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Coll 30/111 'British Naval Stations in: Establishments at Khor Quwai and Bahrain. Evacuation of Henjam and Basidu.' [28r] (60/1154)
The record is made up of 1 volume (572 folios). It was created in 24 Oct 1934-4 May 1937. It was written in English and Arabic. 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.
before you.
eyou. n ° W remainS t0 SUm UP our c °nclusions and put our practical proposals
6 . as ^PP en( iix IV an outline of the measures noted in paragraphs
nri 14. with thoir* ^ctirvao4- J ~ Cl n x ° ^
,-1 *. • p Tr* ^ X ■ a - AAV -' UXV-'llO VVIUIX IlclVclI
authorities of Hi S Majesty s Government, both as regards the period of the pro
gramme itself and _ the priority of the items contained in it, and also to accept
their advice on points of detail ; but if, as we hope, the proposal is* accepted in
principle, we trust that it will be agreed that control should follow responsibility
and that we should therefore be left to carry out the scheme, as finally accepted,
ourselves with the assistance of our own naval advisers.
The execution of this programme will involve a capital outlay and recurring
expenditure amounting to Ivs. 52^
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
spread over the five-year period and
thereafter annually recurring expenditure amounting to Rs. 3|
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
a year.
. sc beme is agreed to, we propose that it shall be financed by a reduction
n our annual payments to His Majesty s Government by Rs. 10^
lakhs
One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees
a vear
and we should much prefer it if the reduction could be effected by extinguishing
the payments now made outsiie the contribution and reducing the contribution
itself to a convenient figure.
If it would help towards the acceptance of our proposals, we should also be
prepared to consider the question of replacing our annual cash payments to some
extent by actual service in the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
, e.g., by employing one of our sloops
there in conjunction with His Majesty’s ships. As stated in our Despatch No. 17,
dated the 4th September 1930, we believe that such a course could be justified
to public opinion in India, both on the ground of our direct interests in the Gulf,
such as they are, and also on the ground of its value to our Force from the
point of view of training.
17. Finally, we must make it clear that unless some such course as we suggest
is accepted, we shall be unable, on financial grounds alone, to alter the attitude
that we have hitherto adopted in the correspondence referred to at the beginning
of this Despatch, in which case, in the event of a sudden emergency, the Admiralty
might find themselves faced with the necessity for incurring the expenditure involved
at short notice. Further, on the ground that sea and land defences are essentially
eomplemeutary and that little is to be gained by providing guns and lights on land so
long as the approaches to our harbours are unprotected against mines, we shall be
unable to make any progress in giving effect to the recommendations of the De
fended Ports Committee (referred to in paragraph 13) which now form an accepted
item in our programme for the re-equipment of the Army in India. On the other
band, if the scheme is accepted, we shall do our best to finance independently,
but concurrently, such of the recommendations of that Committee as we consider
necessary, when Army funds permit and in accordance with the order of their
importance.
MSGAPM o
About this item
- Content
The file concerns the evacuation of the British naval stations at Henjam [Jazīreh-ye Hengām] and Basidu [Bāsaʻīdū, Qeshm], in Iran (generally referred to in the papers as Persia), and the transfer of naval facilities to a new main station at Bahrain (also spelled Bahrein) and a subsidiary station at Khor Quwai (also spelled Khor Kuwai), Musandam, in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The British Government had become aware that the legal basis for their occupation of Basidu was very weak, and that it would probably be impossible to oppose a determined effort by the Iranian Government to assert their claims to Basidu. In addition, between 1932 and 1934 there had been a change in the relative importance to the United Kingdom of the Arab and Iranian coasts of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the Arab side was now viewed as being more important, as a result of (a) the transfer of the air route to the Arab Coast in 1932, and (b) the discovery of oil at Bahrain, and its probable existence in other parts of the Arab coast. For these reasons, it was felt desirable to move the base of British naval operations in the area (Foreign Office memorandum, folios 221-225).
The main correspondents are the Foreign Office; the Admiralty; senior British naval officers; HM Minister, Tehran (Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull Hugesson); and 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. (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle).
The papers include: discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a naval station at Khor Quwai (folios 539-571); issues raised by Muscat's position as an independent state, and the Anglo-French Declaration of 1862 (folios 529-538); minutes of meetings at the Foreign Office and the Admiralty; the question of the reaction of the Iranian Government; discussion of the announcement of the withdrawal; negotiations with the Sultan of Muscat [Sa'īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa'īd] over Khor Quwai; the removal of stores from Henjam; the question of the protection of British cemeteries at Henjam and Basidu (e.g. Iranian assurances, folio 126); descriptions of the evacuation of Henjam and Basidu in April 1935 in intelligence reports and correspondence; and the expression of gratitude by British Government to the Ruler of Bahrain (Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah [Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah]) over the assistance given by the Government of Bahrain in construction work for the new station at Bahrain (folios 39-54).
The Arabic language content of the file consists of a single item of correspondence on folio 40.
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 volume (572 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 574; 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 and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 30/111 'British Naval Stations in: Establishments at Khor Quwai and Bahrain. Evacuation of Henjam and Basidu.' [28r] (60/1154), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3840, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100080227752.0x00003d> [accessed 21 June 2026]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/3840
- Title
- Coll 30/111 'British Naval Stations in: Establishments at Khor Quwai and Bahrain. Evacuation of Henjam and Basidu.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:5v, 7r:21v, 23r:37v, 38v:51v, 55r:60v, 61v:64v, 65v:69v, 70v:72v, 73v:81v, 82v, 84r:102v, 103v:119v, 122r:125v, 126v:138v, 139v, 140v:149v, 151r:172v, 173v:452v, 452ar:452av, 453r:573v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence