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25. 'File 1/A/48 I Control of Prices of standard foodstuffs in Bahrain.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns the control of prices of foodstuffs and other commodities in Bahrain, the suppression of hoarding, and the regulation of imports and exports by the Food Controller, Bahrain, against the background of wartime conditions caused by the outbreak of the Second World War (1939-45).The principal correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; the Government of India; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave); the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis deGrenier); and the Food Controller, Bahrain (Captain Arthur Charles Byard; later deGrenier).The papers include: initial discussion of measures to protect the poor in Bahrain from profiteering by merchants in the bazaars, and the introduction of fixed price lists for commodities (folios 2-12); the need for the British to consider Indian traders in Bahrain (folios 7-9); the issue of hoarding of stocks (folio 11); initial estimates of stocks of essential foodstuffs in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast; measures in the event of war (folios 14-16); regular Customs Department statistics of commodities available for sale in Bahrain, and estimated period of sufficiency; statistics of consumption of foodstuffs; notices issued by the Government of Bahrain and the Political Agent, Bahrain concerning prices and hoarding; regulation made under the Persian Gulf States (Emergency) Order in Council, 1939, which gave the Political Resident powers to control the supply and pricing of commodities (folios 40-41, 106); definition of luxury goods (folio 43); the effect of the measures on Saudi Arabia (folios 46-47); representations from merchants in Bahrain; the appointment of a new Food Controller, Bahrain (folios 141-142); accusations of profiteering (folios 151-156, folio 159); the effect on Bahrain if Japan were to enter the war (folio 176); special arrangements for the supply of provisions to the Royal Navy (folios 205, 235-240); and the suggestion by the Political Agent that British India Steam Navigation Company (BISN) steamers be used to bring food supplies to Bahrain (folios 207-208).The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately fifteen folios, mostly official notices in Arabic and English issued by the Government of Bahrain and the Political Agent, Bahrain.The date range gives the covering dates of the correspondence; the latest addition to the file is an entry in the notes dated 26 March 1942.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 283; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-282; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
26. 'File 1/A/48 II Food Control'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume concerns the implementation in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast of the Civil Requirements Programme Middle East. The programme was a Ministry of War Transport initiative to assess the likely civil import needs of the Middle East in view of pressure on available shipping, and the difficulties of inland transport. The papers contain monthly estimates of tonnages required in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast for the period August 1941 to June 1942. The estimates were sent to the Government of India.The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Government of India; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; the Political Officer, Trucial Coast; the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO); the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; the Food Controller, Bahrain; and the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain.The papers include: estimated monthly tonnages for Bahrain, provided by the Government of Bahrain; detailed estimates provided by BAPCO for 1941; estimated monthly tonnages for the Trucial Coast provided by the Residency Agent, Sharjah, and the Political Officer, Trucial Coast (including detailed statements showing commodities, consignors and consignees); statistics of bulk commodities available for sale in Bahrain, and estimated period of sufficiency, issued by the Food Controller, Bahrain, July-August 1941; papers relating to the establishment of the War Transport Committee at Basra, the duties of which were to oversee the increased traffic expected in the Persian Gulf as a result of military and transit cargo needs (folios 180-183, 192-193); and some correspondence relating to individual merchants and commodities.The Arabic language content of the volume consists of less than five folios, including bilingual Arabic and English notices issued by the Government of Bahrain.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 293; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 5-289; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
27. 'File 1/A/48 III FOOD CONTROL.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns the effects of the implementation of controls on the import and export of food and other commodities in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast during the Second World War (1939-45).The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); the Government of India; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave); the Food Controller, Bahrain (Claud Cranbrook Lewis deGrenier); and the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain (also deGrenier).The papers include: Food Controller's report for the year 1941 (folios 2-9); correspondence between Petroleum Concessions (Qatar) Limited, and the Political Agent, Bahrain concerning difficulties caused by the curtailment of the company's supplies by the Food Controller, Bahrain (folios 10-29); the legal implications of hoarding, and related matters (folios 31-33); report by the Food Controller on stocks of food in Bahrain (folio 42); report on control of exports from Bahrain (folios 51-52); statistics of average monthly consumption of staple commodities in Bahrain, and minimum annual requirements of foodstuffs