Twenty years on, it is the smell of fear that Godfrey Meynell remembers most vividly, his own and that of the people around him as they lay at the dead of night inside a power plant in Baghdad.
At the end of January in 2003, as mass opposition was mounting against another conflict being waged in the Middle East region, Meynell boarded one of three London double-decker buses for a 20-day, 3,000-mile journey to Iraq.
Meynell, then a 68-year-old grandfather, was heading off to act as a human shield with other anti-war protesters from around the world in the hope of preventing the city from being bombed by a US-led coalition.
“I wanted to do something heroic,” Meynell told The National this week of his mission that was, he says, motivated by a sense of righteous indignation and a streak of conceit.
"But I am afraid to say it did not work out that way.
"I am a very vain man and there was a lot of showing off about it. My wife, who was much more level-headed, was against the whole thing."
The organisers' ambition was to inspire a crusade for peace that would stop America and her allies, including Britain, from going to war. In the event, it fizzled out.
He spent two weeks in the capital moving to various key installations before being gripped by "cold fear" and deciding to get out. "From having felt very heroic earlier on, I became anxious about getting hit by the bombs," Meynell says.
“One night, when we were in our designated place to discourage the Americans from bombing us, I remember thinking: 'It's happening'. But the noise turned out only to be a spectacular thunderstorm."
Meynell took a bus to Damascus and flew back to London on March 3 much to the relief of his family who had feared the worst. His son, also named Godfrey, had been so concerned that he had telephoned the Pentagon to plead with authorities not to launch an attack.
Sitting in an armchair in Meynell Langley, the family home since Norman times, the now 88-year-old does not have the air of a rebel with several causes.
As he speaks of the events of two decades ago, his lasting feeling is one of shame for not staying the distance; he was back home by the time the "shock and awe" campaign began. There are, though, no regrets.
"It was an unnecessary war if ever there was one. I actually have got time for Tony Blair. I think it was an honest mistake joining up with the Americans, but the war has had terrible consequences."
The human shield convoy left from the Tower of London on January 25, and Meynell had been accompanied to the departure point by his son. "People really were scared," Godfrey Jnr says. "They sensed that perhaps they might not be coming back. I remember saying to the driver: 'Look after my father'."
The bus carrying Meynell arrived in Baghdad on February 15, the day that Godfrey Jnr returned to London to take part in the Stop the War march, the biggest ever seen in the capital.
Meynell himself has long been driven by a sense of injustice underpinned by a firm Christian faith shared by his wife Honor, one of the first Church of England female priests, until her death last year.
After school at Eton and history at Cambridge University, he joined the colonial service in 1959. Sent to what was then the British protectorate of Aden, now Yemen, Meynell became fluent in Arabic, wholeheartedly embracing the culture and the people.
"It was the happiest time of my life," he says.
Meynell resigned abruptly in 1966, the year before the final British withdrawal, but pulled some political strings to help get Sa’iid Mohammed, who had been his chef in Aden, to Britain where he settled in South Shields in north-east England.
“He is like a brother to my father and a second father to me,” says Godfrey Jnr.
Meynell's post-government life was taken up with causes and public works. He set up an organic farm in the 1970s and stood unsuccessfully as an Independent Green candidate in the 1997 general election.
The lifelong royalist, who represented the Queen at a local level as High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1982, reserves particularly staunch support for King Charles given his stance on the climate crisis.
Age has not dimmed Meynell's campaigning zeal. He is currently walking an average of about a mile and a half a day to Norwich, on a charity fundraising drive. It is no mean feat for an octogenarian, even one as remarkable as Meynell.
But it is typical of an eventful life in which he has never been afraid to do his "bit" — chiefly for the anti-war movement, the environment, and the Arab world - and give what he can.
In 2014, he was so moved by the plight of refugees from Syria arriving in Greece that he donated the proceeds of the sale of a masterpiece by the 18th-century artist Joseph Wright to a church charity. Valued before auction at £150,000, A Grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, with the Figure of Julia, Banished from Rome went under the hammer for £665,000.
When asked to look back and consider whether his escapade to Baghdad had been worth it, Meynell concedes with hindsight “probably not".
"Maybe it was a bit naive," he says. "It didn’t achieve much apart from creating some goodwill, I think. Now, at the age of 88, I am wiser — and I certainly would not be rushing back there. But you have to do what you feel is right at the time.”
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
MATCH INFO
Who: France v Italy
When: Friday, 11pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJesse%20Armstrong%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brian%20Cox%2C%20Jeremy%20Strong%2C%20Kieran%20Culkin%2C%20Sarah%20Snook%2C%20Nicholas%20Braun%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULTS: 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING - EUROPE
Albania 0 Italy 1
Finland 2 Turkey 2
Macedonia 4 Liechtenstein
Iceland 2 Kosovo 0
Israel 0 Spain 1
Moldova 0 Austria 1
Serbia 1 Georgia 0
Ukraine 0 Croatia 2
Wales 0 Ireland 1
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ferrari
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
