WesWorld

July 1
An amendment, called the Halifax-Sanaa accord to the Saudi-Yemeni border treaty of Taif has been signed today by the Foreign Secretary Viscount Halifax, the Saudi Foreign Minister and the Yemeni Foreign Minister and witnessed by the Dutch Foreign Minister Pieter van Grootveld. The revised borders affect the Hinterland of Aden territory. A strip on the western side has been given to Yemen and a large portion of the inland area to Saudi Arabia but both coasts and a large coastal strip remain in British hands to ensure the coastal security of the Arabian peninsular.


July 2
No. 1(F) Sqn of the RAF has taken delivery of twelve new Hawker Hurricane II fighters powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 piston engine. After six months of training today marks the official entry into RAF service of the Hurricane II.

July 3
The Foreign Secretary today left Sanaa and flew to Aden where the destroyer HMS Watchman took him to Egypt for treaty talks.

July 7
Viscount Halifax arrives in Alexandria facing a mob of reporters over the recent Halifax-Sanaa accord. He made a short statement, “our concerns are to strengthen the defences of the region from outside aggressors and to offer any assistance we can in building modern democratic states that will stay away from the lure of autocratic Asian rule.” The Foreign Secretary then boarded a private train bound for Cairo for talks with the Egyptian government.

July 11
The submarines R3, R5 and L32 have been detached from normal duties to undertake undisclosed trials work.

Quoted

Originally posted by Hood
July 11
The submarines R3, R5 and L32 have been detached from normal duties to undertake undisclosed trials work.

Hmm this is rather interesting!

Clearly top secretive.

Turkey applauds British efforts in the region.

Bharat's main concern is the possible encroachment of the Kingdom of Hedjaz by this latest moves. As such they request by private channels to the British Government for assurances that the current territorial borders of Hedjaz will be respected due to the historical relation between the Hedjaz and Bharat.

You mean the Hedjaz that voted India out? (Or was that Asir?)

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
You mean the Hedjaz that voted India out? (Or was that Asir?)

Asir joined the Hedjaz. But the Hedjaz was created as a result of the Asir War. Pretty much are Bharat's bastard son. Not close to home but still needs a parent's love once in a while.

Hmm, its not looking like alot of other country's see it that way.

Particularily when you follow India's abuse of the worlds generousity since that time with its actions in Pakistan, Azerbaijan and now Afganistan and other efforts to "convince" nations to leave Burma, Indochina, Hong Kong, the Paracels, Macao......

Even Asir saw the writing on the wall. Where was indias concern for "encroachment" on Saudi Arabia and Yemen when they created Asir?

OOC: So Saudi Arabia existed in 1921 in WW, not divided on Nejd and Hedjaz?

Thats what I thought happened, but aparently not?

This is the BBC Home Service interrupting your usual schedule to bring you some news from Buckingham Palace...

July 16
Today a lone madman, George McMahon, has tried to shoot King Edward VIII at the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London. The bullets missed the King and McMahon was wrestled to the ground by police and taken into custody. A motive has not yet been revealed. The King is shaken but unharmed.

A trial Cruiser tank designated A13E1 has been built by Morris Motors for trials and has just begun service trials. The “trackless running” feature of the Christie style of suspension has been removed as an unnecessary complication and the second trials vehicle, the A13E2 which features the turret of the A9 and a 300hp Nuffield V-12 engine, will begin trials soon.

July 17
Today the Foreign Secretary emerged from the talks in Cairo and confirmed that Egypt had made a new Treaty with Britain and that Britain had fully retained her rights. The Treaty will be signed and made legal on August 1st. Then the Foreign Secretary will have a month’s holiday before heading to Iraq for further talks.

July 24
The GPO today has introduced the speaking clock service available to all telephones.

August 1
Today the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty was signed in Cairo by King Farouk and Viscount Halifax.

Anglo-Egyptian Treaty

Article I
The King of Egypt recognises that the security and military defence of Egypt rests on the responsibility of the British Government until the Egyptian military forces are capable to do so. Defence control and defence policy making is in the hands of the British Military Mission in Cairo until that time.

Article II
The King of Egypt recognises that Great Britain has the right to maintain security and military defence of the Suez Canal and has the right to station sufficient forces of the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force to maintain security and also to build and maintain bases in the Canal Zone for defensive purposes.

Article III
The King of Egypt recognises that Great Britain has the right to station naval ships at Alexandria and that the said port is a Royal Naval base under independent control from the Egyptian government. This right extends to any aerodrome located near the city.

Article IV
The Royal Egyptian Army will remain under British military control for organisation and training purposes under the British Military Mission until the Egyptian Army is capable of providing effective national defence as defined in Article I.

Article V
The Royal Egyptian Air Force will remain under British military control for organisation and training purposes under the British Military Mission until December 31st1939. Then the REAF will become fully independent and the RAF will provide all military advisers, training staff and equipment that the REAF requires.

Article VI
The Royal Egyptian Navy will remain under British organisational control and for training purposes under the British Military Mission. Operationally the Egyptian Navy is nominally independent as part of the Egyptian Customs Service and the Lighthouse Department. In times of war, under Articles II and VII, any combat units may be requisitioned for Royal Naval use.

Article VII
In the event of war between Great Britain and another power the King of Egypt shall give all the facilities and assistance in his power, including the use of ports, aerodromes, and means of communication to help British forces in Egypt.

