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within the Western orbit’, as its oil requirements were ‘of great importance’ to

Britain. 152

The events that unfolded in 1954 turned Bahrain, in Belgrave’s eyes, into a

‘very different place to what it was when I had first known it’. 153 The grievances

that were aired that year led to further conflict as it manifested itself in a fight at the

petroleum company, an attack on Bahrain’s Police Fort that turned into a bloody

demonstration, strikes, and a state of fearful anticipation. All these events further

moved the Sunni-Shi’ite communities to join forces. Local developments

accompanied Bahrainis’ reaction to Egypt’s leadership crisis and a new visit by one

of Nasser’s aides.

Regionally the month of March 1954 was a turning point in the history of

Egypt and subsequently the Arab World as changes there helped to shape the

country’s new leadership with Nasser becoming victorious in the fight for Egypt’s

leadership. The competition between Naguib and Nasser for power turned into a

crisis within the state’s military in the spring of 1954, in what could be labeled as

the ‘Crisis of March’, as Gammal Hammad, a member of the Free Officers noted. 154

The struggle ended with Nasser’s victory and with Naguib returning to the

Presidency by public demand and from the military. However his authority was

reduced to the mere title of President and Nasser successfully dismissed Naguib’s

high-ranking military aides. Nasser’s rise reshaped the political field in Egypt as a

152 BDEEP, Series B, Part II, vol. 4, ‘Egypt and the Defence of the Middle East’ 1949-1953. Doc. 177:
DEFE 5/24, COS (50)363, annex, ‘Review of Middle East strategy’: COS Committee memorandum.
Appendices, 15 September 1950.
153 Belgrave, Personal Column, 199.
154 ‘Interview with Gamal Hammad’, Shahid ala Al-Asar [Witness onto an Era], Al-Jazeera, 10
November 2008-9 February 2009, part 2 and 6.

© Hamad E. Abdulla 50