Philippa Treadwell has died on Friday 19th April 2013 after a lifetime associated with Oman & the Middle East

Philippa Treadwell who lived in Oman from 1975-79, died in England on Friday 19^thApril 2013 after a very short hospital stay.

Philippa was born in Istanbul on 2^nd June 1927, part of a British family with roots in Turkey, in some cases several generations deep. She has been associated with the Middle East since then, as British Consul’s wife in Jeddah from 1963, British Ambassador’s wife in the UAE from 1968-1973 (the critical period of the formation of the UAE in December 1971), and Oman from 1975-1979. She also played the key role of a diplomat’s wife from 1946 till 1955 in Sudan and later a run of countries including Nigeria. From 1973–1975 she was High Commissioner’s wife in the Bahamas. Whether this peripatetic ‘official’ life formed her character or her love of travel itself was already established, the result was the same – she was always undertaking peregrinations.

Philippa was an indefatigable explorer of Oman – achieving many unreported probable firsts for a non-Omani, including her discovery of the Tower Tombs at Jaylah and creating awareness of the vast Green Turtle nesting beach at Ras Al Jinz, and was a European pioneer of the north face ascent from Wadi Saatan to Jebel Shams.

Philippa as a diplomat’s wife also dealt with key visits into Oman, including that by Queen Elizabeth in 1979. This was when the Royal Yacht Britannia was an important part of a State Visit by the British Monarch – and both Sultan Qaboos and Queen Elizabeth were in their prime – and of course Philippa was as well. Charles Treadwell, her husband, died on 10^th January 2010 aged 89.

My abiding memory of Philippa is a visit by her to Oman, which started at Heathrow, where a minor accident caused one of her ribs to be injured. However, her determination to undertake her visit to Oman overcame the pain during some three weeks of travel, usually off-road, with a good proportion of the nights spent camping.

Philippa made many friends in Oman who, like me,  will no doubt remember her charm, strength of character and passion for life.