IOR/R/15/2/517

The volume, which is a continuation of ‘File 13/7 II Civil Aerodromes and Civil Air Agreement–Bahrain’ (IOR/R/15/2/516) contains correspondence and other papers related to the extension of the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement, the ongoing development of civil aviation facilities at Bahrain, and the transfer of civil aviation operations from Imperial Airways Limited and British Airways Limited to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), in response to the British Overseas Airways Act (of which a copy can be found at ff 204-229). The principal correspondents in the file include the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior, the Advisor to the Government in Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, and the Station Superintendent for Imperial Airways in Bahrain, Stephen Broad.

Specific subjects covered in the volume include:

• Correspondence relating to sanitary administration in the Gulf, and in particular the lack of a quarantine officer at the aerodrome in Sharjah (a continuation of correspondence on an outbreak of smallpox in Bahrain from IOR/R/15/2/516);
• Negotiations and correspondence dealing with specific clauses in the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement, notably relating to the exemption of customs duty on petrol and oil, as well as for other equipment, including safety equipment. Final agreement on the new clauses, with their wording (ff 187-192) and a copy of the new Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (ff 267-271);
• Land surveys for a civil aircraft landing ground on Muharraq Island, with a map indicating the landing ground (f 62), and abandonment of plans for a civil aircraft landing ground, in anticipation of Imperial Airways aircraft sharing use of the RAF landing ground nearby;
• Arrangements for the rent of land (off the coast of Manama) for increased passenger facilities for the Imperial Airways flying boat aerodrome, including a map of the flying boat aerodrome features (f 124);
• Arrangements in the Gulf for the transfer of air operations from Imperial Airways to BOAC, specifically letters to the rulers of Sharjah (ff 234-235), Dubai (ff 236-237) and Kalba (ff 238-239) on the rewording of their respective Civil Air Agreements. Replies from each of the leaders are included in the file (ff 244, 245, 248).