and textiles (folios 61-63); copy of regulation making all exports dependent on the permission of the Food Controller (folios 68-70); the support of the Political Agent, Bahrain for a petition from a group of merchants to allow the re-export of piece goods (folios 75-77); correspondence from the Residency Agent, Sharjah detailing commodities required for consumption on the Trucial Coast; correspondence concerning acute shortages of wheat and flour in Bahrain; correspondence concerning 'famine' conditions on the coast of Persia (e.g. folios 96-98); an estimate of the wartime increase in the cost of living in Bahrain (folio 107); the difficulties faced by Bahrain merchants in exporting goods to India, including an allegation that they needed to give bribes to customs officials at Karachi (folios 158-159, 163-165); a confidential memorandum critical of the Food Controller, Bahrain (folio 169); the use of Bahrein Petroleum Company (BAPCO) tankers for the transportation of foodstuffs (e.g. folios 185-186); and the effect on Bahrain of food shortages in India (folio 220).The Arabic language content of the volume consists of a single letter (with English translation) on folio 90.The date range gives the covering dates of the correspondence; the last addition to the file is an entry in the notes on folio 279 dated 9 August 1942.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 280; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-279; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
28. 'File 1/A/50 I Publicity'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file deals with the dissemination in Bahrain of publicity and propaganda material in support of the British and allied cause at the start of the Second World War (1939-45). Most of the information originated with the Ministry of Information in London. The file also contains information on the response of British officials to broadcasts in the region by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and the support given to the allied side by the Ruler and people of Bahrain.The principal correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (principally, Major Charles Geoffrey Prior); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Hugh Weightman); the Ministry of Information (which is often referred to in the correspondence as MINIF or MINIFORM); the Information Office, Aden; the India Office; and the Government of India.The papers cover: the selection of Bahrain as the publicity distributing centre for the Arab side of the Gulf, and the appointment of a publicity interpreter at Bahrain, who would also undertake intelligence duties (folios 2-6); India Office telegram explaining the principles adopted as the basis of British publicity abroad (folios 8-9); Arabic broadcasts by the BBC, including comments on the service, many of them critical, by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Prior), and the Political Agent, Bahrain; discussion of the format and publication of the Arabic language Al Bahrainnewspaper (e.g. folios 29-30); numerous reports from the Ministry of Information on political, military and economic developments in the war (including contradictions of German propaganda), which were then recast in Bahrain and translated for publication in the newspaper Al Bahrain; the suggested use of loudspeakers to broadcast a daily Arabic news bulletin (e.g. folios 36-37); official reports forwarded to Bahrain by the India Office (e.g. Papers concerning the Treatment of German Nationals in Germany, 1938-1939(London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1939) (folios 221-238); covering letters for pamphlets of war interest sent by the Political Agency, Bahrain to the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) for the use of employees of the company (e.g. folio 266); the support of the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad [Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah], for the allied cause (e.g. folios 251, 253); the assessment of public opinion on the war in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast (e.g. folios 279, 281, and 348); and newspaper cuttings used for publicity purposes (folios 313-319).The Arabic language content of the papers consists of approximately fifteen folios of publicity material and correspondence.The date range gives the covering dates of the correspondence; the last dated additions to the file are notes on a couple of the documents dated 29 November 1939.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 405; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-395; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
29. '4/1 Bahrain State Finances 4'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file contains copies of the financial records of the Government of Bahrain that were sent to the British Political Agency in Bahrain by Charles Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain. The records cover the years 1359-1363AH (1941-1945). These records include details of the expenditure and budget of the government. A number of lists containing details of the salaries and allowances of members of the Al Khalifa family are also included throughout the file.The file contains correspondence that discusses Bahrain's financial situation, notably details of how and where investments should be made for Bahrain's state reserve fund, details of Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's [Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] excessive spending habits and the impact of the Second World War on Bahrain.The file also contains copies (in English and Arabic) of correspondence between Charles Geoffrey Prior, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.Of note are folios 198v and 199v, on which financial details from 1943/44 have been printed on the reverse of two unrelated British Government propaganda posters - presumably due to a paper shortage during war time.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present between ff 10-253; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out to prevent confusion with the main sequence.
