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97. ‘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.
98. ‘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.
99. ‘File 28/1 L I BAPCO refinery guards’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises copies of correspondence, memoranda and copies of agreements, relating to the recruitment of a defence force in Bahrain, charged with the security and defence of the Bahrain Petroleum Company’s (BAPCO) refinery and oil fields. The principal correspondents in the file are the Bahrain Political Agent (Hugh Weightman; Major Reginald Evelin William Alban), the Defence Officer in the Persian Gulf (Major A C Byard; Major H T Hewitt), and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave.Subjects covered in the file include:1939 correspondence between BAPCO officials and British Government officials (the Bahrain Political Agent, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Air Ministry officials) concerning the need for a defence force comprised of up to twelve ‘British European ex-servicemen’ to assist in the defence and security of the BAPCO oil refinery and fields (f 5), paid for by the oil company and enlisted and maintained by the Government (ff 5-25);the recruitment in late 1939 and early 1940 of ex-servicemen, and the conferral of special police officer powers upon them by the Government of Bahrain (ff 33, 37-47);the announcement in October 1940 of the failure of the scheme to recruit ex-servicemen as special police officers in Bahrain, chiefly a result of a lack of discipline amongst the recruits, a result of the Defence Officer in the Persian Gulf having no legal authority over the men (ff 49-51);a draft of a document, drawn up by BAPCO, entitled ‘Staff Foreign Service Agreement, Long Term’ (ff 56-60);Correspondence in late 1940 relating to the proposed recruitment from India of serving police inspectors and sergeants for the Bahrain defence force (ff 61-66);correspondence throughout 1941 relating to the recruitment of men from the Calcutta, Bengal and Madras police forces, including: requirements for new recruits, including a preference for unmarried men because no accommodation for married couples is available; multiple copies of employment agreements between the Government of Bahrain and the recruited officers (ff 146-157, ff 167-172, ff 201-206); arrangements for the passage of recruits from India to Bahrain; travel and uniform allowances; salaries and adjustments to salaries for relocation, separation allowance for spouses, etc.; provision of accommodation;correspondence relating to complaints made by several recruits over contracts and pay (ff 140-141), accommodation (ff 133-134), and the resignation of a number of recruits, chiefly owing to their dissatisfaction with conditions in Bahrain, in particular those relating to accommodation for married couples not being available, and the payment of separation allowance (f 181, f 190, f 219);concern from the Bahrain Government (Belgrave), in March 1942, over the cost of recruitment of the British defence officers, with a request that BAPCO reimburse the Government on expenses incurred for the maintenance of the force (ff 272-275);subsequent correspondence relating to the difficulties in recruiting more sergeants from India (ff 221-222), particularly from early 1942 onwards, with war ‘now at the door of India’ (f 276) meaning that no European police sergeants are available to be sent to Bahrain (f 277).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 297; 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 5-278; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
100. ‘File 28/1 N I Bahrain oil’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises correspondence and statistical tables relating to the production of oil and other petroleum products by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) during and immediately after the Second World War. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Chief Local Representative for BAPCO (usually Ward P Anderson); the Political Agent in Bahrain (Hugh Weightman; Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban; Edward Birkbeck Wakefield; Major Tom Hickinbotham).The file includes:correspondence relating to the British Government’s legal powers to assume control of BAPCO production, as outlined in the Political Agreement between the Government and BAPCO, and the extent to which the British Government could exercise control over production or order the destruction of oil company property (ff 4-17);requests made by the Political Agent to BAPCO and to the California-Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC) for oil production figures for the refineries at Bahrain and Dhahran in Saudi Arabia (f 24, ff 28-29, ff 31-33);monthly oil production reports (from f 43), submitted by BAPCO to the Political Agency between January 1943 and February 1946, containing monthly output volumes (in barrels and tons) for: crude oil, motor spirits, kerosene, power kerosene, diesel oil, fuel oil and aviation spirits (between July 1945 and January 1946);statistics, submitted monthly by BAPCO to the Political Agent from January 1943 (from f 54), on the volumes and value of TEL (tetraethyl lead) shipped to and from and stored at Bahrain. These details were submitted to the Agency, which forwarded them on via cypher telegram to the British Government’s Petroleum Department officials in London and Baghdad, and the BAPCO offices in New York;correspondence about an enquiry regarding the ullage of the partially discharged tanker South America(ff 89-96).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 266; 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 2-13 and ff 205-253; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. Pagination: the file notes (ff 254-265) have been paginated in pencil; these numbers have not been circled.
