12th October, 1943: Bahrain and the Gulf

I awoke easily, the lights were already on for some fellows leaving before us. I was hoping it was raining, anything to prevent us having to get up for a while. The beds were so clean and comfortable - but we had to make an effort. Rain does not fall enough in Iraq, and certainly not to one's wishes. After an early breakfast, we were soaring away again. Nothing of interest could be seen, we saw nothing but a monotonous sameness all the way to the Gulf. 

I had always though of the Gulf of Arabia being a dull expanse of grey sea. I was wrong - never had I seen such a sea, the beauty of the blue shades and greens as they merged into each other and into the brilliant yellow and dazzling gold of the sand where the water was shallow. But this beauty, it harboured ugliness and cruelty - this is shark-infested water. We seemed to crawl along, the land was a vast desert. Occasionally we passed a little town or village, a lonely spot of habitation in a vast emptiness. 

God, what a life these people must live - their diet must be fish - for there seemed no other source of food. No vegetation could be seen anywhere. Had they been cannibals, who could have blamed them, any change of diet might be welcomed by them. I was indeed thankful that I was in an aeroplane just passing over, well out of their reach. At last we saw Barhein [Bahrain] Island coming up ahead of us, and near it, another small island taken up almost entirely by the 'drome.

We landed on one of the smoother runways one might find anywhere - a very fine, but firm sand. The camp itself consisted of grass huts. These were indeed splendidly built, the the first two feet just a frame woven and the top foot also built in the same way. Inside the huts, electric lights and fans. In such a country, these would have made ideal homes. Almost every building was made of bamboo and grass. 

After tiffin, Lofty, Bill Taylor and Shorty went to the swimming pool. I, poor sap, went to the kite, to clean out the sand that was in it. This was not so that I might have clean surroundings - but the rush of air always made the air inside very dust-laden. This I had found, was not very pleasant. I had enough sand from Egypt to make a little beach of my own. After dinner, a good, but rather light meal, we played Monopoly. Having had enough of this game, we retired, another day's flying ahead of us meant another early call. I was getting used to early breakfasts by this time, but I had not forgotten how to appreciate a good long rest in the morning. We were taking a passenger with us.