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1. 'C-85. 86/30 - I WIRELESS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BAHRAIN AND SAUDI ARABIA'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence regarding applications from the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and California Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), represented primarily by Hamilton R Ballantyne and Max Weston Thornburg, for permission to install wireless apparatus and operate wireless telegraphy between Dhahran [Aẓ-Ẓahrān] and Awali [ʻAwālī].The discussion, which is primarily between the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman, Reginald George Evelin Alban), the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf, the India Office (Roland Tennyson peel, John Percival Gibson, Esmond Walter Rawson Lumby), and the Imperial Communications Advisory Committee (William Warren Shaw-Zambra) relates initially to the question of whether Cable and Wireless have a monopoly on international telegraphic communications in Bahrain, and whether therefore such a proposal would infringe on that.The later correspondence discusses the wartime implications of such a communication service, particularly in regards to the question of censorship, and its possibilities as an advance warning of enemy aircraft from Arabia, which arises following the air raid on CASOC’s facility at Dhahran in 1941.Also discussed in the volume is a proposal for an agreement between Cable and Wireless and BAPCO whereby Cable and Wireless would operate the services required by BAPCO for a fee, but it was ultimately abandoned owing to restrictions laid down by the Saudi Arab Government that wireless communication between the two companies would only be permitted provided the recipient wireless sets in Bahrain were on BAPCO sites only.Other matters discussed in the volume include:the discovery that CASOC were using wireless sets on board launches and tankers outside of the territorial waters of Saudi Arabia to communicate direct with the USA and whether or not this contravened international laws or regulations;the potential expansion of the Bahrain refinery to accommodate wartime needs, using crude oil shipped from Saudi Arabia;an agreement made in 1935 between the Saudi Government, Sudan Government, Eastern Telegraph Company and Cable and Wireless which granted Cable and Wireless a monopoly in Saudi Arabia;concerns over the Saudi Arabian Mining Syndicate and their lack of awareness and concern over the need for secrecy in wartime.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 186-193.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 197; 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 5-185; 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.
2. 'North end of Awali.' Photographer: Arthur Edward Broadbent Parsons
- Description:
- Abstract: Genre/Subject Matter:Image of the north end of Awali, a municipality in Bahrain, populated by workers from the Bahrain Petroleum Company.Inscriptions:Below image, in pen: 'N end of Awali'Below image, in pencil: ‘499’Physical description: Dimensions:54 x 78 mmCondition:The image is in good condition.Foliation:‘499’Process:Silver gelatin print
3. '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.
4. ‘File 28/1 K I Defence of oil field and refinery’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises copies of correspondence, memoranda and reports relating to the military defence of Bahrain’s oil refineries and oil fields during the Second World War. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent in Bahrain (Hugh Weightman; Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban); the Chief Local Representative of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) (John S Black; Roger Anthony Kennedy; Milton H Lipp; Ward P Anderson).The file includes:a copy of ‘General Instructions for the Defence Organisation of the Bahrain Petroleum Company’, dated December 1939 (ff 9-52), with sections focusing on: 1) the internal and external areas of the refinery; 2) the personnel camps at Awali and Zellaq; 3) fields and wells; information on inventories of equipment, and specific instructions for patrols and guards;correspondence from BAPCO representatives to the Political Agent relating to: the perceived threat to Bahrain and to Company property, and defensive measures to be taken; assessments of the threat of internal sabotage, local uprisings, bombardment from sea or air (ff 68-71); questions of responsibility for and efficacy of defensive measures being taken in Bahrain; questions of the legal aspects (liability, compensation, War Risk Insurance) of damage to Company property from enemy attack, and volunteers who become casualties while defending Company property, including printed copies of the Gazetteer of India War Injuries Ordinance, No. VII of 1941 (ff 235-237) and the War Injuries (Amendment) Ordinance, No. I of 1942 (ff 238-249);correspondence exchanged, and the notes and minutes of meetings held between senior Government officials (including the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf, Air Vice Marshal at Air Headquarters in Iraq) on the provision of resources for the defence of Bahrain, including discussion of the availability and use of manpower supplied by BAPCO;a number of monthly progress reports in 1941 on the Bahrain defence scheme, prepared by the Defence Officer in the Persian Gulf (ff 143-144, ff 146-147, ff 162-164, ff 177-179), referring to: defence force recruitment; the volunteer defence force; general morale and attitude of recruits; equipment supplies; anti-aircraft defence measures;in 1941, plans for the control of telephone exchanges and lines during emergencies, with lists of telephone links to be maintained during an emergency (ff 182-183);plans and proposals for the protection of BAPCO property in the event of enemy action, including: in 1942, BAPCO proposals for the protection of the oil field in case it falls into enemy hands, by the sealing of wells with concrete (ff 270-294); a military report on Passive Air Defence (PAD) at the BAPCO refinery, dated 28 April 1942, focussing chiefly on plans to construct protective sheathing around the refinery tanks (ff 304-323).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 342; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 3-341; these numbers are also written in pencil, 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.
