Page 61 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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Bahrain should be replaced by a iandplane squadron. In 1937 an officer of the
Royal Air Force was appointed as Air Liaison Officer at Bahrain. In 1938 the
Ruler agreed to the location of a Royal Air Force detachment at Bahrain and
to the exemption from customs duty of “ all Government stores such as petrol
and oil and materials for the necessary buildings ” and also of “ food, drink,
material and equipment required for the maintenance of staff and personnel ”(”')
(Appendix I (iii)j. In 1939 the Royal Air Force reached agreement for the
purchase of additional land for the aerodrome and for buildings at Muharraq.(22')
They made use of the Muharraq aerodrome throughout the war and in 1942
raised two companies of local levies, which were replaced in due course by Iraqi
levies. It would appear that during the war the United States Army Air Force
were allowed to use the Royal Air Force’s facilities at Bahrain. The Americans
wished to acquire their own facilities,(23°) a proposal which the Political Resident
regarded as very dangerous and which does not appear to have been pursued.
In 1944 and 1945 the Royal Air Force surveyed alternative sites for an aerodrome
on the main island and proposed to develop one of them at Hamalah(23')
(paragraph 125 below), but appear to have dropped the proposal when the end
of the war came in sight. In 1945 the Ruler presented some land at Muharraq
as a gift from himself to the Royal Air Force. In 1945 the Air Ministry considered
the purchase of the area at Muharraq held in lease under the Civil Air Agreement
of 1934(232) but abandoned the proposal when the Agreement was extended
for a further period of seven years.(233) In 1946 the Bahrain Government concluded
an agreement with the Air Ministry whereby they became responsible for the
supply of electricity in an emergency to the Royal Air Force at Muharraq. In
1947 the Royal Air Force withdrew most of their personnel from Bahrain leaving
a small care and maintenance party only. The Air Liaison Officer continued
to function until 1950 when the appointment of Senior Royal Air Force Officer
Persian Gulf was created and a Group Captain appointed to it. This officer is
responsible to the Air Officer Commanding at Habbaniyah in Iraq for all Royal
Air Force matters in the Persian Gulf area excluding those relating to the airfields
at Salalah and Masirah in Muscat territory, which are the concern of the Air
Officer Commanding at Aden.
116. In 1947 there was some talk of the abandonment of the Muharraq
aerodrome by the Royal Air Force. There was no civil authority ready to take it
over and they remained in charge of it. The existing aerodrome belongs to the
Royal Air Force but a new runway (paragraph 130 below) is to be constructed at
the cost of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The aerodrome is classified as “ joint
user ” and the position of the Royal Air Force Commanding Officer vis-a-vis the
Civil Aerodrome Commandant has been carefully defined in the terms of reference
issued to the latter (paragraph 128 below). The Royal Air Force’s relations with
the Ruler are badly defined, and the mission from the Ministry of Civil Aviation
which visited Bahrain in 1953 commented on this and mentioned a suggestion that
the exchange of letters with the Ruler regulating the Royal Air Force’s special
position should be expanded to define that position in rather more detail.(234)

(d) Facilities for the Army
117. After the end of the Second World War the Army was not represented
in the Persian Gulf until 1952 when as the result of a visit of the Commander-in-
Chief, Middle East Land Forces to Bahrain, a Brigadier was appointed as Military
Adviser to the Political Resident, and as representative of the Commander-in-
Chief, Middle East Land Forces in the Persian Gulf area. It was his duty to advise
the Political Resident on (a) all Army matters (h) the development and employment
of theTrucial Oman Levies and (c) local defence.(23S) In 1953 it was decided to set up
a ^ military command in Bahrain partly for the control of the Trucial Oman Levies
and of the operations on theTrucial Coast. The Ruler was informed that the
command was to be set up “ to supervise the training and administration of those

(«•) I.O. toF.O. P.Z. 8577/1935 of December 4. 1935 (E 7078/6982/91 of 1935).
(»*) I.O. toF.O. P.Z. 3821/39 of June 26. 1939 (E 4387/1035/91 of 1939).
(»•) I.O. to F.O. Ext. 6845 of December23. 1943 (E 8073/796/91 of 1943).
(»>) I.O. to F.O. Ext. 678/45 of February 20. 1945 (W 2683/ 148/802 of 1945).
(*») I.O. toF.O. Ext. 3153 of July 4, 1945 (E 4895/4895/91 of 1945).
(«*) I.O. to F.O. Ext. 4226/45 of September 24. 1945 (W 12940/148/802 of 1945).
(”*) (GA 105/13 of 1953).
(»•) P.R.toF.O. 1094 (3)16/52 G of August 22. 1952 (EA 1193/18 of 1952).