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The increased number of Europeans added to the difficulties. In August 1943 the PA
‘ported that contractors for the RAF had bought all available meat and an attempt by
A PCO to import live animals for its staff failed for lack of fodder: it had been the custom in
ahrain to feed livestock on locally-grown dates while people ate better quality imports but
o\v all ate the local dates, and even the sacks of date stones imported before the war to feed
utlc for Rs. 4 now cost Rs. 30. Eggs and vegetables were also hard to get and, by sheer bad
•ick, the summer of 1943 was so incredibly hot that the fish moved away into deeper waters
nd the amount available in Bahrain was diminished. The price of tea rose enormously and the
Government undertook its distribution to keep prices down. There was constant trouble with
lie butchers, who, the Shaykh said, were a traditionally awkward group. In December flour
an out again but fortunately a consignment of 1250 tons destined for Saudi Arabia arrived in
Bahrain and it was possible to borrow to keep going.

The situation gradually improved to the point that the Political Resident warned the PA
lot to be too sanguine in his reports in case this led to the reduction of Bahrain’s quotas. The
government was able to reduce food prices in October 1944 and even more significantly
Bclgrave’s diary records his intense anger on the many occasions when smugglers were caught,
taking food and particularly sugar, out of Bahrain for other parts of the Gulf.

Food was not the only article of which the Bahrainis went short, although it was not until
1942 that things got bad. Earlier Bahraini merchants had done well exporting timber to Basra
for rebuilding after the troubles there but now there was a shortage in the Islands. Similarly
motor accessories had been exported but the end of 1942 found Bahrain short of tyres and
spare parts. That December Steele, the State Engineer, driving from Awali to Manama passed
three buses and two taxis that had broken down in a single day. It was found that 16 out of the
total fleet of 47 buses were unfit for the road.

In the same month the PA reported such a chronic shortage of small coins that they were
changing hands at a premium. The Government considered action but thought that interven­
tions would only make things worse although the police carried out raids looking for hoarders.
Even more serious was the shortage of piece goods for the PA reported that some people had
been seen dressed in sacks while children were unable to attend school for lack ofdecent dress.
The reason for this was the shortage of shipping from India and early in 1944 he reported that
400 tons of piece goods were waiting on the docks at Bombay and in June he noted that no
general cargo had been received for IIV2 weeks — what ships did arrive merely brought
cement for the airfield. A Merchants Advisery Committee was established but could do little
to solve the import problem. Belgrave recorded that the shops were empty and that he found
the shortage of cigars “a great nuisance”.

These shortages led naturally to an increase in crime. Early in the war merchants feared
looting if air raids took place but even though they did not, there was a great increase in the
number of burglaries. There was also considerable pilfering at BAPCO which had stocks of
motor spares and in November 1944 the company considered recruiting some former New
York policemen with radio cars as security guards. In January 1945 a routine check by the
Bahrain police found a car loaded with BAPCO tools and in May two Americans were caught
trying to sell 20 new tyres that they had stolen. Cement for the airfield and electric fans
imported for the RAF were also apt to “disappear”. Belgrave recorded that one particular day
all the cases that came before the courts involved theft of imported goods.

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