Abstract: The file is largely made up of correspondence, with occasional internal India Office notes, and records of inter-departmental meetings. The subject matter is the establishment of an aerodrome on the Trucial Coast to facilitate the transfer of Imperial Airways' Europe-India route from Southern Persia to the Arabian Coast. There is some material related to the selection of a suitable site. However, much of the file is concerned with negotiations with Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar, Ruler of Sharjah; Sharjah was selected by British officials as the most promising site for a landing ground. The file therefore contains a number of reports on the political situation at Sharjah, the progress of negotiations, and discussion over terms and conditions. A copy of the final agreement can be found on folios 225-228.The agreement with the Shaikh of Sharjah provided for the construction of a rest house to be owned by the Shaikh but rented by Imperial Airways. The file therefore includes discussion relating to arrangements for the financing and construction of the rest house. There is also a detailed consideration of the measures needed to ensure its security, and measures to be taken by British forces in the event of an attack on the facility: see folios 18-27 for a copy of the
Sharjah Defence Scheme.The file also contains discussion between British officials over their response to the following two proposals submitted by the Government of the Netherlands: a proposal for Anglo-Dutch-French co-operative partnership in approaching civil aviation matters linking Europe and the Far East, with a particular view to negotiations with Persia; and a request for access to the Arab Coast air route.In addition to the immediate response to the Netherlands Government, the file includes discussion related to how British policy over the Trucial Coast should develop in response to developments in civil aviation.Also contained within the file are a number of papers circulated by the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East. These papers relate to a proposal from Imperial Airways to use landplanes along the Arabian Coast route instead of flying boats; the file contains extensive technical comparisons between the ‘Hannibal’ four engine landplane (the Handley Page H.P.42) and three engine ‘Calcutta’ flying boat (the Short S.8).There is a limited amount of discussion, towards to front of the correspondence, over the state of British negotiations with Persia. However, this is not the focus of the file.A couple of letters from the Government of the Netherlands are in French (see folios 296-301) and the final agreement with the Shaikh of Sharjah (folios 225-228) is in both English and Arabic. The vast majority of the file is in English.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Hugh Vincent Biscoe, and later Trenchard Craven William Fowle), the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Richard Patrick Dickson), and the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf. It also includes correspondence with officials of the following governmental departments: the Admiralty, the Air Ministry, the Foreign Office, the India Office, and the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India.Most of the material in the file covers the period 1932 to 1935. Only a single letter, dated 31 March 1940, falls outside this range.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 637; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: The file concerns the presence of European women in certain parts of the Persian Gulf, and fears over the effects of their interaction with local communities.Folios 19-32 relate to the concern of British officials that Imperial Airways passengers at Shargah [Sharjah] had been going into the town, including one woman who done so wearing beach pyjamas. The papers record that the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Trenchard Craven William Fowle) intervened with both Imperial Airways and Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar [Sultan bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī], Ruler of Sharjah to ensure that passengers, especially women, were prevented from entering Sharjah without permission. British officials felt that European women in particular were at risk of being insulted or molested by members of the local population, with attendant political consequences for relations with the ruler.Folios 13-18 concern the proposed temporary residence of a British woman, Mrs Winifred J Howard-Clitty in Bahrain and Kuwait. The papers record that the Political Resident asked British Government officials to ensure that in future he should be consulted first before visas were issued to women travellers to the Gulf, particularly if they intended to reside in any of the Arab shaikhdoms. The Foreign Office and the Passport Office agreed to the proposal.Folios 2-12 concern a request from Imperial Airways that the Station Superintendent at Sharjah be allowed to have his wife live with him in Sharjah during the winter. The Political Resident vetoed the request because of similar concerns to those previously expressed in folios 19-32, and to avoid setting a precedent for such action in other parts of the Gulf that were as yet considered unsuitable for European women to live in.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 34; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-34; these numbers are printed, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file concerns the making of a documentary film by the Strand Film Company, London, concerning the Imperial Airways route between the United Kingdom and Australia, which involved filming at Sharjah.The papers include: telegrams dated 1936 giving permission for the filming from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Government of India, provided no aerial photographs were made of prohibited areas, such as mosques, and military bases; a letter from Imperial Airways to the India Office dated 3 November 1936 describing the proposals for the filming at Sharjah (folio 12); and correspondence dated 1937 concerning the gift of three silver watches from Imperial Airways to the Shaikh of Sharjah, in gratitude for his providing facilities for the making of the film.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 17; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains one foliation anomaly, f 10A
Abstract: The file contains papers relating to the defence of Sharjah and Dubai (also spelled Dibai in the file).The papers consist of correspondence, and a copy of a report entitled ‘Appreciation of the Situation Regarding the Defence of Sharjah and Dibai Alighting Area Against Tribal Attack and Sabotage’, by Major R G Price, Air Headquarters, British Forces in Iraq, dated January 1939, which includes a ‘Sketch map showing approximate layout of SHARJAH & DIBAI’ [IOR/L/PS/12/3935, f 18].The correspondents and recipients are as follows: the India Office; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Air Ministry; the War Office; the Commander in Chief, Middle East; and the Air Officer Commanding, British Forces in Iraq.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 33; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence regarding political developments in Sharjah and the surrounding area.The file is composed solely of internal correspondence between British officials including the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, several Royal Navy officers and India Office officials.The correspondence relates specifically to the following events:The seizure of power in Ras al-Khaimah by Saqr bin Mohammed bin Salim in 1948 (folios 3-4).Political tensions in Sharjah in 1938 (folios 5-7).Fighting between the rulers of Sharjah and 'Ajman in 1933/34 (folios 10-16).The murder of the Shaikh of Hamriyah and associated political fallout in 1931 (folios 19-66).The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the front of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 67; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. The front cover has an additional flap which wraps around to the back of the folder and so has been marked as a fold-out.
