Abstract: The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to ongoing exploratory oil drilling being undertaken in Bahrain by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO). The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 IV (C 43) Bahrain Oil; Eastern and General Syndicate Limited’ (IOR/R/15/1/652). The principal correspondents in the volume are Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent in Bahrain, Captain Everald Gastrell, officiating Political Agent in Bahrain during Loch’s absence, and various members of the India Office, Colonial Office, and Petroleum and Mining Departments in London.Key subjects discussed in the volume include:BAPCO’s request for an extension of their prospecting license to 2 December 1934;Questions over the award of a second concession covering the remainder of the Bahrain islands not included in BAPCO’s existing concession of 100,000 as-yet unspecified acres of territory; correspondence with representatives of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company with regard to this second concession;British officials’ attempts to oust Major Frank Holmes from his position as Chief Local Representative for BAPCO in Bahrain, because of his perceived failure to fulfil contractual requirements as set out in the original concession agreement;Recommendations with regard to Holmes’s position, provided by the British Government’s Treasury Solicitor, Sir Maurice Gwyer (folios 242-44);News of Holmes’s dismissal as BAPCO’s Chief Local Representative, dated 26 August 1933 (folio 293).Three maps are also included in the file, which were originally enclosed with a report that is mentioned in a letter contained in the volume (folio 203), although the report itself is not included. Map 1 (folio 333) shows the Bahrain islands with elevation data and the locations of BAPCO’s oil installations and infrastructures. Map 2 (folio 334) shows BAPCO’s roads, telephone and water lines, along with oil and water well locations. Map 3 (folio 335) is a site plan of BAPCO’s camp at Jebel Dukhan.Physical description: Foliation: Foliation is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 1A, and ends on inside of the back cover, on number 341.Foliation anomalies: f 1 is followed by ff 1A-F; f 63 is followed by f 63A; f 72 is followed by f 72A; f 223 is followed by f 223A; f 235 is followed by f 235A; f 277 is followed by f 277A; f 294 is followed by f 294A-B; f 332 is followed by f 332A.
Abstract: The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to oil prospecting being undertaken in Bahrain by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO). The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 VI (C 46) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/654). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, the Chief Local Representative in Bahrain for BAPCO, Ed Skinner, and British Government officials from the India Office and Petroleum/Mining Department in London.Key subjects discussed in the volume include:Negotiations over the proposed extension of the prospecting license until 2 January 1935, and the anticipated mining lease, with particular attention given to the financial payments and royalties payable to the ruling family of Bahrain;Acceptance by the ruler, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, on 19 November 1933, of the terms of the extension (folio 97), with a copy in English and Arabic of the agreement (folios 105-07);BAPCO plans for the development of an oil storage and export infrastructure at Bahrain, including: oil storage facilities, questions over the need for a refinery at Bahrain, a deep water anchorage with submarine line at Sitrah Island (including arrangements for aerial and marine surveys, and a blueprint map showing the submarine line and anchorage, folio 217), and the installation of wireless radio facilities;A proposal by BAPCO, dated 3 December 1933, to export 5,000 barrels of oil daily from 1 July 1934 (folios 165, 185);The employment of a local labour force (referred to as ‘coolies’, folios 193-94);A report dated 10 December 1933 of oil struck at well number 4 “in considerable quantity” (folio 228).Physical description: Foliation: There are two foliation sequences. One sequence is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The other sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, at the top of the recto of each folio, towards the centre. It begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 301. Foliation anomalies: Folio 2 is followed by ff 2A-C; f 217 is followed by f 217A. Index numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspond to the numbered office notes index at the end of the file (ff 288-95).
Abstract: The volume contains letters, telegrams, maps and memoranda relating to oil prospecting undertaken in Bahrain by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO), and the development of an oil infrastructure. The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 VII (C 48) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/655). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, and the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch.Subjects covered by the volume include:Construction of a submarine pipeline, ship anchorage and other facilities at Sitrah Island by BAPCO;Construction of wireless facilities for BAPCO’s operation, pending approval by Imperial & International Wireless Limited and Imperial Airways;Installation of buoys for the BAPCO anchorage (including details and location of buoys, folio 16), pending approval by the Government of India which holds responsibility for buoying in the Gulf; also concerns over the proximity of the anchorage to fish traps;British Government officials’ preference for Admiralty cooperation in surveying the area for a proposed anchorage, over the involvement of the U.S. Marine (folio 30);The despatch (folio 84) and arrival (folio 222) of an American vessel, the
El Segundo, to Bahrain, with a workforce for the construction of the pipeline and other facilities and the despatch of a German steamer, the
Wachtfells, with materials (folios 86-87);British officials’ concerns regarding the forty-five American workers on board the
El Segundo(folio 116): the effects of their presence in Bahrain, and the question of a need for visas (folios 135-36, 139-40);Wider concern over the numbers of foreign workers employed by BAPCO in Bahrain, with details of the nationalities and classes of workers employed by BAPCO in January 1934 (folio 138);Questions over whether oil refining will be carried out in Bahrain, which is strongly advocated by the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, and his Government (folio 83);BAPCO acquisition of land in Bahrain, in relation to the prospecting and mining licenses, including land for shipping facilities at Sitrah, and plans for a permanent camp (folios 209-10);A dispute between the British Government and BAPCO over the interpretation of a clause in the concession agreement, relating to the waiving of duty paid on the import of equipment by the oil company. The dispute relates to whether such items as food goods and furniture can be classified as company equipment;Questions over the replacement of Ed Skinner, Chief Local Representative of BAPCO;Minutes of India Office meetings, in which the status of the Qatar concession, with reference to such issues as risks facing exploration, boundary issues, British and foreign representation, and the involvement of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company are discussed (folios 37-58, 93-110).Physical description: Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, at the top of the recto of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and ends on the folio of writing, on number 230. Foliation anomalies: f 76 is followed by f 76A; f 210 is followed by f 210A. Index numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspondent to the office notes index at the end of the file (ff 225-30).The following folios are fold-out maps ff 77-78; f 210; f 213.
Abstract: The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to oil production in Bahrain being undertaken by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO). The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 X (C 52) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/658). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, BAPCO’s London representative, Hamilton Ballantyne, and various British Government officials, chiefly Mr Laithwaite of the India Office.The main subjects covered in the volume are:Negotiations over the terms and wording of BAPCO’s mining lease between Laithwaite and Ballantyne, including records of meetings and conversations between the two men (folios 22-33, 63-70), correspondence relating to the wording of particular clauses (including those concerning access to records of wells, royalties, arbitration of disputes and the nomination of an umpire, closure of wells), and a printed draft of the lease with pencil and pen annotations (folios 193-200);The arrival and departure from Bahrain of representatives of Redwood & Co., the nominated independent calibrators of BAPCO’s oil storage tanks (folios 8-9);Ballatyne’s visit to Bahrain in October 1934;Oil exports from Bahrain, including the first shipment to Japan, invoking a protest from the Persian Government, who maintained a claim on the Bahrain Islands. The Persian protest was published in the
Japan Timeson 17 July 1934 (folios 56-58, 116-119)Anticipated future production in Bahrain of 5,000 barrels a day (folio 73), and continued questions over the prospects of refining being undertaken in Bahrain;The appointment of Mr Russell (Bahrain Manager of the Mesopotamia-Persia Corporation) as Chief Local Representative for BAPCO in Ed Skinner’s absence (folios 17, 19-20, 45);The payment of lighting dues by BAPCO vessels (folios 40, 48-49);The arrival in Bahrain in October 1934 of a director of the Iraq Petroleum Company (folios 228-29), in connection with marketing possibilities for BAPCO oil, and amid competition between oil companies operating in the Gulf.Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated from the first to last folio, using numbers written in pencil in the top-right corner of each recto. Index numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspond to the office notes index at the end of the volume (ff 233-40). The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D; 38 and 38A; 98 and 98A; 200, 200A and 200B.
Abstract: The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to oil production in Bahrain, being undertaken by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO). The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 XIV (C 67) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/662). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle until August 1939, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior thereafter), the Political Agent in Bahrain, (Captain Tom Hickinbotham until October 1937, Hugh Weightman from October 1937 to October 1940, and Major Reginald Alban thereafter), and various local representatives of BAPCO.The subjects covered by the volume are:Preferences (or preferred markets) for Bahrain oil, with Australia and New Zealand proposed, and British opposition to the principle of preferences, on the grounds that oil production in Britain’s empire is too small (folios 4-11);Changes to the appointment of BAPCO’s Chief Local Representative, with numerous incumbents of the post: John Black, C. Deacon, Dr Kennedy and Milton Lipp.Most of the volume’s correspondence refers to the impact of the Second World War upon Bahrain and BAPCO activities:Discussion amongst British officials over the possible pre-emption of Bahrain oil (folios 38, 52-53), and BAPCO’s willingness to cooperate with the British Government (folio 49);Discussion of the strategic importance of Bahrain’s oil, the release of BAPCO employees for military service, and defence of BAPCO facilities (folios 57-59);An enquiry from the Air Ministry regarding Bahrain’s ability to produce aviation fuel and at what rate, with a detailed technical response from BAPCO staff (folios 75, 77-78);The Political Agent’s preference for Milford Lipp as Chief Local Representative, because communications have been ‘expeditiously disposed of’ under Lipp’s authority (folios 81-91, 106-08); Lipp’s status as a U.S. citizen, leading to an agreement signed by Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah and BAPCO, permitting the appointment of a non-British citizen as Chief Local Representative for the duration of the war (folios 93, 113);Lipp’s suggestion that the Company’s geological plans and records be moved to a secure location (New York), to prevent them falling into enemy hands, a proposal agreed to by all parties concerned (folios 96-103);A drop in oil production in Bahrain in 1941 (folios 109, 116-16A), as a result of reduced demand due to petrol rationing to supply areas such as India, and a shortage of available tankers (folios 119-20); explanation of the drop in royalties to Shaikh Hamad; a subsequent increase in production at the end of 1941 (folios 124-30).The volume also includes a press cutting from the
Iraq Times, dated 9 November 1937, which remarks on the superior quality of Bahrain’s oil (folio 12), and a copy of BAPCO’s accounts for the first half of 1938 (folios 36-37).Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence begins on the first folio and ends on the last folio, using circled pencil numbers found at the top and centre of each recto. A second sequence paginates every page of text between ff 4-203 with some gaps, and a third sequence paginates the office notes at the back of the volume; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, they can be found in the top left or top right corners of the verso and recto side of each folio respectively. Numbers written throughout the volume in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspond to the office notes index at the end of the volume (ff 137-50).
Abstract: The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to oil prospecting undertaken in Bahrain by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO), and the development of BAPCO’s infrastructure. The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 VIII (C 49) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/656). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, the Chief Local Representative for BAPCO, Ed Skinner, and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple-Belgrave.Subjects covered by the volume include:The ongoing construction of oil export facilities off Sitrah Island, including a pump station, submarine pipeline, and anchorage with buoys;A request by BAPCO for their vessel
El Segundoto use wireless radio communications with BAPCO employees onshore, as well as for long-distance communications with the Company’s head offices in San Francisco. Loch’s consultations with Imperial & International Communications Limited (I&ICL) in Bahrain, and with the Admiralty, result in the former request being agreed, but the latter request being denied, the reason given that I&ICL’s new wireless radio station in Bahrain should be used instead (folios 29-30, 95-105, 176-79, 188-90);Questions of the measurement of oil in order to determine the royalties payable, with a description of how oil in storage tanks should be measured (folios 165-68), where responsibility for measurements should lie, how royalty should be paid (folios 72-76), and a statement of oil saved, used and stored for the period up until 31 December 1933 (folios 118-19);Discussion of who should hold the permanent post of Chief Local Representative for BAPCO, with Belgrave’s name mooted (folio 68), and British officials’ final decision to appoint Ed Skinner, in spite of the fact that the original concession stipulated that a British subject should at all times occupy the position (folio 109), amid continued resistance from the Bahrain ruling family to an American representative (folios 200-02);BAPCO’s refusal to commit to oil refining in Bahrain “in the face of continually uncertain and changeable world-wide market conditions” (folios 242-45), and doubts over the extent of Bahrain’s oil field (folio 115);Government of Bahrain approval for the construction of facilities at Sitrah Island, and for the construction of a permanent BAPCO camp on the mainland, in spite of the fact of a mining lease having not yet commenced (folios 60-61, 64-65);A report on BAPCO activity covering the period until 31 December 1933, including details on the status of wells, list of employees by classification and nationality, and a description of camp buildings (folios 128-33);Settlement in an ongoing dispute between the Government of Bahrain and BAPCO over the categories of goods imported by BAPCO on which duty should be paid, with a list of dutiable and non-dutiable goods (folios 183-84);Details of oil equipment imported on the German Hansa line vessel SS
Wachtfels(folios 79-80, 113-14);The Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah’s insistence that some positions of responsibility be given to native Bahrainis, and complaints over the employment of some foreigners who are ‘notoriously bad characters’ (folios 234-35).Physical description: Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence, which should be used for cataloguing, is circled in pencil, at the top of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 258. Foliation anomalies: f 2 is followed by ff 2A-C. Index numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspondent to the office notes index at the end of the file (ff 247-52).
Abstract: The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to oil production in Bahrain, being undertaken by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO). The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 XI (C 53) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/659). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, BAPCO’s London representative, Hamilton Ballantyne, and various British Government officials, chiefly Gilbert Laithwaite of the India Office.The subjects covered by the volume are:Ongoing negotiations between the British Government and BAPCO over the terms of BAPCO’s mining lease for Bahrain, with particular emphasis in this volume on: amendments to wording related to the termination of the lease; discussion over the definition of the term “uncultivated land” with regard to BAPCO’s selection of land for the mining lease, with particular reference to land owned by the ruling family, and uncultivated land in the urban areas of Manama and Muharraq (folios 103-04, 114-15);The preparation of an Arabic translation of the mining lease (folios 83-98), initially prepared by the Political Agency in Bahrain, reviewed by the Assistant Librarian of the India Office in London (folios 147-49), with subsequent changes to the wording proposed (folios 211-15);Arrangement for power of attorney for the mining lease, with a copy of the power of attorney (folios 151-56);Protest by British officials in Bahrain, and by Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, Ruler of Bahrain (folio 109), over the unauthorised landing of a French aeroplane at Bahrain, carrying the French Chargé D’Affaires from Baghdad, with a copy of the visa rules for Bahrain (folio 112) and an Iraq Government air clearance certificate (folio 113);Production of oil in Bahrain, including difficulties encountered by BAPCO in marketing their Bahrain oil, leading to speculation that the Iraq Petroleum Company may become involved in Bahrain production, possibly at BAPCO’s cost (folios 69-72, 143), and reports of the despatch to Bahrain of the Standard Oil tanker
Rheemin December 1934, to collect 100,000 barrels (15,000 tons) of oil from Bahrain (folios 194, 204-07).Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated from the title page to the last folio, using pencil numbers written in the top-right corner of each recto. Index numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspond to the office notes index at the end of the volume (ff 221-25). The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1A, 1B and 1C; 113 and 113A; 136 and 136A; 187 and 187A.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence between Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Claud Cranbrook Lewis De Grenier, Director of Customs and Port Officer in Bahrain, and Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent, Bahrain. The correspondence concerns the use of Sitrah harbour by the Mesopotamia Persia Corporation steamer, SS
Neunfels, without prior permission from the Government of Bahrain.Folio 6 is internal office notes.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 7; 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 2-3; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains an original copy of the Bahrain oil concession agreement, dated 12 May 1923, agreed between Major Frank Holmes of The Eastern & General Syndicate Limited, and Shaikh Esa bin Ali Al-Khalifa [‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfa]. The concession is typewritten in English, with an Arabic translation added by hand in black ink. Each page of the concession has been stamped ‘For and on behalf of The Eastern & General Syndicate, Limited’ and is signed by Holmes. The last page of text of the concession (folio 20) has also been signed by a witness, Mr W Hendry, of Dumbarton, Scotland. The final page of the agreement (folio 21) is a map of the northern half of the Persian Gulf. The cover of the file bears the broken remains of a wax seal, inscribed ‘The Eastern Bank Limited, Baghdad’.Physical description: Foliation: Foliation is circled in pencil, at the top 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 22. An original foliation system using typewritten numbers at the top and centre of each recto, runs from ff 2-20.
Abstract: Distinctive Features:Hand drawn rough sketch map produced for sailing race which took place off the coast of Sitrah Island, Bahrein, on the 6th February 1936. The race course shown in red line with location of beacons and buoys marked and shoals labelled. Details of the race provided on folio 3.Physical description: Materials:Pen and ink with additions in pencil on paperDimensions:203 x 330 mm