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1. ‘File 7/3 Scope and functions of F/Lt. Finch at Sharjah’
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence in the file relates to the appointment of Flight Lieutenant Finch of the Royal Air Force to Sharjah, to assist in the construction of the rest house at the Sharjah aerodrome. Fluent in Arabic, Finch was warned by the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle) not to involve himself in domestic politics (folio 1B), and by Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr of Sharjah to not travel into the interior (folios 3, 4). Office notes at the rear of the file suggest that the warning from Shaikh Sultan came after Finch had taken a truck into the interior. A note from Finch, dated 30 May 1933 states that illness has forced four men (presumably including himself) back to Basrah [Basra].Physical description: Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b.
2. ‘File 7/6 Proposal to construct ammunition dump at Bahrain & Sharjah’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file’s contents concern the establishment of an ammunition and bomb store at the Royal Air Force (RAF) aerodrome at Sharjah. Mention is made of the requirement for a bomb store at the RAF base at Bahrain at the beginning of the file, but it does not constitute a significant part of the file. The principal correspondents in the file are the Residency Agent or Trucial Coast Political Officer at Sharjah (notably Khan Sahib Husain ibn Hasan ‘Amad, as officiating Residency Agent from September 1935 to May 1936, and Captain Roy Douglas Metcalfe, as Political Officer between October 1940 and March 1941), the Political Agent in Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch until April 1937, Captain Tom Hickinbotham from April 1937 until October 1937, Hugh Weightman from October 1937 to October 1940, Reginald George Evelin Alban thereafter), and the ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr.The contents of the file cover the following topics: instructions from Air Vice Marshall WGS Mitchell of Air Headquarters in Iraq in February 1935 for the establishment of bomb stores at the RAF bases at Bahrain and Sharjah, to fill gaps in the air route between Basra and Muscat; negotiations with Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr of Sharjah over the construction of a bomb store at the RAF aerodrome at Sharjah; dispute between Shaikh Sultan and British officials over the location of the bomb store, leading to British officials withholding part of the Shaikh’s monthly allowance until the dispute was settled; Shaikh Sultan’s demand for rent on the new bomb store, and the rejection of this by the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle), on the basis that the bomb store was being constructed for the purpose of British protection of Sharjah; annual inspection of the Sharjah bomb store by Air Ministry inspectors; concerns in late 1940 over the Sharjah bomb store, including its location, overstocking, bombs not being stored underground, and bombs being stored alongside detonators; construction of a new bomb store at Sharjah in early 1941, underground and at a new location on the RAF base.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence begins on the front cover and ends on the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1 and 1A.
3. 'Wireless Telegraph Stations in the Persian Gulf'
- Description:
- Abstract: Written by the India Office it covers: an early history of wireless telegraphy in the Persian Gulf, including proposals for its use, from 1904-1915; the erection of stations at Bushire, Henjam, Bahrein [Bahrain], Koweit [Kuwait], Dubai, and Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh] from 1915-1917; Persian requests for the removal of stations in 1922; Persian prohibition of import of wireless spare parts in 1927; desiderata of His Majesty's Government on the future of the wireless stations regarding negotiations with the Persian Government, the question of the efficient retention of wireless stations, and a potential agreement between Persia and Imperial Airways; a summary of the current position as of August 1928.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 3, and terminates at f 4, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
4. ‘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.
