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Coll 6/88 'Intelligence: Military Report on Arabia (C.B. 1892).' [‎26r] (56/133)

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The record is made up of 1 file (63 folios). It was created in Feb 1932-7 Feb 1942. 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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25
(c) Waterways
Numerous launches and sailing boats ply regularly for hire between MANAMAH and
MUHARRAK, and MANAMAH and ports on the Arabian mainland, PERSIA, IRAQ and
INDIA.
Normally, steamers of the B.I.S.N. Co. call weekly on their passage up and down the
Gulf. The Strick and Ellerman-City lines make frequent calls, and the Hansa line one call
a month. Regular calls are also made by Japanese ships of the MITSUI and YAMASHITA
lines.
(d) Normally the Imperial Airways four-times-weekly service to and from INDIA and the
Far East calls at BAHRAIN for passengers and mails.
(11) Signal Communications
There is a cable to BUSHIRE, joining there with the ENGLAND-INDIA cable.
BAHRAIN W/T Station is situated south-east of the town and is maintained by
Cable & Wireless, Ltd. {see Section IV).
It has one mast, 105 ft. high, visible from the inner but not from the outer buoy, and a
second mast is in course of construction.
The telephone service is rapidly expanding and telephonic communication now exists
over a large part of the island.
(12) Defences
There are no modern defences.
There is no naval, military or air garrison, but there is a British-trained force of police
consisting of Europeans resident at MANAMAH and at the oil camp at AWALI, numbering
200, who are armed with modern -303 rifles. Their purpose is to quell any disturbance which
might be beyond the powers of the native police, and to defend the Island.
(13) Reconnaissance. Information required.
(14) Target Facilities
Two “ Excellent ” Pattern II targets are available. Application should be made to the
Naval Officer-in-Charge.
DOHA
(Lat. 25° 17' N., Long. 51° 33' E.)
{See Plan 11 and Admiralty Charts 2837b and 2830.)
(1) General Remarks
DOHA is the principal (and the only protected) port of QATAR. The principality has
achieved increased importance since the grant of an oil concession in 1935 to Petroleum
Development (Qatar), Ltd.
With the granting of this concession the Shaikh was guaranteed, by H.M. Government,
protection against outside aggression by land as well as by sea. The other Trucial Shaikhs
are guaranteed against aggression by sea only.
In the event of naval assistance being required, this could be given only at DOHA.
The harbour at DOHA is fairly well protected by reefs and sand banks and has a depth
of 3-5 fathoms. The approaches are, however, difficult, as some ten miles east-north-eastward
there are shoals of 1 £-1 f fathoms between which it is necessary to pass. It is essential, therefore,
to sight the town in order to enter on a course which will clear these shoals. This is best done
by approaching in the early morning, shortly after dawn. It is reported that a four-fathom
channel exists to the southward and a survey of this area will probably be carried out in the
near future. The development of the port as an oil base is dependent on deeper water for
tankers being found.
(2) Port Facilities „
There is a small Customs jetty, which small pulling boats Can go alongside at most stages
of the tide. Landing of numbers would be a slow process. There are no facilities for dealing
with cargo.
There are approximately 300 pearling dhows, 40 other seagoing dhows and 70 fishing
boats. The Shaikh owns the only motor dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. .
\

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Content

This file consists of two parts. The first part (folios 1-9) begins with a 'state of report' document for an Admiralty Naval Intelligence Division report entitled 'Arabia, Intelligence Report'; the 'state report' concerns the updating of the report in October 1941, and it includes a list of maps, plans and photographs that are contained in the report. There then follows a small amount of correspondence between 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. , War Office, and General Staff (India) officials regarding the supply of an earlier issue of the report, dated 1939.

The second part of the file consists of the actual report, entitled 'C.B. 1892 (X) (10/41) Arabia Intelligence Report', dated October 1941, with appended maps, plans and photographs relating to Arabian Peninsula ports. The report is divided into four sections (six sections are listed in the table of contents, which lists sections one and three, most of section two, and one part of section five, as 'not issued', i.e. not printed in this edition of the report).

The first section to appear in the report is entitled 'Section II: Strategy and Tactics'; parts 1 and 3-6 of this section have been omitted, leaving part 2, which has the heading 'Possible Lines on which War Plans would be Framed'.

The next section, 'Section IV: Geography and Topography', provides an overview of the geography and topography of the Arabian Peninsula, including information about climate, transport facilities (including a table of landing grounds and seaplane anchorages), and communications.

The third section, 'Section V: Base Facilities and Maintenance of the Fleet' (from which part one has been omitted), provides a summary of principal commercial dockyards and repair bases, locations for fuel storage, supplies and storage of ammunition, fixed coastal defences, and aircraft.

The final section of the report, 'Section VI: Ports, Anchorages and Their Defences', proceeds through a number of Gulf ports in alphabetical order (i.e. Akaba, Bahrain, Doha, Hodeida and Ras Kethib, Jedda, Kamaran, Kuwait, Mukalla, and Muscat), describing each place's port facilities, anchorages and defences, as well as providing other information relating to matters such as government, commerce, water supply, transport and communications.

Enclosed with the maps and plans is a symbols chart, which lists some of the symbols used in the maps and plans.

Extent and format
1 file (63 folios)
Arrangement

The Arabia Intelligence Report contains a table of contents. The maps, plans and photographs, which are listed below the table of contents, appear after the main text of the report.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The file is formed of two parts. The foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover of the first part at 1 and terminates at the inside back cover of the second part at 65; 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.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Coll 6/88 'Intelligence: Military Report on Arabia (C.B. 1892).' [‎26r] (56/133), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2160B, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100043097172.0x000039> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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