Article VIII
The King of Great Britain recognises that the Government of Egypt has the right to decide her own foreign policy issues as long as such decisions do not affect the Treaty in any way.

Article IX
The King of Great Britain recognises that after showing a remarkably consistent and humane policy towards minorities that the Government of Egypt may have full powers of protection of minorities in Egypt and Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.

Article X
The Government of Egypt shall administer day-to-day local activities in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan but also recognises that the Government of Britain has all responsibilities of Sudanese foreign policy, defence and economic matters in the Sudan.

Article XI
The King of Egypt recognises that Britain may have economic advantages in Egypt. Free trade shall exist between each nation and economic polices made by Egypt must benefit any British business interests in Egypt. In return all Egyptian merchant vessels are toll exempt in the Suez Canal zone.


August 12
Today the new field gun, Ordnance QF 25pdr Mk I, begins firing trials.

August 21
Today the prototype Hawker Typhoon fighter, closely related to the Hawker Tornado but powered by the Napier Sabre horizontal H engine, flew for the first time at Langley. The test pilot P. G. Lawrence was forced to cut short the test flight when the engine developed problems and oil pressure was lost. Although the airframe seems to be as sturdy as that of the Tornado it is expected the vastly more complicated Sabre engine will take time to get right for service use.

August 23
The Foreign Secretary has arrived in Baghdad following a brief holiday to begin treaty talks to ratify the British position in the country.

Quoted

Although the airframe seems to be as sturdy as that of the Tornado it is expected the vastly more complicated Sabre engine will take time to get right for service use.

I'm not so sure on that. The Sabre isn't all that complicated, its more the problem of using new technologies like sleeve valves and manufacturing and development problems because Napier is a fairly small outfit.

This is the BBC Home Service...

September 3
Today Gloster’s Chief Test Pilot Flt Lt P.E.G. Sayer flew the prototype G.39 twin-engined heavy fighter for its first flight. Sayer after the flight reported the aircraft to be stable and that the two Bristol Taurus engines performed well. He thinks the type has potential to be very fast with the power available.

September 4
The intrepid female aviator Betty Markham has left Abingdon aerodrome in a Vega Gull for Novia Scotia.

The school leaving age has been raised to 15 by the Ministry of Education.

September 5
After a flight of 21 hours the intrepid female aviator Betty Markham has crash-landed her loaned Vega Gull in Novia Scotia becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic East-West.

September 6
At the conclusion of ten days of talks at Singapore between the Ambassador to India and the several Foreign Office officials and representatives of the Bharat government over the status of Burma a brief press statement was made. “His Majesty’s Government have had long and far reaching discussions with Indian officials on various matters concerning Burma. We realise the principles at stake and the British public can be sure that the government will act but also that it will not act to the determent of those principles that it holds dear.”

September 12
The second prototype Handley Page H.P.53 Hereford has flown with two flight-rated 1,100hp Napier-Paxman Pilates I diesel engines in an attempt to cure the ongoing problems with the Napier Dagger.

September 13
Viscount Halifax has arrived in Palestine to meet the Peel Commission before it releases its report next week.

September 19
The Peel Commission has announced it will delay the publication of its report after pressure from the Foreign Secretary to modify the document.

September 23
Due to numerous articles in the press and questions from technical persons the Admiralty has confirmed that radio-location devices have recently been installed in some RN ships but declined to say which ships and what use the devices are for.

September 25
An Arabic gunman has attempted to kill the Foreign Secretary. As Viscount Halifax left the Governor’s Residence in a silver Rolls-Royce the gunman fired four shots from a Lee-Enfield rifle at the car as it drove past. Three bullets pierced the body work and one missed the Foreign Secretary’s head by inches. The car speed off to the nearest hospital in Jerusalem while armed police captured the gunman.

It would be interesting to know the identity of the gunman!

This is the BBC Home Service

September 27
The captured gunman, Ali es-Sa’id, confirmed that he received orders from an Arabic Revolutionary Group led by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hadj Amin el-Husseini.

September 28
In an unprecedented move the British Army moved onto the streets of Jerusalem as armed police made several dawn raids and arrested 26 noted Muslim clerics and Arabs connected with a planned Arab Revolt. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hadj Amin el-Husseini was also arrested. No major disturbances were noted during the day and tomorrow Army forces will stand down.

September 30
Ten Arabic gunmen have barricaded themselves inside a Jewish school and have held four teachers and sixty children hostage. They are demanding the release of Hadj Amin el-Husseini within 24 hours. If their demands are not met they will kill all the hostages.

So I guess we will have the 1936 to 1939 historical revolt after all.

Quoted

Originally posted by Hood
September 6
At the conclusion of ten days of talks at Singapore between the Ambassador to India and the several Foreign Office officials and representatives of the Bharat government over the status of Burma a brief press statement was made. “His Majesty’s Government have had long and far reaching discussions with Indian officials on various matters concerning Burma. We realise the principles at stake and the British public can be sure that the government will act but also that it will not act to the determent of those principles that it holds dear.”

September 12
The second prototype Handley Page H.P.53 Hereford has flown with two flight-rated 1,100hp Napier-Paxman Pilates I diesel engines in an attempt to cure the ongoing problems with the Napier Dagger.

Both interesting.

As for the Arab revolt, a shame. The use of human shields marks them as criminals masquerading as rebels.