IOR/R/15/2/505

The volume contains correspondence and other papers related to the establishment of an aerodrome at Bahrain, for the use of the British air transport operator Imperial Airways Limited. The main correspondents in the file are the Political Agent at Bahrain (Captain Charles Geoffrey Prior until November 1932, Captain Percy Gordon Loch thereafter), the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle), and the Adviser for the Bahrain Government Charles Dalrymple-Belgrave. Other correspondents include representatives of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Imperial Airways Limited.

Most of the papers in the file relate to the drawing up of an agreement between the Government of Bahrain and Imperial Airways, for the installation and use of an aerodrome in Bahrain. The first draft of the agreement, dated 31 August 1932, is included in the file (ff 9-13), and is followed by extensive correspondence where issues and revisions to specific articles are raised. These chiefly relate to the payment of customs duties on cargo travelling through Bahrain by air, and the use of aerodrome facilities by other – including foreign – operators, and wireless facilities. Subsequent revisions of the agreement can also be found in the file (ff 39-41, 80-87, 101-07).

The relative merits of landing strips at Manama and Muharraq in Bahrain are also discussed. Soil test analyses conducted by the RAF suggest that the land at Muhurraq is better suited for larger aircraft (f 142). A suitable gift for Sheikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, to thank him for his co-operation in negotiations, is also discussed between government officials and representatives of Imperial Airways (ff 68, 139).