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'File 9/8 Bahrain Levy Corps' [‎123r] (250/480)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (226 folios). It was created in 16 Dec 1923-5 Jul 1926. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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The Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , ^
B^Jarain.
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
22/3/25.
I hare spoken to CaiLbpell with regard to renewing his
contract under th ShaiJcs Gover-iment. As I had already
understood froia him,he does not want to atay on but is
anxious to get bacJi to his Regiment 5; go on leave.
As it taiccs a long ti^ia to fix these matters up perhaps it
would "be well to start looking for a relief early•Campnell
completes his year on 20th August.
I hare though the matter well over & I think we should
now go for a Subaltern, date of commission about 1920 &
should require hir. to take on the job^for two years with
one period of privilege leave during the term. S U ch an
offficer would have about two years to go before getting
his captaincy. By the time his two years is up the Adviser
should have got into his stride & there sfeould be no mozsi
necessity to repSUice the 0,C. Levies as the Adviser
would be able to run the Levies with a good 1.0.
The job should suit a harried subaltern very well-the pay
& the fact that he isould live here cheaply would be an
attraction <5: there is a very good bungalow attached to
the job. The only thing is that it would be much better
if we could get in touch with some young officer and
apply for him by name.Vvhen left to the army,they merely
send out a circular & it is not unnatural that C.O s so
arrange it that we do not get their best man,but generally
an officer from whom the Regiment want a short respite*
I do not know anybody myself-I could have
written to my brother-in -law who is in the Indian Army,
but I hear he is just now leaving on furlough.
Do you know any suitable young officer V or
ia it possible that Stover would know of someone . If
there were a good officer in their own Regiment who
wmi-M +.a\r* nn t>i • i nV. hm wmil rl i n a nrtpHtinn tn Vft. -n

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Content

The volume relates to the institution of a Levy Corps in Bahrain, and more specifically to the recruitment, training, equipment (military, non-military) and costs of maintaining the force. The main correspondents in the file are the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain (Major Clive Daly, or George Mallam as Acting Agent in Daly's absence), the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. (Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Trevor until April 1924, thereafter Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Prideaux), and Captains A. Campbell and T. H. Geake, Commanding Officers of the Bahrain Levy Corps for the first and second years respectively.

The institution of the Bahrain Levy Corps was set up with the assistance of the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Muscat, and the previously established Muscat Levy Corps, the intention being that the Commandant of the Muscat Levies, Captain Alban, would supervise the new Bahrain Levies, and that the first recruits for the Bahrain Levies be recruited from Muscat. However, the process of recruitment was hampered by Alban becoming ill, and a shortage of suitable men being found. Daly noted, in a letter dated 25 October 1924 that “the enlistment of men was mismanaged - many undesirables were enlisted and many unfit.” (folios 111-112). The main area of concern was the recruitment to the Levies of Persian Makranis. An express letter from Daly to Prideaux, dated 29 May 1925, noted that the Bahrain Levy Corps comprised 46 British subjects, 23 Persian subjects, 39 Muscat subjects, and 1 Yemeni subject (folio 127). This letter followed shortly after an incident, on 25 May 1925, in which one of the Persian Levies at Bahrain murdered two of his colleagues (folio 134). Continuous efforts were made afterwards to reduce the number of Persians in the Bahrain Levies (folios 187, 191).

An annual report for the Bahrain Levy Corps, written by Campbell at the end of his service (July 1925), gives detail on the challenges facing the institution of the Bahrain Levy Corps, its recruitment process, disciplinary record, as well as information on the Bahrain state prison (folios 153-68).

Extent and format
1 volume (226 folios)
Arrangement

The items in the volume have been arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the volume to the latest at the end.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. . There is an earlier foliation system using blue pencil circled numbers in the top-right corner of rectos, which runs from folios 7 to 26. There are no foliation anomalies.

The following folios are fold-outs: 33, 52, 54, 87-89, 91, 92, 116, 117, 120, 146, 148, 149, 163-66, 208, 209, 219.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 9/8 Bahrain Levy Corps' [‎123r] (250/480), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/135, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023029788.0x000033> [accessed 24 April 2024]

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