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25. 'CONFIDENTIAL 86/28 - I Vol. D. 173 KUWAIT SULPHUR'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Kuwait (Arnold C Galloway, Tom Hickinbotham, Cornelius J Pelly, Gordon N Jackson), the India Office (John Percival Gibson, Roland Tennyson Peel), the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) and the Gulf Oil Company (Ralph O Rhoades, William Smellie, A E Angus) regarding negotiation for a sulphur concession in Kuwait. The concession was granted to the newly formed Eastern Gulf Oil Company in June 1942. A copy of the concession agreement in Arabic and English can be found at folios 118-138 and the political agreement at folios 149-150.Later correspondence discusses the commencement of exploration work in 1944 and the decision taken by the Company in 1945 to discontinue their search as exploration had been unsuccessful.Also discussed within the volume is the value and importance of sulphur both for wartime military requirements and for general trade, along with the need to establish new supplies to meet wartime needs.A request for geological data about the sulphur found in Kuwait made by the External Affairs Department of the Government of India is also included.The volumes also contains correspondence with Major M J Smith of the Middle East Supply Centre in which wartime supplies such as sulphur and sugar are discussed along with the Centre’s desire to understand how trade operated in the Persian Gulf and how decisions such as the imposition of export licences on Iraq and Persia might affect the region.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 202-218. The last folio of the file notes contains a query dated six months after the correspondence in the volume ends, and discusses the question of payments made to the Shaikh of Kuwait under the sulphur concession agreement.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 221; 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 A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
26. 'CONFIDENTIAL 86/30 - II VOL. C.91. WIRELESS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BAHRAIN AND SAUDI ARABIA'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, Tom Hickinbotham, Cornelius James Pelly, Arnold Crawshaw Galloway), the India office (Roland Tennyson Peel, Francis Anthony Kitchener Harrison), the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) (Ward P Anderson, Hamilton R Ballantyne), and the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), later the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO) (Floyd Ohliger, Charles E Davis) regarding permission for direct radio-telephony communication between Bahrain and Dhahran [Aẓ-Ẓahrān] which could be used to oversee launches and barges moving oil between the two places.The correspondence includes discussions on the frequencies at which this service could operate, the wartime restrictions that were imposed on conversations, and the need for local authorities in Bahrain to be able to use the service for emergency communications to Dhahran. Later adjustments to the service included the right for the Resident Manager of CASOC at Dhahran to be able to send emergency messages too, the extension of conversations to include matters relating to the new pipeline being constructed, and the introduction of new modern equipment to improve the reliability of the service.The volume concludes with a request by BAPCO to extend the remit of their direct communication service to cover all business matters and an agreement reached with Cable and Wireless Limited to permit them to do so. Also included are copies of the orders issued by both companies regulating the use of the radio-telephone service between Awali [ʻAwālī] and Dhahran.Also included in the volume are copies of the notifications issued by the Political Agent at Bahrain to the India Office each time a request for an emergency transmission is made through the Bahrain to Dhahran radio-telephony service. These emergency transmissions related primarily to forced landings of RAF planes, searches for missing planes, and medical results for employees of CASOC at Dhahran suspected of having Typhoid or other contagious illnesses.Other matters discussed include:discussion regarding Cable and Wireless rights in relation to Bahrain, which were determined not to be exclusive rights, and a request by Sir Edward Wilshaw, Chairman of Cable and Wireless to negotiate concessions with the rulers of Bahrain and Kuwait, which was postponed until the conclusion of the war;negotiations between BAPCO, CASOC and Cable and Wireless regarding payment of a nominal annual fee to Cable and Wireless in acknowledgement of their permission for the oil companies to operate their direct communication service;a letter intercepted in wartime censorship which alluded to the continuation by CASOC of the practice of sending sea-going vessels out beyond territorial waters to transmit messages directly to the USA and considered what might be done to prevent such a practice from continuing;the possibility of direct communication with CASOC in Dhahran being established and operated by the Air Liaison Officer in Bahrain to reduce the amount of emergency requests having to be sent through BAPCO;list of rates charged by the Indo-European Telegraph Department, Persian Gulf Section for cables sent to various towns and cities in the United States of America.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 197-209.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 213; 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 5-194; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