30. ‘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.
31. ‘File 13/4 II Facilities for Foreign Air Company’s using Arabian Air Route’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume is a continuation of ‘File 13/4 I Facilities for foreign air companies to use Arabian Air Route’ (IOR/R/15/2/511) and contains correspondence relating to the authorisation of foreign aircraft to use the air route following the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf, and the route’s aerodrome facilities, chiefly those at Bahrain (Muharraq aerodrome).Covering a period that includes the start of the Second World War, much of the volume’s correspondence concerns the status of those countries associated with the foreign air companies seeking to use the Britain’s air facilities in the Gulf. This includes the arrival of Signor Venturini, Middle East Manager of the Italian airline Ala Littoria, in Bahrain in September 1939, investigating an extension of an Ala Littoria air route between Rome and Bangkok (ff 46-52, 64-66, 101-105), and a request from the Japanese Government for reciprocal air links between Britain and Japan in January 1940 (ff 91-92).However, the majority of the file is taken up with correspondence relating to the Dutch airline Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappih (KLM) and their request to use the Arab coast air route and its facilities, after Iran’s withdrawal of permission for them to use facilities on the Persian coast of the Gulf in 1940. British Government correspondence on the matter includes discussion of a wartime agreement with KLM, offering the use of British air facilities, in return for KLM occasionally putting their transport at Britain’s disposal for military requirements.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 6-258; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
32. ‘File 13/4 III: Facilities for Foreign Companies using Arab Route’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file, which is a continuation of correspondence in the volume ‘File 13/4 II Facilities for Foreign Air Company’s using Arabian Air Route’ (IOR/R/15/2/512), deals chiefly with the use of air facilities around the Arabian peninsula by United States aircraft during the Second World War. The file contains correspondence relating to: plans of the Californian Standard Oil Company to construct landing strips along the Arab coast between Dhahran and Kuwait; Pan-American Airways aircraft being used by the United States military in the region, and an agreement that such aircraft should be entitled to the same privileges in using aerodrome facilities as British RAF aircraft; concerns among British officials at Pan-American Airways’ attempts to further their commercial interests in the Gulf during the war. A final item of correspondence in the file, dating from 1950, concerns a request by the Lebanese authorities to extend an air route to Kuwait.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 1-71; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
33. ‘File 13/11 Air communications with Bushire’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises a copy of a single letter, dated 16 May 1942, from the Political Resident, Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay, to Hugh Weightman, Joint Secretary to the Government of India, External Affairs Department. In the letter Hay requests that one of the five weekly air services currently flying along the Arab coast of the Gulf, be diverted to stop at Bushire. Hay makes the request in light of the ‘incredibly bad’ communications currently existing between the Political Residency in Bushire and the other British agencies in the Gulf. Hay makes reference to the extra work entailed in having to send almost every telegram in cypher, and to the destruction of the mailer steamer Suisangin a fire at Abadan, as exacerbating communications problems.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 2-3; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
34. 'File 14/1 Correspondence regarding calls of mail steamers at Bahrain and general correspondence regarding postal matters'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains telegrams, correspondence and notices regarding postal matters: conveyance of mail at Bahrain, dispatch of mail from Bahrain, air mail service, shipping, postal facilities in the Persian Gulf area, and restriction of telecommunications and mail services to other countries during the Second World War. The file contains a copy of the agreement with Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo, who provided a vehicle for transit and delivery of mail (folios 210-213)The principal correspondents are: the Customs Department of the Government of Bahrain, the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO); Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo; Imperial Airways Limited (from 1940 British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC)); British India Steam Navigation Company Limited (BISN); the Superintendent of Post Offices, Lower Sind and Persian Gulf Division, at Karachi; the Residency Agent at Sharjah; the Political Agency at Kuwait; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and the Political Agent at Bahrain.There are some documents in Arabic with English translation within the file, letters from and to the Postmaster at Bushire, and from the Residency Agent at Sharjah.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 304; 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 4-266; 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 268-299; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
