The Royal Navy and the Dubai Incident- 1910 World Naval Ships Forums Archive

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The Royal Navy and the Dubai Incident- 1910 World Naval Ships Forums Archive

The Royal Navy and the Dubai Incident- 1910

Posts 1 to 11

For nearly two hundred years the Royal Navy has played a part in patrolling the Persian Gulf then known as the East Indies and now generally referred to as the Arabian Gulf. In the early 1900's the main task of the ships of the Royal Navy and the Royal Indian Marine was to prevent gun running within the Gulf. A number of vessels were involved H.M.Ships ALERT, ESPIEGLE FOX, HYACINTH, ODIN, PHILOMEL and SPHINX together with seven armed launches and R.I.M.S MINTO . In addition, each ship had out at least two to five cutters patrolling the coast line. In January 1911 the Times of India reported an incident that had occurred at Dubai the previous month. During the course of a routine patrol intelligence reports received aboard the cruiser, H.M.S Hyacinth indicated arms were being brought into Dubai from Muscat. On the morning of 24th December, 1910 a party of eighty Royal Marines and Blue Jackets landed at Dubai to begin a house to house search. Permission was granted by the ruling Sheikh and the parties commenced checking houses along the shore. Shortly afterwards a cache of rifles was located beneath a house and members of the party returned to the boats to collect tools to unearth the arms. The locals meanwhile, who had shown an ever increasing hostile attitude suddenly opened fire killing one Royal Marine Sergeant and four Able Seamen and wounding eight others. The parties took cover on the beach and returned fire. H.M.S Hyacinth anchored about a mile offshore responded with 6" Lyddite shells into the houses off the beach. Dubai at the time was a town of narrow winding streets and flat roofed houses giving the attackers a distinct advantage. The Sheikh hearing the firing sent messengers throughout the town ordering a ceasefire. The Naval party re-embarked with their wounded and dead who were later buried at sea. The locals had suffered at least thirty-seven casualties and an unknown number of wounded. On 28th December, the Political Resident and the Naval Commander in Chief, Rear-Admiral Edmond J.W.Slade, KCIE, MVO, arrived at Dubai and presented the Sheikh with an ultimatum on the subject of arms and forty-eight hours to comply. The following day a number of ships anchored off shore ready to take extreme action. Towards the end of the time limit the Sheikh conceded and order was restored once more. It was for incidents similar to this that the bar ‘Persian Gulf 1909-1914’ was instituted for the Naval General Service Medal on 10th August, 1915 and awarded to the officers and men of H.M.Ships employed in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea on arms suppression operations. [B]ROYAL MARINE CASUALTIES : [/B] Killed: Henry John Capon. Sgt.RMLI Cha.9910 Wounded: William Henry Geater. Pte.RMLI Cha.14452 Arthur James Pye Pte.RMLI Cha.13083 Ernest George Reakes. Pte.RMLI Po.9666 Elijah Baggott. Pte.RMLI Cha.8567
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Here are some bits pertaining to the incident. Published in The Times between January and April 1911
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.......and here is a picture of the NGSM medal with the attached Persian Gulf 1909-1914 bar as awarded to my Uncle, PO Benjamin Ellis who was serving on HMS Hyacinth at the time. I believe he was on the shore landing party as well. He also served on HMS Philomel, Fox and Alert around that period in the Gulf. Thank you to manowari for the historical information provided.
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Many thanks for the addition of the medal. I had Capon's AGS medal for a time. When it was sold the docs said Killed in Daibai, the old spelling..His next of kin did not receive his NGS..

Interesting bit of Navy history, never heard of this incident until now, thanks James

Yes, this is an interesting bit of history. Thanks!

Exceedingly interesting Manowari.One tends to forget that the Royal Navy has been present in the Gulf for over a Century,notjust in present times.Regards.Steve.

[QUOTE=steve roberts;97215]Exceedingly interesting Manowari.One tends to forget that the Royal Navy has been present in the Gulf for over a Century,notjust in present times.Regards.Steve.[/QUOTE] ......and not just the Royal Navy either. The RAF had stations all along the Gulf when we had an Airforce. RAF Sharjah was approximately 17 miles from Dubia which closed in or around 1972. I had the horrible misfortune to spend a whole year in this flea-pit of a posting on 84 sqn. in 67/68 I never did find out who I had upset to deserve this posting. :D Other RAF Gulf stations were Masirah, Salalah and Bahrein (RAF Murarraq). These RAF Bases were mainly equipped prior to closure in the 1970's with Hunter's of 8 sqn. Argosy 105 sqn. and Andover's 84sqn. Back-up and reinforcements would have come from Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri........my how times have changed eh! The RAF have trouble these days in launching a kite.

Thanks Melv, for the update on the RAF in the Gulf. I spent time at Masirah with 39 Sqdn and a short spell in Aden and Muhurraq. In later years I was contracted to the US Navy in Bahrain and met many COs of warships who were totally ignorant of the fact we had been in the Gulf since the late 1700s.. Did you know the RN was involved with pirates and gun running in the gulf in the early 1800s together with ships of the East India Company.. I suspect that we dealt with pirates on the end of a yard arm in those days.. .

Just a bit off topic but not too much :), when my wifes father was alive he would often talk about life in the RN ( 1950's ) & patrolling the African coast for Slave traders & other misc unpleasant activities James

Could this photo from the Library of Congress be related to this story? It is tagged: [I]Arms traffic. The disaster at Dibai. The surrendered rifles on the quarterdeck of HMS Fox[/I]. Peter
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