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trouble in Bahrain was imminent based on his experience of Jordanian affairs. On

the Adviser’s position the letter called for change or ‘an explosion will come’. 547 On

the Belgrave question (although he was not an employee of the British Government

as Riches asserted) his analysis of the situation was that:

nothing which would diminish British prestige more in Bahrain and in
the whole of the Gulf than if the success of the rowdy Egyptian
campaign for the removal of Glubb was immediately followed up by a
similar success in Bahrain.

Nonetheless Riches also asserted that a plan to ‘ease Belgrave out’ by the end of the

year must be implemented. Riches dreaded the idea of Belgrave being possibly

replaced by an Egyptian Adviser. He proposed three alternative courses to adopt.

First was the hiring of a British assistant to the Adviser who would eventually take

over Belgrave’s duties. Second, was to hire either an Iraqi or Pakistani citizen, both

countries being members of the Baghdad Pact, as a substitute for Belgrave. Third

was to divide Belgrave’s work into two: an ‘Occidental Secretary’ to Bahrain’s Ruler,

and another as a ‘Chief Secretary to the Administration’. 548

Peace may have been restored to Bahrain, but tensions remained high

throughout the first ten days of March. The HEC had planned to hold an event on

the day of Prophet Mohammed’s Al-Isra wa Al-Mi’raj anniversary due on 9 March. 549

The function was called off by the Party as it feared it might lead to the event getting

out of hand, as minutes by an unidentified person from the Residency noted. The

547 TNA, FO 371/120544, Mynors to Shuckburgh, 8 March 1956.
548 TNA, FO 371/120544, D.M.H. Riches on Bahrain, 9 March 1956.
549 Al-Isra wa Al-Mi’raj is the day Muslims believe Prophet Mohammed traveled to Jerusalem from
Makkah and then ascended to the heavens accompanied by Archangel Gabriel.

© Hamad E. Abdulla 174