"You Had Such an Unusual Childhood": Essays on Growing Up in the Middle East during World War II

By Marilyn Sutton Loos

Unlike thousands of other Americans who never leave their neighborhoods until high school, by the time Marilyn Sutton Loos was four years old, she had lived in Palestine, England, and America, and twice crossed the Atlantic and Mediterranean by boat. By the time she was fourteen, she had been evacuated once, lived in the Middle East unscathed through World War II, and added to the list of countries she had lived in or visited: Trans-Jordan, Cyprus, and Lebanon, with short times in Syria. She had become acquainted with Anglicans, Quakers, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Seventh Day Adventists, and Plymouth Brethren, as well as Muslims, Druze and Jews of various denominations. She had learned to speak English, French, and simple Arabic, and occasionally used words of Turkish, and Armenian. Embroidery-whether tangible or figurative-was a leitmotif of the family's life. This is her attempt to write, from memory (unembroidered), about that life as they lived, taught, learned, traveled, and vacationed during the late 1930s and World War II. At the time, all these experiences seemed perfectly normal to her, but the many adjustments to American living showed how unusual they were to Americans. From 1946 to 1953 the family's lives became more similar to other American lives, but often seemed quite unusual to her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Dec 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781977223272

Marilyn Sutton Loos

Marilyn Sutton Loos was born in Jerusalem, Palestine to a British Anglican and American Quaker. She was taught by a British governess through third grade, attended the American Community School of Beirut, Lebanon as a boarder, from fourth through ninth grade, and Westtown Friends School (in Pennsylvania) through twelfth grade. She earned her BA in French from Smith College, spending her Junior year in France, and an MA in Arab Studies from the American University of Beirut. She worked as a secretary in the Psychology Department of the American University of Beirut, then as a translator from French into English for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWAPRNE). Returning to the USA, she worked as a secretary, and then an administrative assistant, for the American Friends Service Committee. She married Gordon M. Loos and they raised two children, Jonathan and Elizabeth. When they were respectively in high school and middle school, she returned to the employment world as a paraprofessional in the library of the Radnor High School, and later as a technical editor of instruction books at the Protection and Control department of General Electric. She is now a retired widow, living in Haverford, PA.

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Figure 1 Family Christmas Card, Perhaps in 1941. (l. to r., front row) David, Ponto (back row) Mummy, Patience, Daddy, Marilyn

"You Had Such an Unusual Childhood"

Essays on Growing Up in the Middle East during World War II

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2020 Marilyn Sutton Loos

v4.0

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Outskirts Press, Inc.

http://www.outskirtspress.com

ISBN: 978-1-9772-2327-2

Author Cover Photo © 2020 Judith A. Moody. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Outskirts Press and the OP logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

To Patience Margaret Sutton Hajj,

David Francis Sutton,

and to Miss Kathleen M. Hatton,

who each saw drafts,

but did not survive to see the book.

Figure 2 Ramallah Wedding Dress with Bethlehem Gold Embroidery and Colored Silk Appliques

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF FIGURES

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

BEYOND THE GARDEN GATE

THE HEADMASTER’S HOUSE

HOMES AWAY FROM HOME

SCHOOLING

At Home

Boarding School

After Eviction of the Vichy French

CAMPING

DADDY

MUMMY, MAMÄ, HEADMASTER’S WIFE

MISS HATTON

SUMMER OF TRANSITION

RETURNING TO THE HOME I HAD NOT KNOWN

Figure 3 Palestinian Embroidery Done by Refugees Through UNRWA

TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Family Christmas Card, Perhaps in 1941. (l. to r., front row) David, Ponto (back row) Mummy, Patience, Daddy, Marilyn

Figure 2 Ramallah Wedding Dress with Bethlehem Gold Embroidery and Colored Silk Appliques

Figure 3 Palestinian Embroidery Done by Refugees Through UNRWA

Figure 4 Chinese Embroidery from the Loos Family

Figure 5 Damascus-Type Embroidered Tablecloth

Figure 6 Bargello Sampler I Have Yet to Make into a Pillow

Figure 7 Map of the Middle East That I Grew Up with in the 1930s and 1940s

Figure 8 Maternity Dress with Trim Embroidered by Mummy

Figure 9 My Damascus-Embroidered Kaftan

Figure 10 David and Marilyn at Gate of School, Neighbors’ House Behind Loose Stone Wall

Figure 11 School Classroom Building Courtyard in 1989, After Second Floor Added

Figure 12 Prudence and Margaret Walpole, Their Governess, and Their Donkey, Macko. Our Walks Must Have Coincided Sometimes