27. 'CONFIDENTIAL 86/31 VOL. B.64 OIL IN ITS RELATION TO THE MIDDLE EAST'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence and discussions regarding the economic and political situation in relation to oil in the Middle East during and immediately after the Second World War. At the centre of the discussions are talks which took place in Washington DC between US and UK government officials looking at the global importance of oil, which focused particularly on oil in the Middle East.The talks concluded with the production of a memorandum of understanding which was published 8 August 1944 as the Agreement on Petroleum between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, otherwise known as the Anglo-American Oil Agreement (1945).Also included in the volume is correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Secretary to the Government of India, External Affairs Department (Olaf Kirkpatrick Caroe), the India Office, and His Majesty’s Minister at Jeddah (Stanley Jordan) regarding two proposed pipelines. The first being the ‘trans-arabian pipeline’ which it was proposed would link the Middle East to the Mediterranean. The proposal was initially postponed owing to heavy criticism of it in the United States press but was later taken up by the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO). The second proposal from the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC, later renamed ARAMCO) was for a pipeline to take crude oil from Dhahran [Aẓ-Ẓahrān], Saudi Arabia to the BAPCO refinery at Bahrain.Also included is correspondence between the Chief Local Representative for BAPCO (Milton H Lipp, Ward P Anderson) and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave) regarding possible sites for the pipeline and the reservation of required land. Further discussion centred on the question of the eastern frontier of Saudi Arabia, which was in dispute, and whether His Majesty’s Government should look to tackle the matter at that time with the Saudi Arab Government or wait until the progress of the oil companies required its resolution. Jabal Naksh and Khor-al-Odaid [Khawr al ‘Udayd], which were claimed by Qatar and Abu Dhabi respectively, and whose claims were supported by His Majesty’s Government but contested by Saudi Arabia were discussed as being key areas in the frontier dispute.Another matter discussed in the volume was a visit paid by the Mission of the Petroleum Reserves Corporation to the Middle East. The Mission’s purpose was to review resources of petroleum in the Middle East and its itinerary included visits to Kuwait, Dhahran, and Bahrain. The mission was headed by Everette Lee Degoyler and also included the eminent geologists and petroleum experts Dr George Martin Lees, William Embry Wrather, and John Herhold Murrell.Other matters touched on in the volume include a request by ARAMCO to undertake a hydrographic survey of the coast line of the Kuwait Neutral Zone; the possibility of resuming oil field production in Qatar and Kuwait provided the necessary equipment could be obtained from the USA; articles published in American journals and newspapers regarding the global oil situation and oil in the Middle East; and a visit paid by Major Frank Holmes to Kuwait in 1944.Also included in the volume are a number of notes and memorandums relating to oil in the Middle East:notes produced at an oil conference in Cairo in 1944 which described oil production in Bahrain and Kuwait, they contained a number of inaccuracies and were re-written by the Political Agents for Bahrain and Kuwait with assistance from the Chief Local Representatives of the Bahrain Petroleum Company and the Kuwait Oil Company;The future of oil in its relation to the Middle East; memorandum produced by Arthur Charles Hearn, Admiralty, 11 October 1940 (ff 9-21);Note on present oil position in Persian Gulfby Commodore John Montagu Howson, Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf (ff 103-104 );Memorandum on the oil concessions in the Arab Sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf,by the External Department, India Office, 13 Mar 1944 (ff 126-134);A survey of the oil resources in the Middle East(With map and graph), Research Department, Foreign Office, 28 Feb 1945 (ff 239-250);Iraq Oil(ff 257-267).A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 272-283.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 287; 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 7-270; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
28. ‘Original list of bound confidential files in the confidential office’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume is an index of the confidential files created by staff in the confidential office of the Persian Gulf Residency. The main lists in the file include columns for the serial number (the confidential subject letter and an incremental number), the file/volume number (derived from the A and B series), the file title, and the date range associated with the file.A typewritten note at the front of the file (folio 2) states that files marked with a red cross were destroyed in September 1939 (the eve of World War Two) on the Political Resident’s orders. The note also states that files marked with a blue pencil ‘B’ have been retained at Bushire (the date of the note, 1 June 1947, coincides with the Residency’s relocation from Bushire to Bahrain. A handwritten addition, dated 18 February 1953, states that files marked ‘FO’ were scheduled for transfer to the Foreign Office.The file lists are typewritten, but include numerous subsequent annotations marked in black, red and blue pencil, and black/blue ink. There are handwritten additions to many of the lists, indicating new files opened after the creation of the index. Other annotations indicate changes in the status of files, including: destruction in 1927, 1939, 1946 and 1953, weeding, intention to transfer certain files to the Foreign Office in 1953, and amendments to file dates.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 98.
