TALE OF A CITY 74 every few years resulting in a prohibitive cost which they did not think the Ruler of Sharjah would be able to afford. Additionally, this project itself had its own technical difficulties which made it more complicated than first anticipated. As a result, the English declined to help. Ten years before, the requests of the Trucial Coast Sheikhs had been related to obtaining munitions. But, now, they had wireless communication devices, vehicles, and talk about hospitals and schools. The first hospital in Sharjah was opened in this period by the British military. It was simple, open for the public, and the medical officer in the hospital was the military assistant surgeon, Jimada Ahmed.10 These were times of tension, when the British imperialist, Hugh Weightman, who harboured dislike for the Sheikhs of the Emirates as well as the natives, managed to get involved in the oil agreement. He wanted all communications and decisions to be under his own control, alienating the rightful parties, Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr al-Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, and the Petroleum Concessions Limited company. An exchange of letters to this effect took place as is clear from the communications below: Political Agency Bahrain, the 31st March 1940 N o.c/260-13/2 To Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr Ruler of Sharjah After Compliments. with effect from the 1st April 1940, the undertaking of imperial Airways limited, with all their rights and liabilities, will be transferred to and vested in a new statutory corporation to be called «British Overseas Airways Corporation”. the services hitherto operated by Imperial Airway Limited will from the 1st April 1940 be taken over and operated by the Corporation. 2. Though there will be no change whatsoever in the terms of the agreement entered into with you on the 22nd July 1932 which will be fully observed by the Corporation, specific references to the Company in the Agreement require amendment, in favour of the Corporation, and His 10 Ibid., L.P.&S/12/3671, P.Z.942/1940,3867, P.Z.394/1939, I.O.R./R/15/2/506, pp.18−19.
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