101. ‘File 28/1 N II Bahrain oil – production figures’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises correspondence and statistical tables relating to the production of oil and associated petroleum products by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) after the Second World War. The principal correspondents in the file are the Chief Local Representative for BAPCO (R M Brown, replacing Ward P Anderson) and the Political Agent in Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Galloway; Cornelius Pelly). The file is a direct chronological continuation of ‘File 28/1 N I Bahrain oil’ (IOR/R/15/2/666).The file includes:monthly oil production reports, submitted by BAPCO to the Political Agency between March 1946 and June 1946, containing monthly output volumes (in barrels and tons) for: crude oil throughput, and output of motor spirits, kerosene, power kerosene, diesel oil, fuel oil and aviation spirits (ff 2-11);correspondence from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay), to Pelly, in May 1947, concerning a request from the Petroleum Representative of the Ministry of Fuel and Power, Middle East Office, for statistical data on BAPCO’s crude oil throughput and oil refinery output, for the period July 1946 onwards (f 14);compiled statistical data for the period July 1946 to April 1947, for production and output at the Bahrain refinery, including motor spirit, kerosene (burning oil), kerosene (vaporising), gas oil, diesel oil, fuel oil and aviation spirit, and refinery input figures for both Bahrain and Arabian crude, given in ‘tons of 2,240 lbs’ (ff 16-25).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 30; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: the file notes (ff 28-29) have been paginated in pencil; these numbers are not circled.
102. ‘File 28/1 P Visit of enemy aircraft to Bahrain’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises copies of correspondence and other papers relating to an air raid carried out by Italian bombers over the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) refinery in Bahrain and the California-Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC) refinery at Dhahran [al-Ẓahrān] in Saudi Arabia, on the night of 19 October 1940. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent in Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior); the British Minister in Jedda (Hugh Stonehewer-Bird).The file includes:initial reports of the raid (ff 2-3);an order from the Government of Bahrain (f 4, copy at f 30) dated 19 October 1940, announcing the raid and the British Government’s intentions to take all measures in the defence of Bahrain. The order also calls for calm amongst the islands’ inhabitants;a draft letter written by the Political Agent to the Political Resident, dated 20 October 1940 (ff 10-12, copy at ff 27-29) giving details of: the number of planes taking part in the raid and their altitude; the number of bombs dropped; damage (of lack of damage) caused; and precautions being taken against further raids: placement of light machine gun posts, blackout measures, the preparation of air raid shelters, increased refinery patrols);correspondence from the British Minister at Jedda (ff 13-14, ff 15-16, f 32), giving an account of the Italian minister to Saudi Arabia’s initial denial of the raid over Dhahran, his response to the official announcement from the Italian Government of the raid over Bahrain, and his subsequent apology to the Amir Faisal [Fayṣal]. The British Minister at Jedda also reports on the official apology to Saudi Arabia from the Italian Government, and speculation that the refinery at Dhahran was mistaken for the BAPCO refinery at Bahrain by the Italian bombers;correspondence between Air Ministry and India Office officials in London (ff 41-42) discussing if such a raid could be repeated in future, and whether further air raid protection measures should be taken at Bahrain.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 46; 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 2-43; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
103. ‘File 28/1 Q Provision of armed guard for British Overseas Airways Corporation Limited; Cable & Wireless etc.’
- Description:
- Abstract: The first part of the file (ff 2-6), containing correspondence dated 1940, chiefly from the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Station Superintendent at Bahrain, concerns the provision of armed guards as an anti-sabotage measure for BOAC aircraft on night stops at Bahrain. The correspondence includes: details of the provision of an armed guard for aircraft; a request that BOAC staff be lent a revolver by the Agency; BOAC liaison on the matter of protection with the Defence Office in the Persian Gulf (Major A C Byard); provision of guards according to the winter 1940 BOAC schedule; elimination of BOAC night stops at Bahrain.The second part of the file (ff 7-19) contains correspondence dated 1943, chiefly from Norman Luke Penfold, Officer-in-Charge for the Bahrain branch of Cable & Wireless (C&W), who requests the provision of an armed guard for Bahrain’s new C&W office and the equipment and instruments it contains. Correspondence between Penfold and the Political Agency relates to the assessment of the nature of the function of the new office and its equipment, and if this justifies the provision of an armed guard from the Bahrain State Police. A note written by Agency staff in the file notes (ff 20-21) states that ‘the turn the war has taken has convinced all Arabs & Persians that there is no longer any possibility of German forces arriving in these parts’.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 22; 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 2-19; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. Pagination: the file notes at the back of the file (ff 20-21) have been paginated using pencil.
