"ملف 7/4 شؤون الطيران وسلاح الجوّ" [و‎‎١‎٥‎٦] (٥٠٦/٣٢٠)

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The QueaiMs had lunch witing for us^ and the aerodrome was
then examined. Apart from the fact that they had enclosed
it with a high fence» and that the corner i&fciibam sMXHXKiM&jfc#
were marked with pillars instead of flat triangles
the R*A.3? officers considered it a very creditable effort on
the part of amateurst and they decided to leave it where it
was after marking larger boundaries in the direction ofnthe
prevailing wind. Huts had been built for the pilots
who are to come, completely fitted with beds and bedding,
and a large petrol and bomb tore had been built on the sea
Bh ore
4. We were asked to stay the night, but I had much
to do and ling Com ander Howe considered the anchorage of the
sik flying boats very exposed ( a 25 knot wind was blowing )
and so we returned to Bahrain. The Wing Commander and one
flying boat returned next day to make further observations,
but since they were not going to ^atif, and I was anxious to
be away from Bahrain as little as possible, I did not accompany
them. They returned in the afternoon without incident.
5. On the I3th one fl ing boat returned to Basrah,
and the second with myself and Wing Commander Howe and S/X
Ful 1 ard reconnoitred Salwa Bay. The trip proved most in-
t
teresing, for it enabled me to shed light on an ancient con
ed
troversy. We proceed due west from Bahrain and followed
the coast down drawing out for Ojair and another small hamlet
which we saw, and reached Salwa Bay after some two hours flyin
Recalling the ancient controversy regarding the site of Gerra
I hoped to see something from the plane which would shed some
light on it. We located two wells from the plane, and then,
since the place appeared to be deserted we came down and an
chored, and inflating our little boat went ashore. Beyond
a very distant camel, and a bedu on camel back whom we had
seen from the air, their were no igns of life, and W/C Howe
S/L Fullard and I examined the dwarf clumps of palms, and the
^receirU)
two wells, md found no sign oflhuman habitation. Cheesemaii* s
fiescrlptlon -if the bay in his work ' Unknown Arabia • is ac-