29. 'File 1/A/43 II Defence Measures in the Persian Gulf.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns the implementation of defence measures during the Second World War (1939-45) in the area governed by the Political Residency in Persian Gulf generally, and more specifically in Bahrain.The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Government of India; and the Foreign Office.The papers cover: correspondence from the Political Resident noting the poor security and deteriorating quality of wireless communication at Bahrain (folios 3-5, 54-56); the publication and distribution at Bahrain of Board of Trade 'Trading with the Enemy' regulations and orders (folios 6-21); copy of Emergency Powers (Defence) general regulations, 1939 (folios 23-38); papers concerning the pre-emption (commandeering) of stocks of Hasa oil at Bahrain (folios 44-45, 53, 57-60); copy of Persian Gulf States defence regulations, 1939 (folios 61-63); correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al Khalifah [Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] concerning the issue by the Government of Bahrain of a public notice ( alan) against Italy, including a copies of the notice in English and Arabic (folios 72-77); correspondence concerning modifications of the Persian Gulf defence regulations in the light of experience gained from their operation (folios 82-92); and copies of Board of Trade 'Trading with the Enemy' regulations, 1939, 1945 (folios 93-126).The Arabic language content of the papers consists of four folios.The date range gives the main covering dates of the papers; however there is one document (a copy of Board of Trade 'Trading with the Enemy' regulations), dated 1945 (folios 113-126).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 141; 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 also present in parallel between ff 2-91; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
30. 'File 1/A/48 I Control of Prices of standard foodstuffs in Bahrain.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns the control of prices of foodstuffs and other commodities in Bahrain, the suppression of hoarding, and the regulation of imports and exports by the Food Controller, Bahrain, against the background of wartime conditions caused by the outbreak of the Second World War (1939-45).The principal correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; the Government of India; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave); the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis deGrenier); and the Food Controller, Bahrain (Captain Arthur Charles Byard; later deGrenier).The papers include: initial discussion of measures to protect the poor in Bahrain from profiteering by merchants in the bazaars, and the introduction of fixed price lists for commodities (folios 2-12); the need for the British to consider Indian traders in Bahrain (folios 7-9); the issue of hoarding of stocks (folio 11); initial estimates of stocks of essential foodstuffs in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast; measures in the event of war (folios 14-16); regular Customs Department statistics of commodities available for sale in Bahrain, and estimated period of sufficiency; statistics of consumption of foodstuffs; notices issued by the Government of Bahrain and the Political Agent, Bahrain concerning prices and hoarding; regulation made under the Persian Gulf States (Emergency) Order in Council, 1939, which gave the Political Resident powers to control the supply and pricing of commodities (folios 40-41, 106); definition of luxury goods (folio 43); the effect of the measures on Saudi Arabia (folios 46-47); representations from merchants in Bahrain; the appointment of a new Food Controller, Bahrain (folios 141-142); accusations of profiteering (folios 151-156, folio 159); the effect on Bahrain if Japan were to enter the war (folio 176); special arrangements for the supply of provisions to the Royal Navy (folios 205, 235-240); and the suggestion by the Political Agent that British India Steam Navigation Company (BISN) steamers be used to bring food supplies to Bahrain (folios 207-208).The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately fifteen folios, mostly official notices in Arabic and English issued by the Government of Bahrain and the Political Agent, Bahrain.The date range gives the covering dates of the correspondence; the latest addition to the file is an entry in the notes dated 26 March 1942.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 283; 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 2-282; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
31. 'File 1/A/48 II Food Control'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume concerns the implementation in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast of the Civil Requirements Programme Middle East. The programme was a Ministry of War Transport initiative to assess the likely civil import needs of the Middle East in view of pressure on available shipping, and the difficulties of inland transport. The papers contain monthly estimates of tonnages required in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast for the period August 1941 to June 1942. The estimates were sent to the Government of India.The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Government of India; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; the Political Officer, Trucial Coast; the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO); the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; the Food Controller, Bahrain; and the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain.The papers include: estimated monthly tonnages for Bahrain, provided by the Government of Bahrain; detailed estimates provided by BAPCO for 1941; estimated monthly tonnages for the Trucial Coast provided by the Residency Agent, Sharjah, and the Political Officer, Trucial Coast (including detailed statements showing commodities, consignors and consignees); statistics of bulk commodities available for sale in Bahrain, and estimated period of sufficiency, issued by the Food Controller, Bahrain, July-August 1941; papers relating to the establishment of the War Transport Committee at Basra, the duties of which were to oversee the increased traffic expected in the Persian Gulf as a result of military and transit cargo needs (folios 180-183, 192-193); and some correspondence relating to individual merchants and commodities.The Arabic language content of the volume consists of less than five folios, including bilingual Arabic and English notices issued by the Government of Bahrain.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 293; 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 5-289; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
