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‘File 13/28 Sharjah air agreement (aerodrome facilities at Sharjah)’ [‎14r] (27/420)

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The record is made up of 1 file (210 folios). It was created in 15 Jan 1946-5 Dec 1950. 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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EXPRESS LETTER lAIR HAIL)
Prom Secretary of State for India*
To 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. , Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. *
Bated 26th June 1947.
No. Ext. 1369/47.
Your Express Letter No. 326-3 of 17th February* Air
faoilitiee at Sharjah*
2* Reference paragraph 2 H« M. G • agree that it is preferable
not to alter existing agreement until time oomes for its renewal*
3. ClTil requirements . Reference paragraph 3. Although
B.O.A.C. hare at present no service calling at Sharjah and are
faTxpnramii:tx«*xteKafc not likely to inaugurate one in near future
they are continuing for present at least to man fort at request
of Ministry of Ciril Aviation in order to provide signals comm
unications for Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. air route as a whole. They will
also be able to provide for local private and commercial traffic
on present basis. Cable and Wireless, assuming that B.O.A.C*
would shortly be withdrawing from Sharjah, recently puf forward
proposal for seeking concession at Sharjah and erecting and
operating necessary wireless plant for communicating with Bahrain,
and opening their own office at Sharjah* so long as B.O.A.C*
remain at Sh&rjah it would seem uneconomical for Cable and
Wireless to set up their own station there, though Cable and
Wireless should be prepared to take over if and when B.O.A.C.
leave. (Please see in this connection paragraph 13 of note
dated 30th March, 1947 by Telecommunications Attache, Middle
East.) I should be glad to have your observations on this
point.
4. It is not yet clear how position will be affected by
proposal of Air India to run service calling at Sharjah
(c.f. my telegram no. 6713 of 23rd May)
6. R.A.P. requirements . Reference paragraph 4. R.A.F.
have a continuing long term interest in Sharjah. A list of
buildings which R.A.F. will require permanently is attached
herewith. Air Ministry consider that it will be better
also to retain the few buildings surplus to their
requirements rather than that they should be demolished
or abandoned.
6. You now have authority to inform bhaikh that he
will be paid ground rent for R.A.P. camp from date of
cessation of hostilities with Japan. I should be glad
to have your recommendation as to the amount of rent which
should be offered to him. I should also be glad to have
your recommendations with regard to form of future air
agreement.
(The issue of the above has been duly authorised)
Sd
F.A.K. HARRISON

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Content

The file comprises copies of correspondence and other papers relating to the renegotiation of an air agreement with the Sheikh of Sharjah. The principal correspondents in the file are 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay, 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, Cornelius James Pelly, and the British Agent (sometimes referred to as the Political Officer) at Sharjah, Patrick Desmond Stobart.

The correspondence documents the protracted negotiations and arrangements for a renewal of the existing Sharjah air agreement, required to replace the existing agreement, which was due to expire on 22 July 1948, and in response to the changing circumstances and requirements at Sharjah, in relation to its civilian and military use in the post-war period. Topics covered by the file include: discussion over the maintenance or disposal of camps and buildings at Sharjah aerodrome; the administration and operation of wireless communications at Bahrain, including their transfer from British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) to International Aeradio Limited; the departure around August 1949 of the Sheikh of Sharjah, Sultan bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. , to Bombay for medical attention, and the transfer of his responsibilities in negotiating the air agreement to his brother, Sheikh Muḥammad bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī One of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates; also used to refer to a confederation of seafaring Arabs led by the Qāsimī tribe from Ras al Khaima. ; negotiations for the raising of salaries of the aerodrome guards, and disagreement over the payment of duty on aviation fuel at Sharjah; Hay’s recommendation to the Foreign Office in mid-1950, that back payments for the rent of the land for the aerodrome, going back to August 1945, be transferred to Sharjah, partly to enable Sheikh Sultan to pay his medical bills in Bombay, and for Sheikh Muḥammad to pay his tribesmen (the Beni Qitab) their annual allowance; urgent proposals in June 1950 for the extension of the runway at Sharjah by the Royal Air Force.

The file contains several drafts of a new air agreement for Sharjah (ff 9-12, 69-73, 81-86), and maps showing the aerodrome site (ff 3, 4), originally enclosed with a letter from the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. to Pelly, 7 May 1949 (f 104), and which can be read in conjunction with a number list of the aerodrome buildings (ff 15-16).

Correspondence on the Sharjah civil air agreement continues in ‘File 13/3 Sharjah Civil Air Agreement’ (IOR/R/15/2/938-939).

Extent and format
1 file (210 folios)
Arrangement

The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 199-209) mirror the chronological arrangement.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover on folio 1 and terminates at the back cover on folio 210; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 6-198; these numbers are written in pencil and blue ink, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.

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English in Latin script
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‘File 13/28 Sharjah air agreement (aerodrome facilities at Sharjah)’ [‎14r] (27/420), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/532, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100024507680.0x00001c> [accessed 19 April 2024]

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