Page 69 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat

Great Britain: military defence of Bahrain 459

CONFIDENTIAL

British Residency,
(11903) BAHRAIN•
« ,y.;.C\i>Vh . August 0, 1960
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Plcuse refer to my letter 11903 of March 2 enclosing
a list of the members of military forces stationed in
Bahrain,,
20 The latest report which I now enclose shows an
increase of 312 ii^ the total numbers of Service personnel
and their dependants. Causes of this increase arc' the
greater compuny strengths of the inniskillingo, us well
as the lurger size: and greater number of families
accompanying thorn by comparison to their predecessors.
Other onuses are increases In the numbers of RAF wives
and children and personnel in Communications units, of
which the major i>r!oportion is an RAF Increase. The RAF
have stated that t.iis increase hus been cuuued by the
increasing volume y£ communications handled in Bahrain as
u result of the inureuse In air traffic in the Gulf and
between the Gulf a id Aden.
3. This latest i lcroase in RAF personnel raises the -
question of u queiv we liave had from the Commander,
RAF Persian Gulf a ;king us whether there would be any
political objectio 1 to a further increase of RAF personnel.
The RAF, under Int :rnational Civil Aviution regulations,
have certain ureas of responsibility for search and reserve,
of which the persi in Gulf is one. The Air Ministry liave
ugreed to provide 1 60 footIAir Force rescue vessel, to
enable the RAF to ,‘ulfil their obligations, The
provisional estimaic of numbers of RAF personnel required
to run this vesscllis set at 25» who would expect to be
allowed to have their families with them. To be on the
safe, side one can Assume tlult the increase in IMF personnel
and dependents involved would be in the neighbourhood of
50o I
4. Beuring in mind that, save in Kuwait, wo are
responsible in the Gulf for the currying out of Inter­
national Civil Aviution commitments, I do not think that
wo can rousonably object to '.this proposed increase; nor
is the Ruler of Bahrain likely to raise difficulties#
We accordingly propose to accept this new addition to the
RAF*s strength on the island.
5. I am copying this letter to HQ BFAP at Aden#
( .
"3
(J. A. Ford)
R. A. Beaumont, Eaq., c.M.O • » O.B.E.,
Arubiun Department,
Foreign Office,
LONDON, S.W.Io

CONFIDENTIAL