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‘File 7/29 Accidental discharge of machine guns of R.A.F. aircraft’ [‎3r] (9/16)

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The record is made up of 1 file (5 folios). It was created in 16 Jan 1944-22 Jan 1944. It was written in English. 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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i O .C., 43 Staging Post.
id 413399 ?/0. R.J. HOUSTai.
: 1 6th January 1944.
Subj^ot : - Accidental firing of mac hine guns of Beauglghter VI F a Ho.X
I have the honour to report that, on 16/1/44 at approximately
0715 hours, I acoidentally fired a short burst from the machine guns of Beau-
fighter X 8267, vhich was standing 200 yards from the watch office facing in
an easterly direction,, Thilst operating the automatic cut-out with my left
hand, I was steadying the control column with my right, as there was a strong
wind, A sudden gust forced the starboard aileron up, causing me to inadvertently
knock the safety catch, which is not covered, to the "OtN" position f at the same
time depressing the firing button.
I have the honour to be your obedient servant.
Sggd: R .J. Houston. p/0.
Statement by P/Lt. N.O. Clements, 0G o , 43 Staging Post,
I have inspected this Beaufighter, and the
safety catch is merely a small toggle mounted on the control column.
The safety factor is practically nil, and as the wind at the time of
the incident was almost gale force, I can attach no blame to the Pilot,

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Content

The letter relates to an incident involving the accidental discharge of machine gun from an RAF plane at Muharraq. The incident was reported by Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah to Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Bahrain Government, who in turn reported the matter to 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. , enclosing two of the discharged bullets (not included in the file) with his letter (folio 1B). A report of the incident is included in the file (folio 3), which is described as being an accident, not helped by the poor design of the gun’s safety catch.

Extent and format
1 file (5 folios)
Arrangement

The contents of the file are arranged in chronological order, from the earliest item at the front of the file to the latest at the end. There is a set of office notes at the end of the file (folio 5) which mirrors the chronological arrangement.

Physical characteristics

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 The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1A, and 1B.

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English in Latin script
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‘File 7/29 Accidental discharge of machine guns of R.A.F. aircraft’ [‎3r] (9/16), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/291, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023468853.0x00000a> [accessed 19 March 2024]

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