104. ‘File 28/5 I Export licences for shipments of oil from Bahrain’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises papers relating to oil exports made by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), and to a lesser extent the California-Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), and the need for regulation of oil exports during wartime. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman) and the Chief Local Representative of BAPCO (Dr Roger Anthony Kennedy).Following the implementation of an oil export licensing system for Bahrain oil exports, covered by Regulation No. 1 of 1940 of the Persian Gulf States (Emergency) Order in Council 1939 (ff 46-51, f 63, ff 68-69, f 75, f 254), BAPCO were required to seek approval for all shipments of oil exported out of Bahrain from the Political Agent, who in turn telegraphed the India Office in London for approval. For approved shipments, the Political Agent issued BAPCO with an export licence. The majority of the file is comprised of papers governed by this process: 1) BAPCO export licence applications, signed by Kennedy; 2) telegrams from the Political Agent to the India Office, requesting approval to grant the licence; 3) approval from the India Office; 4) copies of the export licence granted by the Political Agent; 5) copies of the shipment notice, issued by BAPCO.Also included in the file: an undated memorandum outlining the specific details of oil shipments from Bahrain that should be sent to the Secretary of State for India, Government of India and Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, including: name of ship, date of sailing, tonnage of oil product; destination; and name of consignee (f 5); a Government circular from the Ministry of Economic Warfare, dated 3 October 1939, concerning the rationing of neutral countries, with particular reference to the Scandinavian countries (f 18); correspondence between the Political Agent and CASOC, relating to the issue of Bills of Lading for oil shipments from Saudi Arabia (ff 18-32); a circular from the British Legation in Tehran, May 1940, relating to the supply of instructions for the Navicertsystem (the certification used by British consular officials in exempting non-contraband consignments from seizure or search by British blockade patrols, ff 42-45).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 318; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file notes at the back of the volume (ff 298-314) have been paginated using pencil.
105. ‘File 28/7 I War: Propaganda: local opinion’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises reports and correspondence concerning: the dissemination of pro-British and Allied propaganda in Bahrain and the wider Persian Gulf region, as prepared and coordinated by the Publicity Office in Bahrain; the reception of anti-British propaganda in Bahrain, chiefly via radio broadcasts; the impact of both on local public opinion in Bahrain. The propaganda covers events in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the Far East, from the Norwegian campaign (April 1940) to the Japanese capture of the Dutch East Indies (March 1942). The volume’s principal correspondents are: the Publicity Officer in the Persian Gulf (Roy Douglas Metcalfe; John Baron Howes; Bertram Thomas); the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior).The volume includes:weekly letters of ‘talking points’ (the strategy for their use as a propaganda tool being explained in a letter from the Publicity Office, f 10), received from the Ministry of Information, distributed by the Publicity Officer and comprised of pro-British and anti-Axis propaganda, commenting chiefly on progress in European War and later on, the war in North Africa and the Middle East; the question of the United States’ involvement in the war; the relative economic and military strengths of the conflict’s key protagonists;weekly reports, prepared by Political Agency staff, summarising local opinion in Bahrain towards the war in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and sent in digested form to the Political Resident;radio broadcasts in Bahrain and the wider Persian Gulf region, including: the opening of and content for the Persian Gulf radio station; minutes of meetings held by the Bahrain Radio Committee; the public preference in Bahrain for Berlin Arabic radio over the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Arabic service, and proposals to jam Berlin Arabic by broadcasting naval Morse code messages at its frequency; anti-British propaganda radio broadcasts from Italy, Germany, and from broadcasters campaigning against British imperialism in the Middle East and India; Government of India proposals for an Arabic broadcast service transmitting from Delhi;the appointment of Bertram Thomas as Publicity Officer in late 1941, as relief for Metcalfe;reports of local opinion in response to specific events affecting the Persian Gulf region: the Italian bombing of Bahrain in October 1940 (ff 89-94); Rashid Ali’s coup d’étatin Iraq in April 1941 (ff 217-218);schedules for the portable cinema in Bahrain, indicating date and venue (f 268, f 287).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 330; 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 5-312; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.Pagination: the file notes at the back (ff 313-326) have been paginated using pencil.Binding: The pages of a single letter were separated during the volume’s binding. The first page of this letter is at f 181, the remaining pages at ff 209-211.
