In the 1980s, a stark economic contrast between Britain and Saudi Arabia shaped one family's story. While the UK construction sector faced a deep recession, Saudi Arabia was booming, flush with petrodollars and desperate for skilled labour to build its infrastructure.
A Father's Move and a Family Reunion
This disparity led thousands of British workers, including Stuart Heritage's father, to seek work in the Middle Eastern kingdom. With a young family to support back home, the move was a necessity. The family managed two visits to see him: one to Riyadh and another to Jeddah, where a now-cherished photograph was taken.
Life in Jeddah was a world away from the relative comfort of the Riyadh compound. Stuart's father shared a small, noisy flat on Palestine Street with a colleague. The trip began badly for six-year-old Stuart, who contracted mumps almost immediately upon arrival and, according to his childhood diary, suffered from 'excessive diarrhoea' throughout the stay.
Despite the ailments and his brother using their new karate pyjamas as an excuse for frequent ambushes, Stuart recalls having 'the time of my life'. His child's eye view was shielded from the nation's complex politics, leaving him with overwhelming impressions of sheer scale and sensory overload.
A Child's View of an Alien World
To a boy whose previous holiday was to Abergavenny, Jeddah felt like another planet. Every building seemed bigger and shinier. The roads were dotted with vast, bewildering modern art sculptures. The King Fahd's Fountain, then the tallest in the world, mesmerised him with its nightly colour changes. Above the city's constant din, the call to prayer echoed powerfully.
The pinnacle of wonder was the Middle East Shopping Centre. Its glass-walled lifts, tutti frutti ice cream, and the kindness of a checkout worker who let him scan the shopping felt like magic. Years later, discovering it was arguably less impressive than Essex's Lakeside shopping centre did nothing to diminish those pristine childhood memories.
The Lasting Value of Togetherness
Beyond the novelty, the trip's true significance was familial. For Stuart's mother, it was a respite from years of solo parenting. For his father, it was a chance to proudly show off his temporary home. They swam in the Red Sea, ventured into the desert where Stuart was allowed to steer the car, and played on his dad's Atari 2600.
The photograph, therefore, captures more than a moment in a Jeddah flat. It encapsulates a precious period where the family operated as a 'small and content unit'. It represents the profound happiness of being together, a feeling so strong it eclipsed even mumps and diarrhoea for a six-year-old boy far from home.
