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APPENDIX J
Correspondence about the Formation of a Small British Military Headquarters
in Bahrain—1953

(i)
(Paragraph 117)

Letter, dated September 14 1953, from the Political Agent, Bahrain, to the
Ruler of Bahrain
1 have the honour to refer to my conversation with Your Highness on
September 8th, in which I mentioned that it was desired to increase the staff of
the Military Adviser to His Excellency the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf
so as to form a small Headquarters.
2. The work of this Headquarters would be, as I explained orally to Your
Highness, to supervise the training and administration of those land forces in the
Persian Gulf for which Her Majesty’s Government are responsible; to co-ordinate
the supply of equipment, instructors, &c., to the various police and military forces
in the Persian Gulf Shaikhdoms and the Sultanate of Oman; and, in general, to
maintain communication and co-operation on all military matters between the
Political Residency, the Senior Officer of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force
in the Persian Gulf and the British Military Authorities in the Middle East.
3. It is desired to establish the Headquarters in Bahrain because of Bahrain’s
central position in the Gulf and the ease of its communications with the rest of
the world.
4. The establishment would be a small one; it is proposed to appoint not
more than four officers and fifteen other ranks, and some of these would be
stationed in Sharjah. The Headquarters in Bahrain would be situated in the
Royal Air Force Camp at Muharraq and the men employed there would live with
the men of the Royal Air Force, Muharraq.
5. In our conversation Your Highness made the observations that it was
desirable that the men should be under the same discipline as regards their
movements and conduct as the men of the Royal Air Force now stationed here;
and that the numbers of the proposed Headquarters’ Staff should be limited.
6. On these two points I can inform Your Highness that the men employed
will be under the same discipline as other members of the British armed forces
in Bahrain and that their numbers will not exceed the minimum necessary to carry
out those administrative duties which I have described.

7. I should be grateful if Your Highness would be so good as to confirm the
agreement to this proposal which you expressed to me orally.

(ii)
(Paragraph 117)
Letter dated September 26 1953, from the Ruler of Bahrain to the Political Agent,
Bahrain
With reference to your letter (119012/3/53G) regarding the increase in the
staff of the Military Adviser to His Excellency the Political Resident. We have no
nhiection to the proposal provided that the increase in the number of men and
officers does not exceed the number stated in your letter and provided that the
men in Question live in the R.A.F. Camp at Muharraq and are under the same
disciplinary rules as the officers and men of the R.A.F. at Muharraq.