35. ‘File 15/2 III Rules & Regulations Circulars etc. from the Government of India, Home Deptt.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains Government of India circular letters, memoranda and notices issued mainly by the Home Department and also the Finance Department and the External Affairs Department. The circulars contain rules, regulations, policies and procedures relating to the pay, allowances and other conditions of service of Government of India employees before, during and after the Second World War (1939-1945), including:Legal Studies Rules, 1937;Reserved Posts (North-West Frontier Province) Rules 1939;Appointments to vacancies reserved for Anglo-Indians, 1938-1939;Liability to British income tax of Government of India officers going on home leave from India to Great Britain or Northern Ireland, 1938;Leave restrictions during wartime conditions, 1942;Investigation of fraud and embezzlement of Government money by Government employees, 1943 and 1945;Payment of sea passages for officers proceeding on leave from India to the United Kingdom under the Key Leave Scheme, 1944;Travelling allowances for employees taking leave in India during the war, for essential rest and recreation, 1944-1947;Grant of approval for the employment of retired Government of India employees by commercial firms, 1945;Discontinuance of policy of reserving permanent Government of India vacancies for war service candidates, 1945;Lifting of war-time restrictions on travellers from India, 1945;Resettlement programme for the large number of Government of India temporary employees at the end of the war, 1945 and 1947;Grant of priority for sea passages to families wishing to travel from Britain to India, 1946;Removal of ban on the retirement, including premature retirement, of Government of India officers, 1945-1946.The file also contains:Correspondence in 1939 between the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast, British Agency, Sharjah and the Political Agent, Bahrain, about a request by Abdullah bin Faris (Secretary to the Sheikh of Sharjah) to become a naturalised British subject, together with an extract about eligibility rules under the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act 1919;Correspondence between the Government of India Home Department, the India Office, London and the Victoria League, London, about hospitality offered by the League to Indian visitors in England, 1938-1939;Public Notices issued by the Federal Public Service Commission (India) about holding competitive examinations for the recruitment of assistants and clerks in Government of India departments, 1939.Physical description: Foliation: numbered 1-15, 15A, 15B, 15C, 16-93, 95-99, 103-119, 125-135, 138-144, 147-148, 150, 152-153, 155-182. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner of the folio, starting at the front of the file, on the first file enclosure (f 1) and ends on the inside cover at the back of the file (f 183). Folios 148, 150 and 153 have been additionally numbered 149, 151 and 154 on the verso. Folio number 102 has been omitted. Folios numbered 94, 100-101, 120-124, 136-137 and 145-146 were transferred to English Office Series file 15/50, according to undated notes in pencil on the adjoining folios. The file cover has not been numbered.Condition: folio 8 is damaged; a tear along the right hand edge affects a small amount of text but does not obscure it.
36. ‘File 15/9 I RULES AND REGULATIONS. File No. 15/9 ORDERS RECEIVED FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA 1. POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT 2. INDUSTRY AND LABOUR DEPARTMENT & COMMERCE 3. INDIAN WORDS CODE CORRECTIONS ETC. 4. ARMY DEPARTMENT. 5. EDUCATION AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT. 6. Policy Dept.’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains Government of India circular letters, memoranda and notices issued by several departments and in particular, the Army Department and the Department of Industries and Labour, Posts and Telegraphs Branch. These were regularly forwarded by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire to the Political Agent, Bahrain and others for information and guidance. The circulars contain rules, procedures and instructions and relate mainly to Government of India personnel and the handling of official correspondence. Typical file contents are:Instructions about the use of priority and non-priority markings on Government foreign telegrams;Supplements to the list of Holders of the Indian Word Code, 1924published by the India Office, London;Addenda to the ‘Manual of Instructions to Officers of the Political Department of the Government of India, 1924’;Notifications issued by the Army Department about the barring from future Government employment of several sepoys and clerks, mainly owing to their conviction for or implication in cases of theft from ordnance depots, 1926-1927.Physical description: Foliation: numbered 1A-1D, 2-24, 29-106, 116-137, 139-144, 146-176, 183-186, 187A-187B, 188-195, 196A-196B, 197-286, 287A, 287B, 288-299. The numbers 25-28, 107-115, 138, 145 and 177-182 have been omitted. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right corner of the folio. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the file cover (f 1A) and ends on the inside cover at the back of the file (f 299).