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'"NO MEDALS THIS TIME" by Sir Tom Hickinbotham, KCMG, KCVO, CIE, OBE' [143r] (285/336)
The record is made up of 1 volume (168 folios). It was created in 1982?. 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.
141 -
which time tea and biscuits and nuts made their appearance and then rejoined
the gathering in the street below.
I was escorted through the town by the Governor to a pleasant house on the
bank of the Khor which had been placed at my disposal. On the seaward side
carpets had been spread on the sand in the shade against the wall and once
more we sat down and more sweetmeat, coffee, rose water and incense were pro
duced in the correct order. As soon as the incense had been passed around,
the Governor rose and led the way into the house and up the stairs to a recep
tion room. Having ascertained to his own satisfaction that I wanted for
nothing, he took leave and went off to his own lodgings where he would remain
as long as I was in Sur.
As soon as 1 was alone 1 removed my once smart "Palm Beach" suit, now a sad,
sweat-soaked wreck stained with rose water from the ministrations of the
enthusiast with the glass vessel, and putting on a bathing costume, went down
and relaxed in the cool waters of the Khor. Back on the roof of my lodgings
after a refreshing swim, I watched the sun set in a riot of colour and the
stars come out, turning over in my mind the events of the day. I soon tired
of this unprofitable pastime and made enquiries about the prospects of an
evening meal. I had given my cook precise instructions and I looked forward
to something light and appetising. It was not to be. Word came from the
Governor to the effect that he wished to be excused from personal attendance
as he was indisposed, but dinner was even then being prepared in his house
and would be sent over presently. I knew that this meant a late meal, but
politeness required an expression of thanks and a hope that he was not seri
ously unwell, which I knew was not the case. His excuse was pure politeness
so that I could be alone and rest after the journey. I
I stayed three days in Sur dealing with the affairs of the British Indian
community and having long talks each day with the Governor on a variety of
subjects. I dined and lunched each day with the Governor and the leading mem
bers of the mercantile community and when the Governor was not himself my host
he was invariably present as a guest at these functions. On the afternoon of
the fourth day I said farewell to the Governor and embarked with my retinue in
the launch for Ghail Sha'ab where we landed and ate our evening meal on the
grass. We re-embarked and journeyed on through the night and reached Qarlyat
without mishap shortly before dawn. I landed with Naser and Salem and, giving
About this item
- Content
This volume is a set of typewritten memoirs by Sir Tom Hickinbotham, a retired officer of the British Indian Army and 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. . Hickinbotham held various positions in India and in the Middle East, and these memoirs recount stories from his time in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Quetta, Persia [Iran], Aden, Audhali, Bahrain and North Waziristan.
The memoirs were most likely completed in 1982-83; they cover the period 1927-1982, although most of the chapters relate to events from the 1930s and 1940s.
Hickinbotham writes not only about his official duties but also about various trips taken during periods of leave. Below is a list of the chapters, with a short summary of each:
- 'No Medals This Time' (ff 3-6) – details of an incident in Kuwait involving a dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. that caught fire off the foreshore at Shuwaik [Ash Shuwaykh]
- 'The Silver Coin' (ff 7-10) – thoughts on the use of the Maria Theresa thaler in Arabia
- 'The Golden Dagger' (ff 11-36) – an account of Hickinbotham's unofficial visit to Riyadh to meet Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] in May 1942
- 'The Brass Pencase' (ff 37-53) – memories of a journey undertaken from Quetta to Europe via north Persia in 1927, travelling in a Fiat Tourer with Colonel T Nisbet (also referred to as the 'purple emperor'), on what Hickinbotham claims to have been the first trip taken by car from India to the Mediterranean
- 'The Bronze Boy' (ff 54-72) – reminiscences of weekends spent in 'Little Aden' (a rocky peninsula seven miles west of Aden), in 1938, and a later visit, in December 1961
- 'The Silver Letter Case' (ff 73-118) – details of a ten-day trip on the Audhali plateau in the summer of 1938, and a return visit, in December 1960 (the chapter ends with remarks on the situation in Yemen generally from the late sixties to the time of writing, i.e. 1982)
- 'The Agate Ring' (ff 119-144) – memories of travelling in Oman during the summer of 1940 and how this compared with Hickinbotham's last visit to the country in 1980
- 'The Pearl Tie Pin' (ff 145-151) – thoughts and anecdotes on the pearl trade in Bahrain
- 'A Point of View' (ff 152-157) – a story told to Hickinbotham, possibly fictional, of a pearl trader in the Gulf who lost his fortune and livelihood, and eventually his sanity
- 'Snakes Alive!!' (ff 158-161) – an account of a near-fatal encounter with a krite [krait] in Waziristan
- 'The Queen's Visit' (ff 162-168) – memories of the Queen's visit to the Aden Protectorate in 1954, where Hickinbotham was serving as Governor.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (168 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume contains an index of chapter headings on folio 2, which includes some handwritten corrections and annotations.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 168; 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. An additional mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 3-168.
Condition: The original plastic comb binding ring has been replaced with a wider one to facilitate flat opening of the volume. Polyester film covers have been added to protect the first and last folios.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'"NO MEDALS THIS TIME" by Sir Tom Hickinbotham, KCMG, KCVO, CIE, OBE' [143r] (285/336), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F226/13, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100094411639.0x000056> [accessed 14 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F226/13
- Title
- '"NO MEDALS THIS TIME" by Sir Tom Hickinbotham, KCMG, KCVO, CIE, OBE'
- Pages
- 1r:168v
- Author
- Hickinbotham, Sir Tom
- Usage terms
- The copyright status is unknown. Please contact [email protected] with any information you have regarding this item.