5. ‘File 13/5 Assistance to Imperial Airways & Accidents to their Craft’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence on a number of different, air-related matters, and is not restricted to air accidents suffered by Imperial Airways aircraft. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Political Agent in Bahrain, and the Political Officer on the Trucial Coast.The subjects covered by the file are:The emergency landing in March 1933 of an Imperial Airways ‘HANNO’ [Handley Page] aircraft at Jubail, in Ibn Saud’s [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] territory, the subsequent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing, and discussion amongst British officials over whether a gift should be given to the Amir of Jubail, whose subjects lent assistance to the aircraft’s pilot (ff 4-46);Reports of a missing plane in the Gulf in March 1940 (ff 47-52);In July 1940, the theft of copper panels from the wireless station at the aerodrome in Sharjah, leading to the aerodrome’s inability to provide radio bearings to incoming aircraft. Further correspondence documents the investigation into the theft, and the apprehension of the culprits (ff 53-63);Through the remainder of the file, correspondence from 1941 to 1943 relating to the development of air facilities in a number of locations, as part of the Aden to Karachi air route. This correspondence includes: extensive arrangements for the temporary charter by the British Overseas Airways Corporation of the Sheikh of Dubai’s launch, to be used at Ras al Hadd; work at Masirah (island) and the sourcing of a launch to enable operations to proceed between the mainland and the island; unrest amongst the workers at Salalah.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 present in parallel between ff 2-171; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
6. ‘File 13/7 II Civil Aerodromes and Civil Air Agreement–Bahrain’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume is a continuation of ‘File 13/7 Civil Air Agreement’ (IOR/R/15/2/515), and contains correspondence relating to the air agreements and navigation regulations in place at the aerodromes on the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf, and chiefly at Muharraq in Bahrain. The principal correspondents in the file are Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle, the Political Agent at Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave.The subjects covered by the volume are:The issue of certificates of ‘special authorisation’ (of which there are examples at ff 22-24) for Imperial Airways aircraft at Muharraq;Discussion between British officials in the Gulf, and at the India Office and Air Ministry in London, on the best approach to obtain exemption from fuel duty for Imperial Airways aircraft;Punishment for the unauthorised landing of foreign aircraft at aerodromes in Kuwait, Bahrain and Muscat, including the question of fines and practicality of imposing prison sentence (draft regulations on ff 86, 120-122);The question of policing, and the financing of policing, at Muharraq aerodrome, in the light of increased numbers of aircraft landing each week;An outbreak of smallpox at Sharjah, addressing matters including: quarantine at the Sharjah aerodrome, the wider implications of diseases and air travel, a report on the matter produced by the Office of International d’Hygiene Publique, the situation in relation to the International Sanitary Convention, and questions over whether there is a lack of an epidemiological information service in the Gulf region.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 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 7-264; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
7. ‘File 13/7 III AVIATION. Civil Aerodromes, terms of Agreement etc.’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume, which is a continuation of ‘File 13/7 II Civil Aerodromes and Civil Air Agreement–Bahrain’ (IOR/R/15/2/516) contains correspondence and other papers related to the extension of the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement, the ongoing development of civil aviation facilities at Bahrain, and the transfer of civil aviation operations from Imperial Airways Limited and British Airways Limited to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), in response to the British Overseas Airways Act (of which a copy can be found at ff 204-229). The principal correspondents in the file include the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior, the Advisor to the Government in Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, and the Station Superintendent for Imperial Airways in Bahrain, Stephen Broad.Specific subjects covered in the volume include:Correspondence relating to sanitary administration in the Gulf, and in particular the lack of a quarantine officer at the aerodrome in Sharjah (a continuation of correspondence on an outbreak of smallpox in Bahrain from IOR/R/15/2/516);Negotiations and correspondence dealing with specific clauses in the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement, notably relating to the exemption of customs duty on petrol and oil, as well as for other equipment, including safety equipment. Final agreement on the new clauses, with their wording (ff 187-192) and a copy of the new Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (ff 267-271);Land surveys for a civil aircraft landing ground on Muharraq Island, with a map indicating the landing ground (f 62), and abandonment of plans for a civil aircraft landing ground, in anticipation of Imperial Airways aircraft sharing use of the RAF landing ground nearby;Arrangements for the rent of land (off the coast of Manama) for increased passenger facilities for the Imperial Airways flying boat aerodrome, including a map of the flying boat aerodrome features (f 124);Arrangements in the Gulf for the transfer of air operations from Imperial Airways to BOAC, specifically letters to the rulers of Sharjah (ff 234-235), Dubai (ff 236-237) and Kalba (ff 238-239) on the rewording of their respective Civil Air Agreements. Replies from each of the leaders are included in the file (ff 244, 245, 248).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the 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 6-274; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
