!['File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [‎172r] (343/432)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000241.0x000129/IOR_R_15_2_314_0343.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [‎172r] (343/432)")
'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [172r] (343/432)
The record is made up of 1 file (214 folios). It was created in 20 Jan 1941-31 Dec 1942. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
p
175 c
176.
177.
178.
179.
180 .
due partly to hoarding by those of the poorer classes with
money to save, who find it preferable to hoard coin rather
than notes as it neither burns nor rots and has some intrinsic
value. The Bank is expediting a consignment of coin by
steamer shortly, to relieve the' shortage.
The Oil Companies .
Reference para 162 (i) of Intelligence Summary No.15 of
1942, which announced an increase in the output of the Bahrain
011 Refinery to 33,500 barrels of crude a day. The daily
production of crude oil from the Bahrain Field has now in
creased to 18,000 barrels.
Local Affairs .
Reference para 125 (ii) of Intelligence Summary No.
12 of 1942 regarding the collection of "Relief of the Poor"
Funds. V : -
111 feeling between the Shias and Sunnis during the
past two months has been very bitter and has been fomented
by talk in clubs and by trouble-seekers. On the 27th August
a joint meeting of the members of both Sunni and Shia Committees
was held under the aegis of His Highness the Shaikh. After
much discussion both parties agreed to His Highness’ suggestion
that a joint Committee, consisting of from 4 to 6 members of
each community, should be formed, with Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa,
His Highness’ uncle, as President, to meet once a month and
distribute the funds collected; thus co-operation, at least
on the surface, has been achieved. The Sunnis, who contain
a larger proportion of The Rich, gave Rs 1500 (actually provid
ed wholly by His Highness) to the Shias in fulfilment of a
previous promise, and also half of the donationsby non-Moslems,
which now total over Fs 4000. On August 29th, to celebrate
this happy rapprochement, a garden party was given by one of
the Shia notables, which was attended by His Highness, the
Adviser, and members of both Sunni and Shia Committees.
American Mission’s Tour to Saudi Arabia .
On August 17th Dr. and Mrs. Harrison and Dr.Barney,
of the American Mission, Bahrain, with one male and two
female Indian nurses, a party of 11 in all, left Bahrain on
1^- month* s special medical trip to Riyadh to treat members
of the household of King Ibn Saud, as well as the general
public. Rs 5500 worth of medical supplies were taken. The
Mission intend to put up a hospital in Hassa.
S lave Traffic .
Reference para 161 (ii) of Intelligence Summary
No.15 of 1942. Mirza bin Barkat is now reported to have
gone to Mekran, accompanied by his family and followers.
Epidemics at Dubai ^nd Sharjah .
The outbreak of smallpox mentioned in para 163 of
Intelligence Summary No.15 of 1942 appears to have spent
itself, but a few mild cases of typhoid have recently occurred
among the R.A.F. at Sharjah. They have been brought to the
Bahrain Government Hospital for treatment and arrangements
have been made for the Hospital’s isolation ward to be placed
at their disposal should further cases develop in any number.
The Shaikh of Hira .
Reference para 165 of Intelligence Summary No.15
of 1942, which recorded the death of Shaikh Abdur Rahman of
Hira and the succession of his nephew Saif. It has since
been reported that there were two contestants to the
succession«
<
About this item
- Content
The file contains fortnightly intelligence summaries produced by the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. at Bahrain for the years 1941-42. The reports, marked as secret, were sent to the Government of India, 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. , and numerous diplomatic, political, and military offices in the Middle East. Most of the reports cover a two week period, though due to holidays, tours, and work pressures some cover an entire month.
The reports are divided into short sections that relate to a particular subject, often closely connected to the Second World War. Contained within the file is intelligence on the following:
- international shipping and the activities of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and commercial transport companies such as Imperial Airways Limited;
- the movements of British and Foreign subjects, and Arab notables;
- local affairs of Bahrain, as well as news from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Persia [Iran], and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ;
- economic matters and food supplies;
- foreign radio broadcasts and press, with a focus on anti-British sentiment;
- the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Fighter Fund;
- defence matters;
- smuggling of gold and arms and the traffic of slaves;
- meteorological data;
- medical matters.
Folios 57-61 are correspondence relating to the alleged sinking of an Iranian dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. by a British man-of-war in March 1941.
Folios 85-88 is a list of prominent individuals in Bahrain, compiled by 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. at Bahrain, Reginald Alban, and submitted to the Political Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. at Bushire.
Folio 122 is the statement of thirteen Qatari sailors who were aboard a dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. sunk by a Japanese submarine on 12 April 1942.
Folio 176 is a telegram from the Government of India in New Delhi requesting that intelligence summaries differentiate between truly confidential content and that which can be distributed more widely.
Folio 190 is a letter, dated 15 October 1942, from Charles Geoffrey Prior, 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , to Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, 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. at Bahrain, regarding the risk of including information about the revival of the slave trade in the Gulf in his diaries due to their wide readership.
Included in the file is correspondence between 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. and the Naval Officer in Charge at Basrah regarding prominent people of the region and events of the war.
On the inside of the front cover is the distribution list for the summaries.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (214 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged chronologically.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 216; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [172r] (343/432), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/314, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025549536.0x000090> [accessed 28 March 2025]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100025549536.0x000090
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100025549536.0x000090">'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [‎172r] (343/432)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100025549536.0x000090"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000241.0x000129/IOR_R_15_2_314_0343.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000241.0x000129/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/314
- Title
- 'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:215v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence