‘File 28/16 I Defence measures in the Gulf – Bahrain’ [‎8r] (15/312)

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The file comprises correspondence and other papers relating to plans for the defence of Bahrain and the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. in general, in the event of a global war. Much of the correspondence deals specifically with the defence of the Bahrain Petroleum Company’s (BAPCO) refinery and facilities in Bahrain. 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 Trenchard Craven William Fowle; Hugh Weightman as Acting 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. ); 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 (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch; Hugh Weightman); the 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. , London (Roland Tennyson Peel).

The file includes:

• correspondence dated 1937 and 1938, exchanged between 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. , 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, the Adviser to the Bahrain Government, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Government of India and British Government officials, on the strategic importance of Bahrain and the Gulf (oil reserves; RAF and naval base; air route); existing defensive measures (security forces; armaments; proposals for defence schemes);
• wartime capacity and production of fuel, including aviation fuel, at Bahrain (ff 79-81);
• arrangements for the extinguishing of port lights and buoys in the event of enemy invasion (ff 90-91, f 96);
• public notification by the Government of Bahrain (f 94), 4 September 1939, and the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. (f 95), 18 September 1939, on the designation of the BAPCO oil refinery, oil field, terminal and tanks, as protected areas;
• copies of various instructions for the defence of the BAPCO oil refinery: ‘Detailed Orders for Police and Naturs’: guards’ duties; searching of local and Indian employees; mobile patrols; guarding of Sitrah terminal and tanks, Sitrah pier and wharf; oil field defence; refinery defence (ff 99-114); ‘Special instructions to staff men to be followed throughout the present state of emergency for internal defence of the Bahrain refinery’ (ff 120-121); ‘Precautions taken to ensure the safe operation of the BAPCO refinery’ (ff 122-123); ‘Orders for the officer in charge of the field’ (ff 124-135);
• a letter from 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 to 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. , dated 14 October 1939, outlining progress made to date on Bahrain’s defence scheme since the beginning of the war: progress of the oil company defence plan; personnel difficulties at BAPCO (employee opinion of war, employees wishing to cut short their contracts); other protective points in Manama; letters to the Shaikhs of Qatar and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. demanding their cooperation; the arrival of the Political Officer on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , Captain John Baron Howes, and his 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. ; imposition of food controls by the Government of Bahrain; opening of censorship office and censoring activities; preparations for Bahrain Volunteer Defence Force (ff 138-142).

Extent and format

1 file (154 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 154-155) mirror the chronological arrangement.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 156; 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 3-155; 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.

Written in

English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script

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