Figure 13 ’Amman from Hilltop

Figure 14 Center of ’Amman

Figure 15 Columbine Dress

Figure 16 Map of ’Amman

Figure 17 Fresh from Church, David and Marilyn Sitting on Lilo (Air Mattress/Swimcraft)

Figure 18 Road to Jerusalem

Figure 19 Serenity Prayer (Niebuhr), My Friend’s Paraphrases

Figure 20 Nouwen, Reaching Out

Figure 21 Front of Our House

Figure 22 Rough Plan of the House

Figure 23 Brass Jug for Hot Water for Shaving

Figure 24 Cook’s House

Figure 25 Visiting Cook at His Summer Home

Figure 26 David’s Birthday Party in Sandbox

Figure 27 Brass Tray Table Stand, Still in Use. Photo by Karen Hajj

Figure 28 The Qaanoon Is Mostly Decorative Now. Photo by Karen Hajj

Figure 29 Stork Lamp Drawing by Penny Williams Yaqub for Phyllis Sutton’s Thank You, Arabs

Figure 30 Modern Druze Chest, 21st Birthday Gift

Figure 31 Ramallah Head Scarf; Lacking a Spear, Hung Vertically

Figure 32 Patience and Marilyn on Swing, David Behind

Figure 33 Bib with Driver, Camel, and Donkey

Figure 34 Another Play on a Common Theme: Carved Wooden Camel Train

Figure 35 Stole and Skirt Embroidered Through UNRWA

Figure 36 Jerusalem YMCA, in Sketch Made from Photograph at About Age 16

Figure 37 My Jacobean Cushion Cover

Figure 38 My Wedding Dress, Adapted from a Garden Party Dress of Auntie Kathleen’s

Figure 39 Assisi-type Embroidery Done by Mummy, Emulating Auntie Kathleen

Figure 40 My Swiss Cap, Gift of Miss Hatton

Figure 41 The Dining Room Staff; Jeannie 3rd from L., Mrs. Hovnanian 5th, Patience 7th, Julie 8th, Marilyn 11th. The Men Look Suspiciously Like British Tommies Having Fun for the Camera.

Figure 42 Dress for Young Ramallah Girl

Figure 43 Kurdish Man’s Cap

Figure 44 Peacock Pillow Cover Mummy Embroidered for Us

Figure 45 Cover of Book of Bible Stories. Did I Really Do All of the Embroidery?

Figure 46 Putting on a Play in the Apricot Orchard/Vineyard in Our Back Garden

Figure 47 Off to Boarding School: Passport Picture for First Travel Without Daddy

Figure 48 American Community School of Beirut, from Rue Sidani. Photo Courtesy of Stu Bruce, Class of 1936, from Potrezebie of March 1995

Figure 49 ACS Viewed from the Playground. Photo Courtesy of Ibtissam Saadawi, ACS Staff, from Potrezebie of March 1997

Figure 50 Two 1930s Alumnae on Steps into Auditorium, in 1980, Confirming My Memory of Three Steps. Photo Courtesy of Mary-Averett Seelye, Class of 1935, from Potrezebie of September 1993

Figure 51 Across the Corniche to the Sea. Photo Courtesy of Anne Marie Dinney Helms, Class of 1964, from Potrezebie of June/July 1974

Figure 52 Swimming at AUB Beach l. to r.: Betsy Decherd, Liz Smith, Marilyn

Figure 53 The Entire Class of 1949 l. to r.: Marilyn, Ralph Pauly, Loretta Kreider

Figure 54 Penny, Marilyn, and David Aboard the First Jeep to Reach Beirut

Figure 55 Mummy’s Embroidered Chinese Tea Cloth

Figure 56 Mummy’s Woolen Damascus-Embroidered Kaftan

Figure 57 Honeymooners Camping

Figure 58 Jonah’s Whale Encountered During Honeymoon

Figure 59 Ugaritic Cuneiform Alphabet, Executed in Wood and Ivory Mosaic Box

Figure 60 Cover Art from Mummy’s Book, Thank You, Arabs, with Penny Williams Yaqub’s Drawing of the Scene

Figure 61 Three Members of the Desert Patrol

Figure 62 Small Bedouin-Type Coffee Pot and Three Cups

Figure 63 My Jacket of Damascus Brocade Embroidered in Bethlehem Style

Figure 64 The Proposed Beehive Shape for our Mudbrick Home in Syria

Figure 65 Harriet K. Chase Sutton’s Silhouette of Her Children Playing in the Snow

Figure 66 Isaac Sutton, Harriet Kennedy Chase Sutton, and their Son James Edward Sutton (Perhaps Aunt Elizabeth Sutton Brown to Rght)

Figure 67 Daddy, (r.) in Cap, with Boys of Friends Boys School, Resting on a Hike

