Page 119 - Personal Column (Charles Belgrave)_Neat

room and he then asked for a clothes brush. But in households where airport. Passing the Arab club I saw a group of young men in a huddle on
people wear Arab robes clothes brushes arc not available, all that could be
produced was a broom. After luncheon Anwar was driven back to the
airport, in time to catch his aeroplane but not in time to address any
meetings, which was what The Committee had planned for him to do.
From his and from The Committee’s point of view the visit was a ‘Hop'
in more ways than:one, but on this occasion the blame could not be laid
on the Imperialistic Colonizers or on the wicked Adviser—the subject
of Anwar’s endless vituperations.
Elections for the Health and Education councils were held in
February. The Committee supported a number of candidates; they were
not impressive individuals, but no independent Arabs could be found to
oppose them. Men who normally sat on councils and committees
declared that nothing would induce them to become embroiled in an
election which would involve them in reprisals from The Committee.
After some time three very mediocre persons were persuaded to stand
against The Committee’s candidates. The result was a foregone conclusion.
The Committee turned the election into a propaganda drive, romping
round the country in trucks, haranguing the public through loud speakers,
while the men who contested them sat nervously at'home, not attempting
to canvass. The Committee’s candidates were returned with an enormous
majority so The Committee claimed that they had the support of the
whole country. It would have been better if this farcical election had not steering wheel; but all that happened was that some of them banged on
taken place and The Committee had been allowed to nominate members
for the two councils.
On Friday, March 2nd, an unlucky day for Bahrain, the Bahrainis
heard on the wireless that General Glubb had been suddenly dismissed
by King Hussein of Jordan. The news was widely discussed in the bazaars
which, being Friday, were crowded with people. The Committee and
their adherents were triumphant at what they regarded as a slap in the
face for the British. I am sure that the Glubb affair was partly responsible
for what took place later on that day. That afternoon Mr Selwyn Lloyd,
who was on his way from London to Pakistan, was to stop in Bahrain and
to attend a dinner party which the Shaikh was giving for him in the
Manama palace.
The British Foreign Secretary’s visit was an important event. The
Shaikh, with many of his relations, the Resident, Sir Bernard Burrows,
and his staff, and many others, drove to the aerodrome to meet him. I
went to Muharraq ahead of the party, stopping for a few minutes to
watch a big football match on the ground between the town and the
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the steps, among them some of The Committee’s chief supporters, but
there were no signs of anything unusual. The Foreign Secretary and his
party were welcomed at the airport and distributed into cars, and the long
procession set off. The Shaikh and the Resident, who had Mr Sclwyn
Lloyd with him as they were going direct to the Residency, led the
procession, preceded by police on motor-cycles and in jeeps. I was, as
usual, driving my own car, some way back in the procession.
There is a sharp corner at the end of the Muharraq sea road where the
road joins the causeway which spans the sea between the two islands;
it subsequently became known as Sclwyn Lloyd Corner. As we ap­
proached it I saw big crowds on each side of the road, which was usual,
for when there were processions the people of Muharraq assembled here
to watch them pass; but I noticed that the Arabs were waving their head-
cloths in the air, and I heard shouting as the police vehicles turned the
comer. When I got nearer I heard the Arabs shouting a slogan, something
about the British, Selwyn Lloyd and myself, but I could not hear the
words clearly. I wanted to go ahead to see what was happening, but I
was hemmed in by a mass of men on each side of the road, and all I could
do was to move on in the procession at a snail’s pace. My car, No. 6,
was so well known that if I wanted to go anywhere privately I used a
different car, and the men who lined the street saw me sitting at the
the door with their hands. Later, when I heard what had happened to
other cars in the procession, I realized that I had been lucky. There were a
few uninterested spectators on the causeway, and in Manama everything
was quiet. I turned off and went to my house to change before taking
Marjorie to dinner at the palace.
It was then that reports came in about the organized demonstration at
Muharraq. When the leading cars reached the comer the crowd beat and
kicked the cars and threw sand at the occupants. Cars in the rear of the
procession had their windows and lamps smashed and many of them were
damaged. A B.O.A.C. bus, behind the procession, was stopped by a gang
of roughs who tried to set it on fire. I sent police reinforcements to
Muharraq, and after some time they cleared the comer, but for many
hours it was dangerous for cars to use the sea road as gangs of youths
sallied out from the lanes and stoned all vehicles. A significant fact was
that earlier on two members of The Committee were in the crowd at the
comer and one of them made a violent speech.
I shall never forget that ghastly dinner party at the palace. It was the
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