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Memoirs of other personalities who lived through the period under review

were also consulted. For example, the memoirs of Resident Bernard Burrows

Footnotes in the Sand and Diplomat in a Changing World and the memoir of Ivor

Lucas A Road to Damascus: Mainly Diplomatic Memoirs from the Middle East who was

employed at the Residency and established contact with the Movement was

examined. Memoirs of British Cabinet and international policy makers were also

observed. Additionally, memoirs by British employees in Bahrain and travellers to

the island were obtained. Two key memoirs provided a rare insight into the various

stages of the Bahraini conflict. The first was by a former employee at the Bahrain

Petroleum Company (BAPCO), HV Mapp who extended a rare insight into the work

and views of Al-Bakir as he developed a close friendship with him in late 1952 and

early 1953 as observed in his publication Leave Well Alone! Where Oil Shapes

Dynasties and Destinies. The other memoir The Golden Bubble: Arabian Gulf

Documentary was by the traveller Roderic Owen who claimed to be an eyewitness to

the stoning of Lloyd’s car convoy.

The known memoirs of the Free Officers’ Movement, Egyptian politicians,

and journalists were also investigated. These memoirs proved a disappointment in

this regard as no information was available on their policy in Bahrain. Three

memoirs that dealt with the life of two of the eight frontline members of the

Movement by their sons or relatives were published in Arabic in Bahrain. These

included the memoir of Abdul-Karim Al-Alaiwat son of Abd-Ali Al-Alaiwat entitled

Bahrain… My Memoir from the Committee to Independence. The other two memoirs

were also published by a son and a relative respectively of Al-Syed Ali Kamal-el-

© Hamad E. Abdulla xi