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'File 35/134 IV (A 56) Sur. Ja'alan - Amirs of.' [‎226r] (485/536)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (253 folios). It was created in 22 Dec 1931-18 Mar 1932. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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-6-
♦•the month, and you are warning us for fighting. I see
"you want that. If you wish to fight without a cause
w then do as youlike. Injustice will punish her own
"children. Moreover the flag was not mentioned in your
"conditions nor in those of the resident 11 .
To this His Highness replied that the shaikh must accept
the estahliehment of the customs poet hy noon and if he
did not receive a reply by that time it would be under
stood that he intended tcjoppose the post. As regards the
flag the Shaikh was informed that it was the custom oft
State to fly their flags over all their customs posts in
all their ports. The Shaikh's objection to a flag being
flown over the customs house was quite illogical, since
the Muscat flag is always, and when he wrote his letter,
flown over ^iqa fort.
10. To this the shaikh replied in a lettei/in which
he repiated the terms which had been offered to him by
the State at the interview in December last; but did not
express his readiness to accept the customs post, but
stated that he would not come off to the ship to see
His Highness but was prepared to discuss matters ashore
either at Aiqa or at Sur. A meeting of this nature
would certainly have been derogatory to His Hi^iness 1
dignity, and it was evident that the shaikh was endeavon*
ing to prolong discussions, the time for which had
passed, and to evade the issue.
lip This letter w^s not received till about 2 p.m.,
that is two hours after the time given for acceptance
had passed. When it was received His Highness therefore
had aready written him a letter which had not yet been
sent ashore saying that, as he had not complied with his
orders by noon, the fort at Aiqa would be bombarded and
the i ort at Jaalan bombed by aeroplanes but that in order
t#/

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Content

Correspondence relating to actions against the Bani Bu Ali [Banī Bū ‘Alī] in Sur in 1932 who were claiming independence from the Muscat State. Correspondence discusses how the Bani Bu Ali led by Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah al-Hammuda [Muḥammed bin Nāṣir al-Ḥamūdah] were rebelling against the Sultan of Muscat's authority and in particular the creation of a customs post in Aiqa. Shaikh Ali had deployed armed forces to Aiqa fort and prevented the establishment of the customs post. The timing for deployment of aircraft from Iraq including Wapitis and flying boats is discussed and in particular the implications of reconnaissance flights during Ramadan. One Wapiti crashed 40 miles south of Muscat but the occupants were unhurt and safely rescued. Saiyid Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr] visited Sur in a sloop along with HMS Emerald . Correspondence details the agreement of the Foreign Office, Air Ministry and India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. in London to the use of aircraft. A letter from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty concurs in the action whilst expressing concern over the use of aircraft and the repercussions this could have on relations with Arab rulers, and suggests only use of naval bombardment. The Air Ministry responded noting the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. 's view that 'action by warship alone would be entirely ineffective; past history has shewn this.' The India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. notes that the action proposed by the Government of India were based on discussions with the Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Air Officer Commanding, Iraq; furthermore, 'aerial demonstration will precede punitive air action.'

The Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Muscat discusses the relations between the Bani Bu Ali ,[Banī Bū ‘Alī] Bani Bu Hassan [Bani Bū ‘Hasan] and Bani Amer; also the likely response of the Bani Bu Ali to any British attack and the need to take precautions to avoid the experience of a British Indian force in 1821. In 1821 a force was dispatched to avenge the defeat there of a different expedition the previous year but three hundred of the Bani Bu Ali attacked at night resulting 16 killed. Correspondence discusses the negotiations with Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah bin Abdullah bin Hammuda

Correspondence between the Air Officer Commanding, Edgar Rainey Ludlow-Hewitt and Colonel Hugh Vincent Biscoe, Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. discusses the reconnaissance photos and the bombing of the Jaalan [Ja’alān] fort following the dropping from aircraft of warning messages. There are also extracts from a report by Group Captain W L Welsh on reconnaisance by two Rangoons and three Wapitis of the Sur area with arrangements for the deployment of flying boats to conduct bombing missions and their protection by the Muscat Infantry.

Correspondence includes letters betweeen Saiyid Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman, to Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah and Hugh Vincent Biscoe, Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Following aerial demonstrations by Rangoon flying boats Shaikh Ali accepted the customs post and agreed to meet the Sultan on board the Sultan's vessel. The Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. wrote to Shaikh Ali informing him that as he had accepted the customs post the bombardment would not take place.

Includes aerial photos (ff 128D-128P) of Jaalan and Khor Janaba which were made in preparation for a possible punitive bombing raid. Also includes a sketch map of Khor Janaba and an enclosure with a 'Sheikhly family of Bani Bu Ali.

Correspondents include H.V. Biscoe, Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; Trenchard Craven Fowle, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. Muscat; Edgar Rainey Ludlow-Hewitt, Air Headquarters, Iraq Command, Hinaidi; Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; Eion Pelly Donaldson, India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , London; Christopher Llewellyn Bulloch, Air Ministry, London; No. 203 (Flying Boat) Squadron; Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty; Saiyid Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Muscat and Oman; Shaikh Ali bin Abdullah bin Hammudah; Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, Simla.

Extent and format
1 volume (253 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation system in use is the sequence of numbers in the top right hand corner of each folio including the covers.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'File 35/134 IV (A 56) Sur. Ja'alan - Amirs of.' [‎226r] (485/536), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/444, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023998668.0x000057> [accessed 8 June 2026]

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