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‘File 13/28 Sharjah air agreement (aerodrome facilities at Sharjah)’ [‎98r] (195/420)

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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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PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. 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.
BAHRAIN,
1st March, 1949.
3)
A
14
(81/8/49)
CCNFIDENTIAL .
Sir,
I have the honour to refer to your despatch
Ko. 60(W.5729/3/802) of the 19th November, 1948, and
your telegram No. 295 of the 23rd November, 1948,
containing your instructions regarding the renewal of
the Civil Air Agreement with the Shaikh of Sharjah.
Mr. Jackson and Mr. Stobart had long conversations with
the Shaikh of Sharjah and eventually obtained from him a
letter, a translation of which I enclose. It will be seen
that he accepts all the terms of the Civil Air Agreement
and of the letter regarding facilities for the Royal
Air Force except that he asks for increases of pay for
the guards and of rent for the Rest-house.
3. The pay of the guards was originally fixed at
fis.40 per month for the head guard and 8s.20 per month for
the other guards. An allowance of Rs.5 was added in 1944
and this was increased to Rs.15 in 1946 vide this 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.
express letter No. 82-S of the 15th January, 1946, and
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. telegram No. 8532 of the 5th May, 1946 (copies
enclosed for ready reference). Prices have risen substantially
since the last increase of pay and the Shaikh says that he
is unable to enlist men at the present rate. Guards
employed by the Royal Air Force on their own account and by
the Political Officer, Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , are paid 8s.45 per
month and the oil company pay their guards at 8s.2 per day
for the first two years and after that at Rs.2/8/- per day.
Encouraged by this, the Shaikh has asked for Rs.80 per month
which is slightly in excess of the maximum oil company rate.
My own view is that an increase of pay is justified and that
a reasonable rate would be Ks.70 per month for a head guard
and fis.50 per month for an ordinary guard. It may be difficult,
however, to persuade the Shaikh to accept this as the oil
company pay their guards a minimum of Rs.60 per month. I
would suggest that I be authorised to negotiate with the
Shaikh on this subject and obtain the best terms possible
between the limits of 8s.80 arid Ks.65 per month for a head guard
and Bs.60 and Rs.45 per month for an ordinary guard, a suitable
proportion of the amount fixed to be described as basic pay,
and the rest as dearness allowance which would be subject to
variation on the basis of the local cost of living.
4. With regard to the rent of the Rest-house, this was
fixed at fis.300 per month in 1932. The Shaikh claims additional
rent partly because the size of the ReAst-house was doubled
in 1937 and partly owing to the rise in prices and rents
generally. The oil company for instance are paying Es.700 per
2
During my recent visit to the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates.
The Rt. Hon. Ernest Bevin, M.P.,
etc., etc., etc.,
Foreign Office,
London.
month for a
I

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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)’ [‎98r] (195/420), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/532, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100024507680.0x0000c4> [accessed 25 April 2024]

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