8. ‘File 13/14 Customs exemption for Imperial Airways aircraft’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file’s contents relate to a request from Imperial Airways Limited for a change in the level of customs duty payable on goods brought into Bahrain by their aircraft, which, they argue, is unreasonably high. The principal correspondents in the file are unnamed representatives of Imperial Airways Limited, the Bahrain Political Agent, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, and the Political Resident, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard William Craven Fowle.The first part of the file is chiefly comprised of correspondence from Imperial Airways Limited (ff 3-10), who raise an objection to the high rates of duty paid on air freight at Bahrain, and recommending an adjusted duty based on the declared value of the goods plus a third of the air freightage. The second part of the file comprises discussion between the Bahrain Political Agent and Political Resident, in concert with officials from the India Office and Air Ministry, on the Imperial Airways request. Reference is made to the ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah’s assent to the change (f 31). The file includes a copy of an official notice from the Customs House in Bahrain, dated 14 July 1934, announcing the agreed changes to the air freight customs duty at Bahrain (f 29).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 are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present between ff 3-32; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
9. 'File 24/2 Oil concessions, Volume II'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence regarding the negotiations and signing of oil concessions in the Trucial Coast (United Arab Emirates). The correspondence is principally between the British Agency in Sharjah, the Political Agency in Bahrain, the Political Agency in Muscat, representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited (mostly Frank Holmes), and various rulers of the Trucial Shaikhdoms.The matters covered by the file include:the question of whether to include Kalbah within the Muscat concession;the British Government's policy of only permitting ruling Shaikhs to grant concessions to Petroleum Concessions Limited, and the wish of the rulers of Sharjah, Dubai, and Ras al-Khaimah to negotiate with the Standard Oil of California;the intentions of Shaikh Said bin Maktum [Sa‘īd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], ruler of Dubai, and Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān II bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], ruler of Sharjah, to open a bank branch in their territories;the conduct of Frank Holmes;the negotiations over the Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras al-Khaimah concessions;the visit of Imperial Airways agents to Umm al-Qaiwain with a view to opening permanent facilities there;the visit of Basil Henry Lermitte, representative of Petroleum Concessions Limited, to the Trucial Coast to begin negotiations for the Ajman, Ras al-Khaimah, Umm al-Qaiwain, and Abu Dhabi concessions;reports of communication between Hajj Abdullah Williamson [William Richard Williamson], agent of Petroleum Concessions Limited, and the rulers of Ras al-Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, urging them to hold out for better terms;arrangements for a geological survey of Jabal Hafit;negotiations with Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr over the political agreement between Petroleum Concessions Limited and the British Government;reports of American geologists seen working in Abu Dhabi territory.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 202; 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 2-198; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
10. Coll 5/20 ‘Air Route to India – Arab Coast Secn: Negotiations with Trucial Sheikhs’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file is largely made up of correspondence, with occasional internal India Office notes, and records of inter-departmental meetings. The subject matter is the establishment of an aerodrome on the Trucial Coast to facilitate the transfer of Imperial Airways' Europe-India route from Southern Persia to the Arabian Coast. There is some material related to the selection of a suitable site. However, much of the file is concerned with negotiations with Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar, Ruler of Sharjah; Sharjah was selected by British officials as the most promising site for a landing ground. The file therefore contains a number of reports on the political situation at Sharjah, the progress of negotiations, and discussion over terms and conditions. A copy of the final agreement can be found on folios 225-228.The agreement with the Shaikh of Sharjah provided for the construction of a rest house to be owned by the Shaikh but rented by Imperial Airways. The file therefore includes discussion relating to arrangements for the financing and