Abstract: The file concerns the establishment of a wireless telegraph station at Sharjah.The file contains agreements with the ruler of Sharjah for the establishment of an air station by Imperial Airways, and correspondence related to the opening of a wireless telegraph station at Sharjah.The file is composed of correspondence between: the Foreign Office; the India Office; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Trenchard Craven William Fowle; the Secretary of State for India; Imperial Airways; the Air Ministry; the Admiralty; the ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Sultan II bin Saqr Al Qasimi; the General Post Office; and Cable and Wireless Limited.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 89; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence and notes related to air facilities required by Imperial Airways (from 1940 the British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) along the Arabian Coast. The file therefore contains a number of lists (some of which are categorised by priority) prepared by the Air Ministry outlining British requirements for navigation beacons, wireless transmissions sets, direction finding sets, moorings for flying boats etc; the lists prepared by the Air Ministry are revised over time to reflect changing requirements, for example the introduction of night flying. Also covered in the file is the establishment of a petrol dhow at Dubai in 1934 (see folio 402 for a copy of the agreement), and consideration in 1938 of arrangements for the provision of fuel at Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al-Khaymah] for Imperial Airways in cases of emergency.Another topic featured in the file is the introduction of a flying boat service by Imperial Airways in 1937, and the selection of a suitable stopping point along the Arabian Coast. The selection process is covered, which includes consideration of Dubai (also spelt Debai and Dabai), Ras al Khaimah, and Umm al Qaiwain [Umm al-Qaywayn] as potential sites. This process culminates in the Dubai Commercial Air Agreement (1937): see folios 223-226 for a copy of the agreement with both Arabic and English translation. This includes an agreement respecting security arrangements for passengers transferred between the alighting area at Dubai and their accommodation at Sharjah: see folio 199 for an English translation of the agreement. Further correspondence relating to its renewal in 1943 can also be found in the file. The prospects for the future use of Dubai and Sharjah, as of 1946, are also briefly discussed at the end of the correspondence.Material related to a survey of Sharjah Creek in 1939 and Dubai Creek by Bernard Whitteron in 1941 can be found between folios 36-57. This includes sketch maps the two creeks: Dubai (folio 48) and Sharjah (folios 53, and 55-56). It has been included in consideration of possible engineering work to enhance their navigability and hence their utility for flying boats.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent at Bahrain (Tom Hickinbotham, Hugh Weightman, and Reginald George Alban), officials of the Air Ministry, and officials of the India Office.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 466; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-465; these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence and notes on the subject of private (or chartered) flights through the Persian Gulf states in special treaty relations with the British Government, these states being: Bahrain, Kuwait (also spelt Koweit), Muscat (Oman), and Sharjah. Prior to 1946, the correspondence is concerned with the British policy of maintaining a strict prohibition on flights by private aviators and on chartered flights by airlines. From 1946 onwards, the correspondence is more concerned with facilitating private and chartered flights through the aforementioned states; British restrictions on private aviation had to be lifted once Britain became a signatory of the Chicago Convention (1944).Specific measures covered in the file include: British efforts to convince the rulers of Bahrain, Kuwait, and Muscat, to delegate to them the authority to refuse private aviators access to these territories; a subsequent effort to obtain, from the Shaikh of Bahrain, permission to grant access to Bahrain to private flights; and measures taken to notify aviators of the restrictions in place (prior to 1946) on private flights through the Arabian Coast Route.Another topic covered in the file is the introduction of sanctions for breaches of the Air Navigation Regulations for Bahrain, Kuwait, and Muscat. The sanctions were specifically aimed at deterring private aviators from using the Arabian Coast Air Route without prior authorisation. The file therefore includes copies of draft notices of the introduction of King's Regulations in 1936 under the Kuwait Order in Council (folio 374, final edition on folio 364), the Bahrain Order in Council (folio 375), and the Muscat Order in Council (folio 376). It also includes a draft notification of regulations to be introduced by the Sultan of Muscat and Oman (folio 373).Copies of a number of orders in council have been included in the file:The Kuwait Order in Council (1935): see folios 399-414The Bahrain Order in Council (1913): see folios 415-427The Muscat Order in Council (1915): see folios 428-441The details of a number of flights, or proposed flights, made by private aviators are recorded within the file, either as a result of an unauthorised landing or a proposal to fly through Arabia. This includes the following: the landing of Maurice Wilson at Bahrain in 1933, the landing of Mr de Montaigu at Bahrain in 1934, the landing of Francis William Rickett at Sharjah in 1937, a proposed round the world flight by Amelia Earhart in 1937, and a proposed circular flight round the Persian Gulf by