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'File 17/1-II Posts and Telegraphs. Radio Station Bahrain.' [‎56r] (116/668)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (330 folios). It was created in 4 Jan 1938-1 May 1944. It was written in English and Arabic. 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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jnglaud.
(INCORPORATED IN ENGLAND.)
Karachi .
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. ,
14 th Pebruarylg^..
Dear Sir,
Bahrain.
Bahrain Aerial Lines
to the Gable House.
/ Since the landing of the Bushire-Bahrain cable under
licence from His Highness the Sheikh of Bahrain the land
connection by aerial lines has been carried on temporary poles
erected at the Company^ expense by the State Engineering
Department. Owing to the poor condition of this line it has
now become necessary to re—erect it on a permanent basis with
steel poles arid other equipment which is being sent from
England.
The route "of the existing line has been surveyed by
the Company’s Engineer and his report contains references to
the various difficulties which have to be met in erecting and
maintaining the lines in the future.
In order that the whole position should be made
clear to you I append a copy of the report itself.
Prom this you will observe that the main obstacles
to be overcome are dbess to private property to put down
anchor stays and the* necessity to trim overhanging growth both
during erection and subsequently at any time inspection shows
that the growth is endangering communication through the
likelihood to fall across the wires or cause a connection to
earth through contact.
In originally granting the wayleave along this road
and the land for the cable house I am sure His Excellency
appreciated the importance of the communication facilities
afforded to his subjects by the landing of the cable and no
doubt intended that the route, being a highway, should remain
available for the aerial landline connection between the
office and the cable head.

About this item

Content

The volume comprises correspondence between 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 (Hugh Weightman, Reginald George Alban, Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, Tom Hickinbotham), 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 Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Charles Geoffrey Prior), Officer-in-Charge of the Bahrain Branch of Cable & Wireless (Norman Luke Penfold, George William Watson, Cecil Edward Gahan, John William Millest), other Cable & Wireless representatives (Sir Edward Wilshaw, Fred W Humphrey, Harold Aubrey Merchant), HM Minister Tehran (Sir Reader Bullard), and 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. (Roland Tennyson Peel, John Percival Gibson) regarding provision of telegram services to and from Bahrain and the wider region.

The main subject of the correspondence is the work of Cable and Wireless in Bahrain, including work to replace the aerial lines that connected Bahrain’s wireless service to the submarine cables; notifications from the Bahrain telegraph station regarding interruptions to cable services in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the Company’s desire to obtain formal concessions for telegraph services both in Bahrain and Kuwait which had to be postponed for the duration of the Second World War; and discussions around the potential implementation of a dislocation scheme issued by the Army to prevent enemy forces taking control of wireless services in any territory they were successful in capturing.

Also included in the volume are discussions regarding a Parliamentary white paper titled the ‘Empire Scheme’ which was a proposal to introduce a flat rate of charges for telegrams between any two points in the Empire. The discussion relates to the question raised by 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. of whether Bahrain, Kuwait and Muscat could be included in such a proposed scheme and the response from Cable and Wireless Limited that it would result in considerable loss to them given the cost of maintaining and operating the strategic cables located in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .

Correspondence also relates to the presence of the Army and Royal Navy in Bahrain and their need for wireless services. Included are the decision by naval authorities to establish a wireless station at the Jufair [Al Jufayr] Naval base and the Royal Air Force (RAF) to establish a wireless station on Muharraq Island. Subsequent correspondence related to the unsuitability of the Royal Navy’s wireless service at Jufair and the need for a new plot of land to establish a better service. The correspondence includes negotiations relating to the potential purchase of land at Ummul Hassan and the Shaikh of Bahrain (Salmān bin Ḥamad)’s decision to offer the land for free in exchange for part of a plot of land at Qozaibia owned by the RAF.

The final matter discussed in the volume is the decision taken by the Iranian Government in 1938 to cease transmitting telegrams from Iran to Bahrain and subsequent discussions and negotiations with the Iranian Government from 1941 onwards to resume the service, including the need to settle the rate charged for telegrams so that they could be shared equally by Cable and Wireless and the Iranian Government.

A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 300-325.

Extent and format
1 volume (330 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Circled serial numbers (red for received correspondence; blue/black for issued correspondence) refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file. A small amount of correspondence has been placed after the file notes at the rear of the file and covers folios 326-329.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 332; 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 5-298 and between ff 300-329; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 17/1-II Posts and Telegraphs. Radio Station Bahrain.' [‎56r] (116/668), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/558, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100054621050.0x000075> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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