David Heard, long-time Abu Dhabi resident and Gulf oil historian, dies aged 85

Heard arrived in the emirate in 1963 and quickly became an established figure in the expat community

Heard meeting UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, date unknown. Photo: David Heard / Frauke Heard-Bey

Heard was a young petroleum engineer when he arrived in Abu Dhabi in August 1963. Photo: David Heard / Frauke Heard-Bey

Heard with his wife, Frauke, and children in the UAE in 1985. Photo: David Heard / Frauke Heard-Bey

Heard at a reception at the British embassy in the UAE for the visit of Prince Charles in the 1980s. Photo: David Heard / Frauke Heard-Bey

Heard, 85, had been undergoing treatment for cancer in Munich when he died suddenly after an operation. Christopher Pike / The National

Heard with his wife and fellow author at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair in 2013. Christopher Pike / The National

Long-time Abu Dhabi resident David Heard, who arrived in the city in 1963 and was then to make it his home and passion for 60 years, has died.

Heard, 85, had been undergoing treatment for cancer in Munich when he passed away suddenly after an operation. His wife Frauke Heard-Bey said he had been determined to beat the disease and was preparing to return to Abu Dhabi.

The Briton had been well enough two weeks ago to give a talk to an audience of friends and Middle East experts to mark the launch of the last of his series of five volumes on the history of the oil industry in the region.

Heard studied at Keele University in Staffordshire, the UK, and was a young petroleum engineer when he arrived in Abu Dhabi in August 1963, working on the discovery of some the emirate’s biggest oilfields. The Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company was also in its infancy, with the first oil exported only a year earlier, with Heard, in his own words, wanting “something more exciting”.

As the city grew, so did Heard’s reputation and role in its development. He was chairman of the board of governors at the British School Al Khubairat, which was established in 1968, for more than 20 years.

In 2000 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the oil industry and the British community in Abu Dhabi in 2000 by Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1967 he was joined in the Emirates by his wife, who was to work at the National Centre for Documentation and Research, then based in Qasr Al Hosn, while raising their three children.

After retiring in 2007, Heard remained a consultant with Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council until 2011, while the couple continued to make the city part of their life, familiar figures at cultural events.

It was also the start of Heard’s second career as a published author. The first volume of what was to become a definitive history of oil in the Gulf, From Pearls to Oil, was published in 2011, with four more books to follow, the last this year.

His wife also documented life in the UAE as a political scientist and historian, and the couple were generous with the results of their long connection with Abu Dhabi, donating an important collection of printed material to New York University Abu Dhabi, and several items of historical significance to the new Zayed National Museum.

In 2021, in an interview for the official news agency Wam, Heard said: "Why we lived here nearly 60 years is simple: we have been very happy and satisfied. The friendships made so many years ago are still well maintained. We are treated very kindly by so many people. We are really at home here.”