TALE OF A CITY 18 Airways tents, the rifles and ammunition for the guards. They, however, were obliged to return empty-handed after spending the whole day at sea. This was owing to the fact that the Bandra was delayed for 24 hours as a result of a violent north-western wind. As the Bandra had not arrived by sunset, the Sheikh had withdrawn his boats to the Creek and had dismissed the workers. It was high tide at 10:00 PM. The RMS Bandra arrived at Dubai 2:15 PM on Friday 23 September 1932, and docked a mile and third from the shore at 4.00 PM, quickly unloading the small shipment belonging to Sharjah there. Then, at 9.00 PM, the Bandra left Dubai heading for Hengam. The Dubai workers loaded the shipment on Dubai boats and transported it to Sharjah. At the time, the work on the Station had stopped because there was no more cement available in the region and it was not clear when it may arrive. Also, the electricity generator used for the Sharjah Station had broken down. The English engineers, however, had a small generator which was working efficiently. A new generator was expected to arrive, it was said, on 29 September 1932. In the afternoon of 5 October 1932, at 4:00 PM, the first Imperial Airways flight arrived fromGwadar. It was the Hanno, aBritish-made aircraft, carrying four passengers, and loaded to full capacity with equipment and spare parts. Its arrival caused some excitement in the people of Sharjah, who had been waiting for its arrival with Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr. After a safe landing, the plane was towed into the hangar surrounded by barbed wires. Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi proceeded together with the rest of the dignitaries of Sharjah and a crowd of residents to see the aircraft and admire it. The passengers were housed in the tents, which were equipped with all means of comfort and suitable furniture and fittings. The Hanno resumed its flight on 6 October 1932, and landed in Manamah, Bahrain. On 7 October 1932, the Hannibal arrived from Bahrain to Sharjah. The Sheikh’s guards assigned to the station consisted of 37 men armed with service rifles. The HMS Triad had been docking opposite Sharjah, and present at all the air flights and landings from Sharjah was its General Naval Commander.
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