106. ‘File 28/7 II War: Propaganda – Local Opinion’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file, a direct chronological continuation of ‘File 28/7 I War: Propaganda: local opinion’ (IOR/R/15/2/687), comprises reports and correspondence concerning: the dissemination of pro-British and Allied propaganda in Bahrain and the wider Persian Gulf region, as prepared and coordinated by the Publicity Office in Bahrain; the reception and impact of propaganda (Allied and Axis) on local public opinion in Bahrain. The propaganda covers events from Germany’s advances in Russia and Japan’s advances in the Indian Ocean in early 1942, to the Allied Landings in Normandy in June 1944. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Public Relations Officer in the Persian Gulf (Bertram Sidney Thomas); the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban; Edward Birkbeck Wakefield; Major Tom Hickinbotham); and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior).The file includes:weekly reports, prepared by Political Agency staff, summarising local opinion in Bahrain towards news of events in the war. These reports were sent by the Political Agent in digested form and on a weekly basis to the Political Resident;throughout the file, minutes of the approximately monthly meetings held by the Bahrain Radio Listeners Committee between July 1942 and August 1943. The minutes chiefly comprise comments on the content, quality of reception, quality of delivery, and timing, of BBC Arabic radio broadcasts, and to a lesser extent that of the Persian Gulf radio station;throughout the file, summaries of ‘talking points’ for dissemination as propaganda, focusing on topics including: Russia’s military strength against Germany (ff 42-43); facts and figures of the air war in the Mediterranean (ff 135-136); facts and figures on the Allied bombing campaign over Germany, with a focus on damage in Berlin and Essen (f 173);a report by Thomas of his tour of Middle East publicity centres (in Cairo, Jerusalem, Baghdad), dated 28 February 1943, commenting on: printing resources at Cairo; mechanical monitoring of radio broadcasts in Baghdad; use of cinema vans in remote districts of Iraq; Thomas’s own recommendations for publicity in the Gulf, including use of additional film projectors, hospitality sessions; majlis sessions (ff 11-16);a copy of an undated letter from L H Hurst of the Ministry of Information in London, to Thomas, requesting advice on ‘the best ways of capitalising the sympathies of pro-British Arabs.’ Thomas’s lengthy reply is appended to the letter (ff 47-51, with an additional copy at ff 59-64);correspondence relating to Thomas’s planned trip across the Arabian Peninsula, in March 1943 (ff 141-156);correspondence relating to Thomas’s departure to take up a role as head of an Arab Centre for training new officers (f 227);arrangements to send coloured film and records for broadcast in Sharjah (f 202);Government of Bahrain public notices: a prohibition on listening to German and Italian radio broadcasts, dated 16 June 1940 (f 5); a prohibition on listening to Japanese radio broadcasts, dated 8 December 1941 (f 6); dimming of car headlamps and other air raid precautions, dated 16 April 1942 (f 22).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 343; 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 2-314; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. An additional mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 315-342.
107. ‘File 28/7 III Public opinion and general publicity’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file, a direct chronological continuation of ‘File 28/7 II War: Propaganda – Local Opinion’ (IOR/R/15/2/688), comprises weekly reports describing local public opinion in Bahrain, in relation to events and the general course of the war, both in Europe and the Far East, covering the period from the Allied victory in Normandy (August 1944), to Victory in Europe (VE) Day (May 1945), and including comments on events in the Middle East, Egypt and Saudi Arabia’s declaration of war against the Axis powers, Russia’s progress into Germany, and the ongoing war against Japan. The principal correspondent in the file is the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Tom Hickinbotham). The file comprises copies of the weekly reports, prepared by Political Agency staff, which were sent onwards in digested form by the Political Agent to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 77; 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 2-58; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.Pagination: the file notes at the back (ff 72-76) have been paginated using pencil.
108. ‘File 28/10 (a) War. Foreigners, Anti-British Activities, etc. Father Irzio Luigi Magliacani (Roman Catholic Priest in Bahrain)’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises correspondence relating to the presence in Bahrain during the War of an Italian Roman Catholic priest, Irzio Luigi Magliacani. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior; Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway); and the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman; Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban; Major Tom Hickinbotham; Cornelius James Pelly).The file includes:correspondence dated 1940, including: the Political Agent in Bahrain’s assent, in June 1940, to Magliacani remaining in Bahrain (f 3); arrangements to deport Magliacani during October and November 1940, in response to the Italian bombing raid on Bahrain on 19 October 1940. The deportation order (f 11, f 14) was made because the Political Agent in Bahrain could not guarantee Magliacani’s personal safety, rather than Magliacani himself representing a threat to Bahrain (ff 3-23);correspondence dated 1944, relating to an application from the Archbishop of Agra, India, for Magliacani to return to Bahrain, in the wake of Italy’s surrender, and Magliacani having been released from the Central Internment Camp in India (f 24). This portion of the file includes copies of correspondence in Italian (ff 35-40, with English translations at ff 43-48), dated between 11 May 1931 and 22 April 1939, addressed to Magliacani, from various correspondents, including Camillo Guiriati, Italian Consular General in Calcutta [Kolkata], Leo Pollini, Director of the Istituto Fascista di Cultura in Milan, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rome. The correspondence was, according to a note in the file (f 34) found in Magliacani’s boxes during a search conducted on 25 July [1944]. Letters from the Security Office at Bahrain and the Bahrain Government state they have no objection to Magliacani’s return (f 29, f 31). A letter from the Political Resident to the Political Agent at Bahrain, dated 27 July 1944, states that it is too early for Axis subjects to return to the Arab sheikhdoms, and that permission for Magliacani’s return must be refused (f 41);correspondence from 1947 and 1948 relating to a further application for Magliacani’s return to Bahrain, with no objections offered by the Bahrain Government (ff 49-60).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 66; 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 3-57; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. Pagination: the file notes at the back (ff 61-65) have been paginated using pencil.