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The first hotel in the Emirates: the “BOAC Rest House” at Sharjah airfield

(Fig. 4)
The cistern in the courtyard, with firewood as fuel for heating water (photo: Dunn, 1933)

The period of these two visits was one of exceptional conditions of wartime (locally
and worldwide). During World War II the Sharjah Rest House hosted dozens of senior
armed services personnel and politicians who were passing through on their way to
or from India or further east. General Wavell, while Commander-in-Chief Middle
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East, was one of them (Fig. 5) Despite its remote location, harsh climate and food
shortages, it managed to provide them with overnight accommodation and meals.
Late in 1941 there had been so many recent visitors that the food stores were badly
depleted. There were almost famine conditions in Sharjah town, only small quantities
of rice were available and meat prices had doubled. Despite these harsh conditions,
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the diplomats were still critical. One of the options in 1943 for adding passenger
accommodation prompted the Political Resident in Bahrain to comment: “You are
probably aware that accommodation already provided is disgraceful and subject of
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much adverse comment and ‘timber and asbestos shelters’ sounds even worse.” But
others were impressed at what the Rest House achieved in wartime conditions. In
1944, a new superintendent, having just arrived from London with its strict food-
rationing, was flabbergasted at finding that the six-course lunch served to him was
the regular meal. The high standards, compared with what the adjacent RAF officers’
mess could maintain, could be explained by the fact that the Rest House had been
“primarily designed and intended for the accommodation of paying passengers.”
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