Figure 68 Beirut Flower Show Prize for Daddy’s Columbines

Figure 69 Blanket Made by Daddy for Our Son Jonathan’s Arrival

Figure 70 Three Damascus-Style Embroidery Napkins

Figure 71 Daddy: (Clockwise from Upper Left:) in His 30s (by Polyfoto), in His 40s (Photographer: Gana’an), in His 50s (Perhaps), and in His 60s

Figure 72 Daddy’s Side of the Family Tree

Figure 73 Mummy’s Side of the Family Tree

Figure 74 Mummy: (Clockwise from Upper Left) in her 40s (Knitting as Usual), in Her 50s (both by Polyfoto); in Her 60s, and in Her 70s

Figure 75 Mummy’s Cocktail Dress from the Artisanat Libanais

Figure 76 ’Areesheh, Behind Miss Hatton Reading to Marilyn and David

Figure 77 Trying Out the New Lawn Space for Size?

Figure 78 Rosemary Hedges in Side Garden Below the House

Figure 79 The Red Coats, and Parents

Figure 80 Mummy in Swift House’s Garden in Ramallah, with David, Patience, and Marilyn

Figure 81 Chase Family Coat-of-Arms, Ne Cede Malis Sed Contra

Figure 82 Tablecloth Embroidered for Gordon and Me by Mummy

Figure 83 Pocketbooks and Pouches Embroidered by Circassians, Palestinians through UNRWA, and Palestinians using Ramallah Designs

Figure 84 Kathleen M. Hatton

Figure 85 Miss Hatton as Miss Betsey Trotwood

Figure 86 David (at 16), Mummy, Daddy, and Miss Hatton

Figure 87 Vest Embroidered through UNRWA

Figure 88 Mrs. MacInnes Holding me at my Christening Party in Nottingham

Figure 89 Embroidered Slippers, Perhaps from Pakistan, Purchased in Beirut

Figure 90 Be Patient, Slow Down in the Levant

Figure 91 Daddy Hiking Near Ypsilon Lake Earlier that Summer

Figure 92 Penny on Porch of Presbyterian House, Chautauqua, NY

Figure 93 My Graduation from Smith College

Figure 94 Pocketbook Embroidered through UNRWA in Lebanon

Figure 95 Traditional Bethlehem Vest of Gold Embroidery on Velvet—Very Dressy by Western Fashion’s Standards; and an Example of Embroidery Used by a Friend to Convert Her Late Husband’s Shirt into a Blouse for Herself for Everyday Use

Figure 4 Chinese Embroidery from the Loos Family

PREFACE

EVER SINCE I came back to the USA to live, in 1958, I have been told, "You had such an unusual childhood". Despite the fact that it seemed quite normal to me at the time, I came to realize that it was very different from that of Americans living in the USA during the same period. Perhaps it was worth writing down. There was always something else with higher priority, however. Then, a workshop for writers of autobiographic essays was launched by the Older Adults program of the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. Joining the workshop meant that the deadline of the next meeting of the workshop placed the writing at the top of my priority list. I could go ahead and write with an easier conscience.

The results have been shaped by the nature of the workshop and the nature of my memory. "Essays in autobiography" largely removed me from such constraints as chronology, and encouraged essays in more thematic directions. The workshop routine was for us to read our essays out loud to our fellow workshop members, who immediately wrote down their comments, questions and suggestions. After being read to the writer, and often following some discussion, the comments were turned over to the writer for future reference. I had an additional opportunity to read my essays to a second group in another workshop, after revising them in the light of these first comments. Their comments, in turn, were turned over to me to aid further revisions. I am most grateful to these twenty or so people for pointing out places that needed more explanation, or where I had strayed off the path. I am grateful for their encouragement to continue with my pleasant task. I am also grateful to Gordon Loos, my late husband, for putting up, for nine years, with my sense of urgency about the production of this book. Much gratitude is also due to my daughter, Liz Loos Vanderburg, for her computer design skills and many other forms of help.

As for my memory, I have long been conscious that it leans toward the visual and spatial. I have always found learning by seeing easier than learning by listening. Fellow workshop members have asked for more conversation, but since my memory has stored little of it, you will find little talk in these essays. I did not own a camera until well after I reached the USA in 1946, so I have no photos of my own to jog my memory. Those presented here were collected, after the essays had been written, from my Baby Book, from the Hometown Essay I, like all seniors, wrote at Westtown School, for which I must have asked my father to send photos; from the alumni newsletter of the school in Beirut; and from photo albums placed at my disposal by my sister Patience and Miss Hatton, etc. Accumulation of things was not encouraged by a mother who tore up her incoming letters as soon as she had answered them. After the spring of 1946, my possessions were limited by what I could put in one suitcase—without wheels—and carry myself. Thus, I had no scrapbooks. I have depended simply on memory for most of what you will see here. I have also been struck by how often embroideries—both literal and figurative—were part of my memories.

