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Ext 5050/43 ‘Formation of an Arab Centre in the Middle East for providing selected British officers with knowledge of Arabic, Arab countries and Middle East problems’ [22r] (43/190)
The record is made up of 1 file (93 folios). It was created in 17 Sep 1943-5 Jan 1948. 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.
22 )
6, Clarendon Terrace,
Brighton 7,
Sussex.
May the Seventeenth.
Dear Colonel Bertram Thomas,
__ Here, as you requested, I am writing to give you a little
i_ rmation of myself and my aspirations that you may have them at
hand should you have an opportunity of mentioning to Sir Geoffrey
Prior my very strong desire to attend your course.
Only one thing has changed since the interview you granted
me; on ray return home I found a letter from 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.
in
which was contained the welcome news that I had qualified for
assignment to the
Indian Political Service
The branch of the British Government of India with responsibility for managing political relations between British-ruled India and its surrounding states, and by extension the Gulf, during the period 1937-47.
immediately upon
taking up my I.C.o. appointment. As I told you, my aim in
applying for this branch of service has ever been to try to get to
the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
or Afghanistan and I think you agreed that,
should I get posted to the Gulf, your course would be of very
definite value.
At the age of twenty-two I have little to offer in the way
of qualifications except an enthusiasm of long standing to work
in the Middle East. During my three years with the Indian Army
(The Mahar Regiment), I have learnt Urdu to Higher Standard and
enough Mahratti to make myself understood on most subjects.
The outbreak of war prevented ray going up to Oxford and
my academic qualifications are therefore not what I would have
wished; however the rough drafts for a biography of Sir Stamford
Raffles - which I believe Michael Scott shewed to you in Jerusalem -
may have given you some information of this side of ray character.
If there is anything further that you would wish to know, I
would, of course, be only too glad to tell you.
May I end by saying how much I appreciated your granting me an
interview yesterday, and how grateful I am for the trouble to which
you are going.
\
Yours sincerely,
(Sd.) M.T. AHDERSON-
About this item
- Content
The file contains papers regarding the establishment of the Middle East Centre of Arabic Studies at Jerusalem and the appointment of Bertram Sidney Thomas as its first director; the purpose of the Centre was to provide training in Arabic and the ‘Arab Countries’ to British personnel for wartime and post-war administrative, diplomatic, and military demands in the Middle East. It also contains information on the Centre's early syllabus, some details of its students, and discussion related to desirability of recruiting its graduates to the Indian Political Service The branch of the British Government of India with responsibility for managing political relations between British-ruled India and its surrounding states, and by extension the Gulf, during the period 1937-47. for service in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
For information related to the syllabus see f 25, ff 32-42, and ff 55-71.
For information related to the students see ff 26-27, ff 29-30, and ff 72-75.
The main correspondents are as follows: the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. 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. (Sir Geoffrey Prior), officials of 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. (Roland Tennyson Peel and Francis Anthony Kitchener Harrison), and representatives of the Government of India.
The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (93 folios)
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 95; 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
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Ext 5050/43 ‘Formation of an Arab Centre in the Middle East for providing selected British officers with knowledge of Arabic, Arab countries and Middle East problems’ [22r] (43/190), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/857, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100044161144.0x00002c> [accessed 1 April 2025]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/857
- Title
- Ext 5050/43 ‘Formation of an Arab Centre in the Middle East for providing selected British officers with knowledge of Arabic, Arab countries and Middle East problems’
- Pages
- 22r:22v
- Author
- Anderson, Michael Tilbrook
- Copyright
- ©P.A.T. Anderson (Son)
- Usage terms
- Creative Commons Attribution Licence