Page 191 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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snoulcl be obtained before any attempt was made to enter into direct relations with
the Omani leaders id) Muscat would be kept supplied with foodstuffs (e) he would
be granted a subsidy of £1,500 a month plus a grant of £3,750 for the repair of
I or till cations and (/) he would be supplied free with certain arms and equipment for
which he had asked.(”) The Sultan granted the Royal Air Force all the facilities
they required at the airfields on the southern coast of Arabia and later these facilities
were extended to the United States Forces, and he allowed the Royal Navy to
make such use as they wished of Khor Quwai. He also raised the strength of the
Muscat Infantry from 200 to 350. The war subsidy was continued until January 1
1947, from which date the annual subsidy of £6,000 under the Civil Air Agreement
ot that year became payable. Except for the blowing-up of the steamer Dahpu, it
is believed by a Japanese torpedo, in Muscat harbour in 1943, Muscat saw nothing
of the war though the rise in prices and the shortage of rice caused a good deal of
distress and some agitation by the tribes of the interior.
20. Apart from a handful of police at Muscat and Matrah the only trained
force which until recently the Sultan has had at his disposal is the Muscat Infantry
which has an ordinary peacetime strength of about 200 under a British officer.
This was raised in 1921 and was previously known as the Muscat Levy Corps.(”)
It has its headquarters at Bait al Falaj about four miles from Muscat. Its role
is to defend Muscat and Matrah in the event of tribal attack and it is not ordinarily
used for any purpose outside this area. It supplies guards for the Sultan’s palace
and for Her Majesty’s Consulate in Muscat. It is well-armed and well-trained,
but it has never been put to the test. It is recruited mainly from Buluchis and
Arabs of the coastal area, and though this material is not of the best its superior
armament should enable it to withstand a tribal attack. A number of recruits used
to be obtained from Mekran in what was once British Buluchistan and is now
part of Pakistan. As a result, however, of a mutiny which took place in 1950
ail the Mekranis were discharged and recruiting is now confined to Muscat
territory. Increases of pay have not kept pace with the rise in the cost of living
and a good standard of recruit is difficult to obtain. Prior to 1947 British officers
were seconded from the Indian Army to command the force together with two or
three Viceroy’s Commissioned Officers to assist them in its training. Since that year
it has so far been possible to obtain British officers with Indian Army experience,
but this source is now drying up, and difficulty is likely to be experienced in future
in finding suitable Commandants, the more so as all training is carried out in Urdu
and the Sultan has hitherto resisted a suggestion that Arabic should be used
instead. Officers of the Viceroy’s Commissioned Officer type are still being
obtained for the force through the good offices of the Government of Pakistan.
The Sultan has also resisted a suggestion that the Muscat Infantry and his new
force in the Batinah should be assimilated and placed under one command. The
latter force, known as the Batinah Force, was established by the Sultan in 1952 with
its headquarters at Sohar. The services of two British officers with a knowledge of
Arabic have been obtained for it and it has been recruited up to a strength of 80.
Its role has not yet been defined but it is believed that it is designed to strengthen
the Sultan’s administration in the Batinah and in particular to prevent raiding by
nomad tribes from the north and to facilitate the collection of customs on goods
arriving by land. It is also believed that the Sultan hopes that in due course he
may be able to use it for extending his authority inland. Apart from these two
forces the Sultan and his Walis rely on armed, but untrained retainers to enforce
their authority. In 1953 the raising of a force to cover contemplated operations
by the oil company on the southern coast of Arabia (paragraph 62 below) was
taken in hand.
21. The first Government school in Muscat was opened in 1928. It was
transferred to a new building in 1940. Only primary education is imparled ana
the greatest difficulty is experienced in finding qualified teachers as there are tew
Muscatis suitable and available for employment and the Palestinians whose

(”) I.O. to F.O. P.Z. 5770/39 of September 19, 1939 (E 6548/37/91 of 1939).
(”) Para. 32 at p. 49. P.G. 13.