Page 42 - Personal Column (Charles Belgrave)_Neat

was withdrawn from the little Reserve Fund which l had begun to build co change this in 1953 and the Budget and accounts have since then been
up and steps were taken to increase the Customs duty on non-essential
goods from 5 per cent to io per cent, and in the case of tobacco and
liquor to 15 per cent. Liquor, whose use was only permitted by Euro­
peans, had previously been imported duty tree because the Shaikh dis­
liked the idea of collecting revenue from an import of which he dis­
approved. It was surprising how the government officials and employees
co-operated during this crisis. Nobody liked having his pay reduced but
there were no complaints and no strikes, whereas today the very idea of
such drastic action would start a strike. The only people who caused
trouble were the divers.
In October 1932 the first Imperial Airways machine landed at Bahrain
on its way to India on the so-called aerodrome which is now the Manama
race-course. It was quite an event, and the Shaikh and many other people
went out to see the aeroplane. All went well until it started off again,
‘taxied’ across the field and then, suddenly, to everybody’s horror, seemed
to sink into the ground. There was an old disused water channel, which
nobody knew about, and the weight of the aircraft caused the topsoil
to subside. Neither the passengers nor the machine were damaged, but the
aeroplane was firmly bogged down. All that day I had hundreds of men
tugging at ropes, which constantly snapped, trying to pull the aeroplane
out of the hole, but without success. We took in as many passengers as
the house would hold, including the steward, who helped my servants
to improvise meals, the rest of the passengers being accommodated in
other houses. I think they rather enjoyed the break which gave them time
to see something of Bahrain. Next day, when we had worked on the air­
craft again and finally managed to move it, the pilot, Captain Horsey,
flew straight across to Muharraq and landed on the flat plain behind the
town which from that day became the landing ground, the only dis­
advantage being that until the causeway and bridge were completed
people using the aerodrome had to cross the strip of sea between the two
islands in launches. The advent of aeroplanes was regarded by the Arabs
with sang-froid. After a week or two they rarely bothered to glance up
at them and in a very short time Arab travellers looked on aeroplanes as
a normal means of getting from one place to another.
Shaikh Isa died on December 9th, 1932, my birthday. By our reckon­
ing he was about ninety-four years old, but according to the Arabic
(Hejira) calendar he was over ninety-seven years of age. The Arabic
calendar is based on the lunar month and until a few years ago the Bahrain
Government worked on it and salaries were paid accordingly. I was able
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made according to the Gregorian calendar, though most of the older
Arabs still use the Arabic calendar. It is because the Arabic months do not
adhere to the same times of the year that local gardeners do their planting
according to the stars, which causes much confusion among European
amateur gardeners.
After his father’s death Shaikh Hamed became full ruler and was
confirmed early in the following year as such by the Government of
India at a ceremony at which the British Resident, on behalf of the Vice-
roy, delivered co the Shaikh a ‘Kharita’, an official letter acknowledging
him as the Ruler of Bahrain. This was an Indian custom, more appro­
priate, I always thought, in the case of Indian princes than in the case of
the Shaikh of Bahrain, who was officially described as the ruler of an
‘independent Arab State in treaty relations with the Government of
India’. However, the occasion provided an opportunity for celebrations
and pageantry. We held what was known as a ‘Durbar’, another Indian
term, in the large hall of a new school, and Marjorie and I spent much
time planning the decor for the ceremony. From the bazaar we were
able to get crimson velvet for curtains and gold braid and enormous gold
tassels and yards of silks and satins. The material was Japanese but none
the less effective. The Shaikh’s throne was made from carved wood by
local carpenters, and the final appearance of the hall, with carefully
arranged indirect lighting, was very magnificent and greatly admired
by the Arabs. This was before glorious Technicolor had made them
blase. The Shaikh looked very regal in a scarlet-embroidered robe with
a white cloak with his gold circlet round his white headcloth, a gold
dagger in his belt and a gold sword in his hand. His family and retainers
were equally brilliantly dressed. The Resident and his staff wore levee dress,
Royal Navy and Air Force representatives were in full uniform and I, as
usual as these occasions, wore a grey morning coat. The only trouble on
this occasion was that several Arabs, who had not been invited to do so,
stood up and made long speeches which completely wrecked the time­
table.
There was Arab dancing and free meals for many during the three
days’ holiday and at night the Shaikh drove through the bazaar which
looked like a scene by Bakst from the Russian ballet. Every shop was
decorated with Persian carpets, and yards of purple, green and orange
silk cascaded down from the roofs, illuminated by coloured lights. The
streets were thronged with enthusiastic spectators, all in Arab dress,
and, as the long procession of cars moved slowly past, the shopkeepers
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