مجموعة ٣٠/١١٤ "تقارير إجراءات السُفُن البريطانية." [و‎‎٢‎٠‎٠] (١٢٠٣/٣٩٩)

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COMFIDBHTIAL.
The Comnianding Officer, H.k.S. M DEPTFORD”,
at Bahrain,
16th July 1937. No. 56.
The Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf,
H.k.S. M 3H0RBHAM , \
(Copy to:- Staff Officer (I>, Colombo.)
LETTER OF P RO CEEDINGS, 1ST - 15TH JULY 1937 .
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2. On the 2nd July I was informed by the Political Agent
that fighting had taken place in the ^atar peninsular, causing
casualties which weie already arriving on the island, and that
considerable excitement existed in the town. In these
circumstances he asked me to cancel my sailing to Kuwait and
remain at Bahrain in case of emergencies. I immediately agreed
to this and informed the Senior Naval Officer by signal.
3. It appeared that, following fruitless negotiations
between representatives of the Sheikhs of Bahrain and ^atar
and the headmen of the Naim tribe, an attack had been delivered
on the latter by the forces of the Sheikh of *atar.
4L At 2115 I was ordered by signal to proceed to Doha
forthwith, and sailed at 2300.
5. My instructions, which were to stand by to protect the
lives of British subjects and to obtain any information concerning
the situation followed later. Before leaving I found out from
the Political Agent that, in the absence of further orders, our
attitude was one of non-intervention.
6. After making Halul Island we anchored in Doha at 1130.
DOHA .
7. I sent the interpreter ashore on arrival who returned
with the news that the Sheikh and all his entourage were at the
North End of the Peninsular. The town was quiet and the guard
consisted of 50 Bedouins from the interior. One Bin Salim had
been left in charge, and I went to see him at 1700. He was
friendly, but uncommunicative on th^bubject of the fighting.
I explained that our visit was for the purpose of
protecting British subjects in.the event of any major disturbance
in the town and learnt that only one lived there. I also
assured him that our views on the situation were quite impartial.
8. Efforts to get information the next day were not
much more successful chiefly because very little appeared to be
coining through.
The Indian subject, a barber from Baluchistan, was
interviewed and told to come to us for protection if the town was
attacked but he did not think tfyis would be possible as he had
considerable local marital commitments and would probably not be
allowed to leave.
9. On the next day news was received by launch that the
Naim tribe had surrendaed more or less without a struggle, and in
the......