مجموعة ٦/ ١٩ "الجزيرة العربية: (المملكة العربية السعودية) التقرير السنوي لمملكة الحجاز ونجد." [ظ‎‎٧‎٢] (٥٤٠/١٤٥)

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tioned in last year’s report called “ Shurta ” (believed to be limited to the Hejaz),
which seems to be a less personal force than the “ Zikurt," but is used for very
similar duties, such as manning frontier posts and supplementing the head
quarters garrisons of the various provincial Amirs in the Hejaz; and the army
proper, if it can be so called, which is limited to Mecca, Medina and one or two
other of the larger towns. This force, like the “gendarmerie," is uniformed and
undergoes some sort of training in the art of war. But none of these forces really
possesses much military value as opposed to police value.
190. Armament seems to consist of a mixed collection of rifles mainly of
Mauser pattern and of German and Polish origin. The King’s bodyguard is
equipped with some sort of repeating rifle of continental manufacture. In
summer the Saudi armament was augmented by the arrival of the arms and
ammunition supplied by His Majesty’s Government (paragraph 113 above). This
consignment included 18-pounder field guns. Saudi Arabia already possessed
some guns, but probably only old war-time stuff left in the country by the Turks.
191. During the year considerable effort was made to organise a proper
military control of the Saudi-Transjordan frontier, and probably of the Saudi-
Iraq frontier as well. Reports from Transjordan state that the following frontier
posts on the Saudi-Transjordan frontier are now in existence, some in masonry
or mud forts and some in tents: Haql, Alaqan, Dhat-al-Haj, Fajr, Jauf.
Isawiya, Nebk, Haditha and Kaf. Headquarters are at Tebuk and Kaf. For the
Saudi-Iraq frontier the posts are as given in last year’s report, at Lauqah, Lina,
Umm-al-Radhumma, Hafar-al-Batin and Jeriya.
192. Saudi Arabia still possesses nothing in the way of a naval force. The
two dhows mentioned in the 1936 report are still under construction, the larger of
the two being almost completed. In June the Saudi Minister in London notified
the accession of his country to the rules governing the action of submarines against
merchant shipping in time of war contained in the proces-verbal signed in London
on the 6th November, 1936.
V.—Aviation and Connected Matters.
Saudi Air Force.
193. The Saudi force of aeroplanes was increased during the year by the
arrival of the remaining two of the three Capronis presented by the Italian
Government and by the gift of Saudi Arabian Mining Syndicate's Bellanca mono
plane by the syndicate after the completion of their air survey. In addition, steps
were taken by the purchase of spares and the engagement of a rigger from Egypt
to put the four Wapitis in order. Only one of the Wapitis has been flown this
year.
194. An air display, which was given to celebrate Ibn Saud's visit to Jedda
in December, illustrates the degree of progress made by the Saudi air force. Six
machines were in the air, but none of them did anything but straight flying. The
pilots were :—
2 Saudis each flying an Italian instructional machine.
1 Saudi flying the French Caudron-Renault.
1 Saudi flying a three-engined Caproni.
M. Naidyonoff, the Russian refugee pilot, in the Bellanca.
Major Ciccu, the Italian instructor, in a three-engined Caproni.
195. The four Saudis are the best of the ten who were trained in Italy. It
is known that no attempt was made in Italy to teach them anything but straight
Possibly it was realised that the necessary background of education was
lacking, but in any case the Saudi students know little about their engines and
nothing about navigation, and they cannot do the simplest trick flying° At the
beginning of the year a system of regular training was adopted, and it was even
intended to take on a fresh batch of Saudi candidates for training, but this spurt
of energy did not last long. The cost of petrol, and later the desire to make the
least possible use of Italian help, led to its abandonment. Flying has been
spasmodic, and has sometimes been discontinued for weeks at a time.