32. 'File 1/A/48 III FOOD CONTROL.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns the effects of the implementation of controls on the import and export of food and other commodities in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast during the Second World War (1939-45).The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); the Government of India; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave); the Food Controller, Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis deGrenier); and the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain (also deGrenier).The papers include: Food Controller's report for the year 1941 (folios 2-9); correspondence between Petroleum Concessions (Qatar) Limited, and the Political Agent, Bahrain concerning difficulties caused by the curtailment of the company's supplies by the Food Controller, Bahrain (folios 10-29); the legal implications of hoarding, and related matters (folios 31-33); report by the Food Controller on stocks of food in Bahrain (folio 42); report on control of exports from Bahrain (folios 51-52); statistics of average monthly consumption of staple commodities in Bahrain, and minimum annual requirements of foodstuffs and textiles (folios 61-63); copy of regulation making all exports dependent on the permission of the Food Controller (folios 68-70); the support of the Political Agent, Bahrain for a petition from a group of merchants to allow the re-export of piece goods (folios 75-77); correspondence from the Residency Agent, Sharjah detailing commodities required for consumption on the Trucial Coast; correspondence concerning acute shortages of wheat and flour in Bahrain; correspondence concerning 'famine' conditions on the coast of Persia (e.g. folios 96-98); an estimate of the wartime increase in the cost of living in Bahrain (folio 107); the difficulties faced by Bahrain merchants in exporting goods to India, including an allegation that they needed to give bribes to customs officials at Karachi (folios 158-159, 163-165); a confidential memorandum critical of the Food Controller, Bahrain (folio 169); the use of Bahrein Petroleum Company (BAPCO) tankers for the transportation of foodstuffs (e.g. folios 185-186); and the effect on Bahrain of food shortages in India (folio 220).The Arabic language content of the volume consists of a single letter (with English translation) on folio 90.The date range gives the covering dates of the correspondence; the last addition to the file is an entry in the notes on folio 279 dated 9 August 1942.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 280; 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 1-279; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
33. 'File 1/A/50 I Publicity'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file deals with the dissemination in Bahrain of publicity and propaganda material in support of the British and allied cause at the start of the Second World War (1939-45). Most of the information originated with the Ministry of Information in London. The file also contains information on the response of British officials to broadcasts in the region by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and the support given to the allied side by the Ruler and people of Bahrain.The principal correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (principally, Major Charles Geoffrey Prior); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Hugh Weightman); the Ministry of Information (which is often referred to in the correspondence as MINIF or MINIFORM); the Information Office, Aden; the India Office; and the Government of India.The papers cover: the selection of Bahrain as the publicity distributing centre for the Arab side of the Gulf, and the appointment of a publicity interpreter at Bahrain, who would also undertake intelligence duties (folios 2-6); India Office telegram explaining the principles adopted as the basis of British publicity abroad (folios 8-9); Arabic broadcasts by the BBC, including comments on the service, many of them critical, by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Prior), and the Political Agent, Bahrain; discussion of the format and publication of the Arabic language Al Bahrainnewspaper (e.g. folios 29-30); numerous reports from the Ministry of Information on political, military and economic developments in the war (including contradictions of German propaganda), which were then recast in Bahrain and translated for publication in the newspaper Al Bahrain; the suggested use of loudspeakers to broadcast a daily Arabic news bulletin (e.g. folios 36-37); official reports forwarded to Bahrain by the India Office (e.g. Papers concerning the Treatment of German Nationals in Germany, 1938-1939(London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1939) (folios 221-238); covering letters for pamphlets of war interest sent by the Political Agency, Bahrain to the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) for the use of employees of the company (e.g. folio 266); the support of the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad [Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah], for the allied cause (e.g. folios 251, 253); the assessment of public opinion on the war in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast (e.g. folios 279, 281, and 348); and newspaper cuttings used for publicity purposes (folios 313-319).The Arabic language content of the papers consists of approximately fifteen folios of publicity material and correspondence.The date range gives the covering dates of the correspondence; the last dated additions to the file are notes on a couple of the documents dated 29 November 1939.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 405; 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 2-395; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
34. '4/1 Bahrain State Finances 4'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file contains copies of the financial records of the Government of Bahrain that were sent to the British Political Agency in Bahrain by Charles Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain. The records cover the years 1359-1363AH (1941-1945). These records include details of the expenditure and budget of the government. A number of lists containing details of the salaries and allowances of members of the Al Khalifa family are also included throughout the file.The file contains correspondence that discusses Bahrain's financial situation, notably details of how and where investments should be made for Bahrain's state reserve fund, details of Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's [Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] excessive spending habits and the impact of the Second World War on Bahrain.The file also contains copies (in English and Arabic) of correspondence between Charles Geoffrey Prior, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.Of note are folios 198v and 199v, on which financial details from 1943/44 have been printed on the reverse of two unrelated British Government propaganda posters - presumably due to a paper shortage during war time.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present between ff 10-253; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out to prevent confusion with the main sequence.