Hassan Anis Pasha in 1938. From 1946 references to private flights become much more common, and the details supplied much more brief. However, basic itineraries of proposed flights (including details such as dates, times, and stopping points) can still be found within the file.The French language content of the file consists of a small amount of correspondence received from the French Embassy in London, and a single letter from the Belgian Embassy, also in London.The main correspondents in the file are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Political Agent at Kuwait, and the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat. There is also correspondence with officials of the following departments: the Air Ministry, the Foreign Office, the India Office (the Commonwealth Relations Office from August 1947), the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India (External Affairs Department from 1937), and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It also includes correspondence with British representatives from around the world, a few letters from various oil companies, and diplomatic representations from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and the United States.There is no correspondence in the file for the years 1939-45.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 623; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence and related notes on the provision of accommodation in the Sharjah Rest House for observers of the Indian Meteorological Department; the observers at Sharjah were to be transferred from Muscat. It also contains some discussion over the future of the observatories operated by the Indian Meteorological Department at Bahrain and Sharjah – following the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947 – and arrangements for their replacement with observatories run by the UK Meteorological Service.A statement showing some activities of the Royal Air Force Observatory at Bahrain can be found on folios 16-17.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven William Fowle and Arnold Crawshaw Galloway), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch), officials of the Air Ministry, and officials of the India Office (the Commonwealth Relations Office from August 1947). The file does not include any correspondence for the years 1936-46.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 53; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file contains papers related to the renewal of the Sharjah Commercial Air Agreement in 1943, and subsequent increases to the subsidy paid to the Shaikh of Sharjah under the agreement and changes to accommodation requirements for both the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and the Royal Air Force (RAF). It also contains correspondence related to the withdrawal of BOAC services from Sharjah in 1947, and discussion as to whether to amend or abandon the agreement as a result. The decision to renew the agreement in 1948 is documented by minutes of an inter-departmental meeting held on 16 March 1948: see folios 11-12.A number of statements of payments made to the Shaikh of Sharjah under the Air Agreement for the periods April 1945 to August 1946 and December 1946 to November 1947 were submitted to the India Office by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf: see folios 15, 18, 21, 39, 64, 75, 92, and 107. A list of buildings required at Sharjah by the RAF as of 1947 can be found on folios 24-28.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior and William Rupert Hay), officials of the Air Ministry (M W Low), officials of the India Office (from August 1947 the Commonwealth Relations Office; Roland Tennyson Peel, Eion Pelly Donaldson, Francis Anthony Kitchener Harrison), officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (H Jones and R C Bloodworth), and representatives of the External Affairs Department of the Government of India.The title of the file contains an error: the British Overseas Airways Corporation is mistakenly referred to as BAOC instead of BOAC.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 128; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file contains papers related to the provision of facilities for the United States Air Transport Command at both Bahrain and Sharjah. This includes policy and strategy discussions over how best to maintain British control of the Arabian Coast Air Route; British planners feared that the United States might use facilities, built using American personnel and finance, as a lever for post-war concessions in civil aviation. It therefore includes correspondence related to the leasing of land, and the construction of buildings, by the Royal Air Force (RAF) for the use of the United States.A map showing Bahrain Oil Company (BAPCO) establishments in Bahrain can be found on folio 127, and a table showing the facilities required by the United States can be found on folio 102.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Tom Hickinbotham), officials of the Air Ministry, officials of the India Office (Roland Tennyson Peel, Francis Anthony Kitchener Harrison, and Dennis Mackrow Cleary), officers of Air Headquarters in Iraq, and representatives of the External Affairs Department of the Government of India.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 145; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file contains a small number of papers related to a suggestion, made by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf in a telegram dated 15 August 1944 (folio 11), for the appointment of Provost (military police) personnel to maintain discipline among the increasing number of United States Army Air Force (USAAF) personnel at Sharjah.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 13; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.