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Coll 5/25 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Landing ground at Bahrain; Bahrain Civil Air Agreement’ [472r] (943/1088)
The record is made up of 1 file (542 folios). It was created in 13 Sep 1932-19 Dec 1945. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
already been discussed between us verbally, and 1 do not think i need
add anything to this matter at the present time.
I understand that as soon as you have had time to consider
these views you will be calling another meeting ol the inteiestea
people, which 1 shall be happy to attend.
I should like to add that I have heard from our Manager in
Cairo, who has recently visited Bahrein, and 1 gather irom him that
all the details of the payments the Government are making to the
Sheikh of Shargah are known to the sheikh of Bahrein, and I have no
doubt that the new attitude is a reflection of the Shargah affair.
The Sheikh of Bahrein no doubt wonders why he, being friendly,
should give for nothing something for which the Sheikh of Shargah,
who is less friendly, should receive handsome payment. You will
note that in 19S9 not only did the Sheikh plead with us to run an
air service to Bahrein, but actually ofiered to pay us a subsidy
of 250
Rupees
Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf.
a trip.
1 venture to suggest, therefore, that the whole difficulty
arising in connection with the Agreement may be due to the
determination of the Sheikh to obtain some financial benefit as has
been obtained by the Sheikh of Shargah. It probably does not matter
whether the amount is paid by way of customs import duty, landing
fees or grant, lossibly all the difficulty would be solved by the
payment by the Air ministry of a grant to the Sheikh, and our Cairo
Manager seems to have gained the impression fhat an annual grant of
£250 would secure the Muharraq aerodrome or other land and free us
from fuel duty and duty on spare parts, etc.
possibly it would be better for 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.
to
approach the matter in this way rather than to leave the Company to
haggle over fuel and oil and spare parts’ duty and rental of the
aerodrome, and it would obviously leave the British Government in a
much stronger position in regard to the use of the aerodrome by
foreign air companies.
In case you may suggest that this is passing the burden of
expense from us to the Government, I would like to urge that, if
owing to the payments that are being made to the Sheikh of Shargah
or other cause, our service is put to unexpected expenditure, through
having to use Bahrein, that charge would be recoverable from the Air
ministry under the general arrangement in re & ard to the transfer from
the Persian to the Arabian side of the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
.
Yours sincerely,
(signed; H. BuRCHaLL.
P.G.L. Bertram, Esq.,
Air Ministry,
Gwydyr House,
WHITEHALL, S.W.I.
■ ■—I — — —
About this item
- Content
The file contains correspondence related to negotiations surrounding the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (1934) between the British Government and the Government of Bahrain, along with subsequent amendments and renewals, and issues arising from the implementation of the agreement. Occasional reference is made to similar agreements with Kuwait, Muscat, and Sharjah. It also covers the preliminary negotiations in 1933 between Imperial Airways and the Government of Bahrain, and the file contains three draft versions of this agreement: see folios 489-495, 516-518, and 533-539. The latter negotiations are superseded by negotiations for the Civil Air Agreement, following a decision to standardise civil aviation procedures across the Arab Shaikhdoms.
Issues related to Muharraq Aerodrome and the Manama Flying Boat base are also covered in the file, which includes the application of a legal definition of an aerodrome to Bahrain, and efforts to define the geographical extent of these air bases. This includes negotiations with the Government of Bahrain for the purchase of additional land round the Muharraq Airfield for the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the extension of facilities such as the pier at Manama. A sketch map produced by the Government of Bahrain in 1944 can be found on folio 133 in relation to a proposal from the British Government to acquire an area – referred to as area 'C' – adjacent to the Muharraq Aerodrome for the RAF.
A map can be found on folio 245 showing the approaches to Bahrain harbour, which is included as a result of negotiations to establish a flying boat service through Bahrain in 1937.
The Arabic language content is limited to a copy of the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (1934), which contains both Arabic and English translations (see folios 332-348), and a few items of additional correspondence with the Shaikh of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah [Shaikh, Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah].
The main correspondents are as follows: 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. (Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Hugh Weightman, and Charles Geoffrey Prior), 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, officials of the Air Ministry, and officials of 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. . Occasional reference is made to the Government of Bahrain via Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain.
The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (542 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 543; 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 View the complete information for this record
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Coll 5/25 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Landing ground at Bahrain; Bahrain Civil Air Agreement’ [472r] (943/1088), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/1972, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100054514178.0x000092> [accessed 6 May 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/1972
- Title
- Coll 5/25 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Landing ground at Bahrain; Bahrain Civil Air Agreement’
- Pages
- 469r:472v, 531r:532v
- Author
- Burchall, Harold
- Copyright
- ©British Airways
- Usage terms
- Creative Commons Non-Commercial Licence