35. ‘File 12/16 Merchant Shipping Acts and instructions to Consuls’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises copies of instructions to British Consuls, in the form of letters, printed circulars, notices and forms, issued by the Ministry of Transport (or the Ministry of War Transport during the Second World War) and relating to merchant shipping, including regulations and government provisions for merchant seamen.Subjects covered include:instructions dated December 1932, covering use of communications, including wireless telegraphy (ff 7-10) and radar training (f 67);Circular No. 1681, entitled Instructions to Consuls (Merchant shipping and seamen), dated August 1931 (ff 11-19);various sets of instructions and forms relating to the wellbeing of merchant seamen, covering marine casualties, seamen in distress, payment of necessities for sick and injured seamen, compensation for the loss of effects; repatriation of shipwrecked or discharged seamen;papers covering national insurance, pensions and injuries insurance for merchant seamen (ff 40-45, ff 87-89);instructions covering ‘dominion and colonial seamen’ (f 32, ff 118-120), including the issue of discharge books for ‘Chinese seamen’ at Hongkong [Hong Kong] (f 72), and settlement of wages for repatriated seamen from India (f 94);instructions relating to wages for merchant seamen, covering income tax payments, and income tax deduction tables for the years 1946 to 1948 (ff 78-79, ff 49-52, ff 62-65), advances of wages for seamen either shipwrecked or discharged abroad (f 82);electoral registration papers, issued under the Representation of the People Act (1948), including application forms for treatment as an absent voter for an indefinite period, and application for appointment by proxy (ff 26-28);instructions related to wartime and post-war events, including: ships registered at ports in Palestine, dated 1948 (f 68); war graves, dated 1947 (f 73), termination of wartime agreements, dated 1946 (f 80), and releases from the merchant navy, dated 1945 and 1946 (f 83, f 85, ff 92-93).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 136; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
36. ‘File 13/3 BOAC [British Overseas Airways Corporation] services’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file’s contents relate to the introduction, maintenance and withdrawal of air services operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in the Gulf, stopping at Bahrain, Sharjah or Dubai. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent in Bahrain (numerous incumbents during the period covered by the file), the Persian Gulf Political Resident (principally Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay), and various representatives of BOAC, chiefly Geoffrey F W Parker, Station Manager at Bahrain.Specific subjects covered in the file include:In 1932/33, the use of wireless communications by Imperial Airways aircraft during emergencies, and instructions for aerodrome officers in the event of distress signals received from aircraft (ff 2-19);Damage to rubber mooring buoys in Dubai creek, by wildlife and launch/steamer propellers, 1938 (ff 21-28);Wartime changes to BOAC services at Bahrain, including notice of the British Government’s taking over of BOAC operations (ff 36-37); increased services at Bahrain to maintain essential supplies in the region (ff 41-47); an assessment of all aspects of the aerodrome facilities at Muharraq, Bahrain, with the prospect of further flying-boat operations between Cairo and Calcutta [Kolkata] (ff 51-64); customs and censorship in relation to luggage searches, and security clearance for an individual who will be handling diplomatic mail (ff 77-79);The post-war cessation of flying-boat services at Bahrain, and the concern of the Government of Bahrain and the oil companies working in Bahrain and Qatar at the prospective lack of passenger services at Bahrain (ff 80-89, 120, 132); lists of passenger numbers embarking/disembarking at Bahrain for the years 1942 to 1946 (ff 125, 128, 130, 137); confirmation of a new Plymouth flying-boat service operating between the UK and Bahrain, with timetables (ff 141, 157-158);The announcement of additional post-war air services intended to stop at Bahrain, including services between Britain and Hong Kong and between Britain and Bombay, with timetables.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; 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 also present in parallel between ff 2-210; these numbers are written in pencil and ink, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.