construction of the rest house. There is also a detailed consideration of the measures needed to ensure its security, and measures to be taken by British forces in the event of an attack on the facility: see folios 18-27 for a copy of the Sharjah Defence Scheme.The file also contains discussion between British officials over their response to the following two proposals submitted by the Government of the Netherlands: a proposal for Anglo-Dutch-French co-operative partnership in approaching civil aviation matters linking Europe and the Far East, with a particular view to negotiations with Persia; and a request for access to the Arab Coast air route.In addition to the immediate response to the Netherlands Government, the file includes discussion related to how British policy over the Trucial Coast should develop in response to developments in civil aviation.Also contained within the file are a number of papers circulated by the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East. These papers relate to a proposal from Imperial Airways to use landplanes along the Arabian Coast route instead of flying boats; the file contains extensive technical comparisons between the ‘Hannibal’ four engine landplane (the Handley Page H.P.42) and three engine ‘Calcutta’ flying boat (the Short S.8).There is a limited amount of discussion, towards to front of the correspondence, over the state of British negotiations with Persia. However, this is not the focus of the file.A couple of letters from the Government of the Netherlands are in French (see folios 296-301) and the final agreement with the Shaikh of Sharjah (folios 225-228) is in both English and Arabic. The vast majority of the file is in English.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Hugh Vincent Biscoe, and later Trenchard Craven William Fowle), the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Richard Patrick Dickson), and the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf. It also includes correspondence with officials of the following governmental departments: the Admiralty, the Air Ministry, the Foreign Office, the India Office, and the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India.Most of the material in the file covers the period 1932 to 1935. Only a single letter, dated 31 March 1940, falls outside this range.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 637; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and ending flyleaves.
11. Coll 5/25 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Landing ground at Bahrain; Bahrain Civil Air Agreement’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence related to negotiations surrounding the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (1934) between the British Government and the Government of Bahrain, along with subsequent amendments and renewals, and issues arising from the implementation of the agreement. Occasional reference is made to similar agreements with Kuwait, Muscat, and Sharjah. It also covers the preliminary negotiations in 1933 between Imperial Airways and the Government of Bahrain, and the file contains three draft versions of this agreement: see folios 489-495, 516-518, and 533-539. The latter negotiations are superseded by negotiations for the Civil Air Agreement, following a decision to standardise civil aviation procedures across the Arab Shaikhdoms.Issues related to Muharraq Aerodrome and the Manama Flying Boat base are also covered in the file, which includes the application of a legal definition of an aerodrome to Bahrain, and efforts to define the geographical extent of these air bases. This includes negotiations with the Government of Bahrain for the purchase of additional land round the Muharraq Airfield for the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the extension of facilities such as the pier at Manama. A sketch map produced by the Government of Bahrain in 1944 can be found on folio 133 in relation to a proposal from the British Government to acquire an area – referred to as area 'C' – adjacent to the Muharraq Aerodrome for the RAF.A map can be found on folio 245 showing the approaches to Bahrain harbour, which is included as a result of negotiations to establish a flying boat service through Bahrain in 1937.The Arabic language content is limited to a copy of the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (1934), which contains both Arabic and English translations (see folios 332-348), and a few items of additional correspondence with the Shaikh of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah [Shaikh, Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah].The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Hugh Weightman, and Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain, officials of the Air Ministry, and officials of the India Office. Occasional reference is made to the Government of Bahrain via Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 543; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
12. Coll 5/50 ‘Air Route to India: Authorisation for occasional flights along the Arab Coast of the Persian Gulf’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence between the Air Ministry, the India Office, and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, documenting the process of obtaining special authorisation for a Christmas flight (London to Karachi via Cairo, and return) by Imperial Airways around 18-19 December 1935; permission was required from local rulers for landings at Kuwait, Bahrain, and Gwadur.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 13; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
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