5. ‘File 28/1 K III Defence of oil field & refinery’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence, memoranda and other papers, many marked ‘Most Secret’, relating to plans for the defence and emergency demolition (‘oil denial’) of oil fields and refineries operated by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) in Bahrain, and the subsequent abandonment of these defence and emergency demolition plans as events in the Second World War reduced the threat of attacks by Axis powers on oil installations in the Persian Gulf. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent in Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); the Chief Local Representative for BAPCO (Ward P Anderson); members of the Corps of Royal Engineers and the British Tenth Army. The file is a direct chronological continuation of ‘File 28/1 K II Defence of oil field and refinery’ (IOR/R/15/2/662).The file includes:correspondence relating to proposals for an oil denial scheme at the oil refineries owned by the California-Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC) in Saudi Arabia (ff 2-4);correspondence related to the ongoing construction of Passive Air Defences (PAD) at the BAPCO refinery in Bahrain, chiefly in the form of protective brick sheathing for oil tanks, and blast- and firewalls (f 37, f 87), and the costs of the programme (ff 21-22, ff 52-53, ff 62-64, ff 112-113); a ‘Report on PAD works at Bahrain Island, 1942-1943’, written by Major S Hills, Royal Engineers (ff 149-157);correspondence relating to the progress of the oil denial scheme in Bahrain, including: revisions to the scheme (ff 5-6); updates on the status of secured wells (f 9); enrolment and training into the British military of BAPCO personnel (ff 17-18) and liability in the event of injury/death, including a copy of extracts from the ‘Royal Warrant for the Retired Pay and Pensions, etc., of members of the Military Forces disabled’ (ff 40-44); extension of the denial scheme to Sitrah and Zellaq (f 34);correspondence in early 1943 relating to the decision to ‘round off’ PAD work in Bahrain, and to stand down the oil denial demolition scheme, as a result of the perceived reduction of the threat to Allied oil installations in the Persian Gulf (f 85, f 115, f 117);correspondence in July 1943 relating to the risks posed to oil facilities by an attack from an enemy submarine, after an ‘incident’ off the Oman coast (f 127);correspondence in 1943 relating to camouflage measures at the oil refinery, and the ‘oiling’ of roofs and certain landscape features to prevent aerial recognition (ff 137-140);in the latter half of 1943, correspondence relating to requests from BAPCO to rehabilitate those oil wells that were temporarily decommissioned (or ‘plugged’) as part of the oil denial scheme (ff 158-171).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 211; 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 2-186; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
6. ‘File 28/13 Black out and A.R.P. [Air Raid Precaution] measures in Bahrain’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence, copies of official notices and regulations, and other papers, relating to air raid precautions and passive air defence measures taken in Bahrain throughout the Second World War. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent in Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban; Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave); the Port Director at Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis DeGrenier, who also occasionally writes in the capacity of Acting Adviser to the Government of Bahrain); the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (SNOPG); the Defence Officer in the Persian Gulf (Major H T Hewitt); various representatives of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO).The file includes:discussion between officials in May 1940 of arrangements for the dowsing of BAPCO flares, and the assessment that the risk of an air raid in Bahrain is sufficiently low to not require extensive blackout plans (ff 2-12);correspondence issued in the immediate wake of an Italian bombing raid at Bahrain and Dhahran on 19 October 1940, relating to the enforcement of blackout procedures at the BAPCO refinery, in Manama and Muharraq and at the Bahrain port. Papers include: official notices (issued by the Political Agency, Government of Bahrain, BAPCO) of blackout procedure (including dimming of car headlamps; extinguishing of port navigation lights; operation of refinery without gas flares); reports by the Assistant Political Agent, assessing the effectiveness of the blackout from the air; formulation of an emergency medical aid scheme for Bahrain (ff 13-79);correspondence, dated May 1941, concerning night-time flying boat services at Bahrain, and restrictions on lighting for these services (ff 106-111);correspondence dated between July and October 1941, concerning the relaxing of the existing blackout regulations, in light of the diminished threat to Bahrain from enemy air raids. Papers include: official notices of the relaxation of measures, issued by the Political Agency and Government of Bahrain (ff 117-139);correspondence, between March and November 1942, relating to the renewed threat of air raids at Bahrain, including: correspondence relating to instructions in dealing with incendiary bombs; extracts from newspapers ( The Statesman, the Bahrain Newspaper) and a journal ( Indian Information) relating to air raid risks and precautions at Bahrain, including lessons learnt in the wake of Japanese air raids on Rangoon [Yangon]; minutes of the meetings of the Bahrain ARP committee; air raid warning procedure; telephone and radio communications in the event of air raid warnings received at Bahrain; ARP practice; the visit to Bahrain of Home Office ARP expert Lucas Webster (ff 145-257);announcement in December 1942 of a relaxation of blackout restrictions at Bahrain (ff 259-265);correspondence in early 1943, relating to the lifting of regulations on the dimming of car headlamps in Bahrain (ff 276-277);official announcement in June 1943 of the lifting of all blackout regulations in Bahrain (ff 287-293).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 316; 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-296; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. Pagination: the file notes at the back (ff 297-315) have been paginated using pencil.
7. 'File 39/17 ARAMCO Planes'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence with Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO) representatives regarding the use of a chartered plane to transport personnel of ARAMCO to Dhahran. The letters request permission from the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain for the chartered plane and for another private plane used by the Company, to land at Muharraq [Bahrain].There are also letters from Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO), wanting to build an air strip at Awali for use of the private ARAMCO aircraft, including a map of 'Proposed Air Strip Bahrain' (f 19) and a 'Location Plan - Proposed Air Strip, Bahrain' (f 23).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 32; 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 2-26; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
8. 'File 28/5 Royalty Gauging and Sampling - BAPCO'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains letters sent by the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO) representative to the Adviser to the Governement of Bahrain and in copy to the Political Agent at Bahrain, transmitting lists of officials authorised to witness royalty gauging and sampling in Awali, Bahrain.The file also includes data on the production and exportation of petroleum in Awali for the years 1939-1945 (folios 4-6).Physical description: The foliation is in pencil in uncircled numbers in top right corner of each folio. The numbering starts on the first page of writing with 1 and carries on until 9, which is the last number given on the back cover of the file.