Having quite often enough observed our mother’s stories grow with each re-telling, I have attempted not to embroider my own memories. I have sometimes gone to books for dates of events that were going on in the outer world, to provide the reader with some context. Essays of other members of the workshop have sometimes triggered memories of similar episodes in my life. I have checked out some details with my sister and brother. In some instances their memories were from quite a different perspective than mine. Return trips to many of the locations have kept the memories alive. But most of what I have written—whether historically accurate or not—is the product of my memory alone.

I have not tried to Americanize lapses into the British idiom and orthography in which I grew up. For those unfamiliar with the Arabic language, the apparently misplaced apostrophes, as in the town of ’Amman, represent the consonant Ain, a sound made in the back of the throat that is not easily mastered by non-Middle-Easterners, but familiar to other Semitic people. The occasional Q in an Arabic word is a hard K sound, with no W sound following it. In colloquial Arabic it is often replaced with a glottal stop, represented by a ’ when transliterating into English letters.

If some curiosity is piqued to explore the world of an expatriate child of mixed denomination and nationality, growing up during World War II in the Middle East, then adjusting to life in the USA, you are invited to read on.

Publication of this book has taken already too long (more than 20 years). My sister and brother did not live to see it, as she predicted. I have learned much in the process of preparing it, but I was aware it could be a more professional book if I had spent more time learning how to control various aspects of the digital photos and the word processor program I had been using, but then you might never get an opportunity to read it! For a long time I have thought Better amateurish than never. But a nasty fall early Christmas morning of 2017 finally changed my mind and I am turning the manuscript over to Outskirts Press to finish the process.

A number of the photos of embroidery have been embedded in the text reasonably close to a reference to them. The balance have been placed somewhat randomly where chapters ended at the top of a page, or according to the size of other such spaces.

Notes on photo credit and permissions: Photographs from the American Community School in Beirut’s alumni publication, The Potrezebie, are included by permission. Two drawings from my mother’s book, Thank You, Arabs, are included with the permission of the artist, Penny Williams Yaqub. My sister’s daughter, Karen Hajj, gave me permission to use her photographs of the brass tray table and the Qaanoon in the chapter on The Headmaster’s House. The author’s photo on the back cover was taken by Judith A. Moody, the late cousin of my late husband, and is used with the permission of her executor, Kevin M. Connolly. Three of the eight portraits of my parents were taken on static cameras in Polyfoto studios by studio staff and therefore identifying the individuals would be nigh on impossible today, since the company no longer exists. One portrait of my father was done by a photographer named Gana’an in Jerusalem, Palestine. It has proven beyond my measure to track down anyone who would have ownership to give permission nearly 80 years later. As for the most recent two of each of my parent’s portraits, I have not been able to find proof as to whether the rights belong to the College where they both taught or to a commercial photographer, Lebanon having gone through a civil war, and the College having evolved twice in the intervening years since these photos were taken in the 1950s and ’60s. The remaining photos were taken by Marilyn Sutton Loos, Liz Loos Vanderburg, or long ago relatives and friends who are no longer with us. §

Figure 5 Damascus-Type Embroidered Tablecloth

Figure 6 Bargello Sampler I Have Yet to Make into a Pillow

INTRODUCTION

WHAT HAD MADE my childhood unusual? What brought us to TransJordan, the country known as Jordan since the UN Partition of Palestine in 1948, after the Arab part of former eastern Palestine was added to it (and thenceforth called the West Bank)? Our Anglican, British mother, a native of Nottingham, having earned a bachelor’s degree in Medieval and Modern Languages at Cambridge University when women attended only on sufferance, had subsequently served with the British Quaker War Victims’ Relief in Holland during the early part of World War I, then ran women’s recruiting programs for the British Labour Exchange for war-effort factories during the remainder of the war. She then taught French at English public schools, and applied for a teaching post with a missionary society abroad. Her father intercepted—and declined—her first appointment (to head a girls’ school in India). The second offer reached her without interception, and she left to teach French at the Jerusalem Girls’ College in less distant Palestine. She was obviously no helpless clinging vine. She relished drama, adventure, and challenge, particularly if she could detect any Romantic overtones.

Our Quaker, American father, a native of Denver, Colorado, though less fierce in his determination, had not settled for any run-of the mill life, either. He attended Manual Training High School in Denver, but took enough extra academics to be admitted to Colorado College. After two years there, and war time service with the US Field Artillery, he transferred to Haverford College, completing his B.A. I imagine this was the time he joined Haverford Friends Meeting. (When I called the Meeting office to inform them he had died, it was pointed out that he