficient.
"We had a very close relationship and I said, 'You know I didn't want to stay around if you don't need me any more'."
Weeks later, in Lebanon, he received a telegram requesting his immediate return. The Ruler of Sharjah, Dr Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed, had been assassinated.
Lt Col Neild came to Sharjah for a year to set up the Sharjah National Guard. Eventually, the Sharjah and RAK units merged into the Union Defence Force.
The forces established a peace that laid the foundation for a modern, independent and united national army.
Lt Col Neild recently returned to live in Ras Al Khaimah with his wife, Eileen, to write his memoirs with regard to the region.
The decision to return to his "true home" came after a visit in February last year with other Britons who had lived in Ras Al Khaimah during the 1960s. They included Ruth Ash, an English nurse who established close ties with mountain tribes, and Margaret McKay, whose husband introduced dairy cows to the region.
More than 40 years have passed and Lt Col Neild is still known by tribesmen as Al Kayad, The Commander.
"If he gave an order, everybody obeyed him," said Rashed Naghmoush, who was 18 when he started training with Lt Col Neild in 1969.
"Because he is a good leader, he controlled the situation. He taught us how to adapt to all situations. We learnt to stop fighting, stop quarrelling, stop shooting.
"Before there was nothing. After the army, there was self-respect."
azacharias@thenational.ae
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
RESULTS
5pm: Watha Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Dalil De Carrere, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Miracle Maker, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Pharitz Al Denari, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mahmood Hussain
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Oss, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Almajhaz, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Lewaa, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Lady Parma, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Tabernas, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m
Winner: Night Castle, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Mutawakked, Szczepan Mazur, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Tafaakhor, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Cranesbill, Fabrice Veron, Erwan Charpy.
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
Company%20profile
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
'Nope'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jordan%20Peele%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Daniel%20Kaluuya%2C%20Keke%20Palmer%2C%20Brandon%20Perea%2C%20Steven%20Yeun%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
