My Grandfather was a senior manager in the GPO / Post Office and after retiring he took up a UN Posting to Ethiopia to after a few months we all moved out after he had been 6 months in post.
My first memories really start there as I was around 4 at the time we moved out and we returned in Sep 1972. We lived in the two-story flat apartments in the Ghion hotel grounds (we were no 10 – upper level).
Memories come in flashes at that age, but some things are indelibly printed and some I suspect come from Mum, Gran and Grandpa talking about it and reliving it. It’s hard to separate which is which.
I clearly remember the door buzzer going and this strange man coming in who Mum, Gran and Grandpa knew. His clothes looked messy, and he had big blisters all over his hands. They were talking about a plane crash. This was Douglas Cameron, his family were close friends with ours. He knew we were in Addis and knew Mum was a nurse and hadn’t trusted or been able to be seen quickly at the hospital (I don’t know which I have the impression it was the former).
What I do remember is seeing Mum treat the blisters and being frightened and confused and something being said about fire, flames and trying to help people. I don’t if that’s exact words if I shut my eyes I can almost but not quite relive it. I also remember Mum later talking about them noticing that they had not heard the plane take off and go overhead at the expected time.
Douglas sadly died in a car crash many years ago but left a daughter who I met at his brother's funeral a few years ago. His other brother Donald is still going strong.