I had the honour to meet HM. Sultan Jamshid – who had not abdicated – in England, and explained to me how the critical situation, on the 12.01.1964, had forced him to leave his beloved country. He said: at about 6 a.m., a person that he knew, Haj Hussain, came to the Palace and asked him to leave the Palace for his safety. The Sultan bravely refused, saying that he would not leave the country and allow his subjects to be devoured by the mob; and that if there was no choice but to die, then he would prefer to fight to the death amongst his people. This statement was confirmed by Mervyn Smithyman, the Permanent Secretary to late Prime Minister of Zanzibar, in his statement, dated 16th Jan. 1964. HM. the Sultan maintains that: Ambassador Hilal Al Barwani, came after Haj Hussain had left the Place and succeeded in convincing him to leave the Palace too. Barwani explained to the Sultan that it was not only in his own interest to do so but in the interest of the regime, the country, the throne and the people, all at the same time.
It is also a documented fact that the Sultan did not leave the Palace at once but was in a quandary whether to leave or not, until he received a call from the British High Commissioner just before 11 a.m. who told him that the mobs were approaching the Palace and that it was essential for him to leave the Palace, and to leave the country. The High Commissioner also told HM. that he would coordinate with the Police Commissioner to ensure his safe exit.
At 11 a.m. the Sultan had another call, this time from the Commissioner of Police, Jack Sullivan, who asked him to leave the Palace within 10 minutes. In his report, the Commissioner maintains the following:
“At about 11 o’clock, following one very heavy and determined attack, it looked as if the position was hopeless. I telephoned His Majesty the Sultan and asked him to leave. He wished time to leave but as the encircling movement by the enemy was growing in strength and had scout reports that they had penetrated to a street at the rear of the Palace, so I asked him to be at the Wharf within 10 minutes. Part of my force was sent there to ensure that he got on the Salama. They were unable to get back, so they boarded the Salama also.
The police force escorted and ensured the safe passage of the Sultan and his family from the Palace to the harbour. Sultan Jamshid recalls the event stating that he was prepared for the worst. He appeared in public carrying a rifle in his right hand and had hidden a pistol in his clothes. He refused to be transported in a police vehicle, preferring to drive his own car, with his wife and his children, keeping his head held high. The rest of his family and entourage left in police vehicles that flanked the Sultan’s car. However, this police force was unable to return to Malindi Police Station to reinforce the resistance as the mobs were hard on their heels, prompting them to board the ship with the Sultan.
The time to leave had come, ushering in dramatic moments for the end of an era: a Sultan is forced to leave his Palace, defeated and helpless. Confusion and consternation reign in the mind of the Sultan. Treason has taken him by surprise, his eyes are full of anger at the thought of the grim future that awaits his people and he is gripped by his own sorrow at losing his time-honoured throne. The Sultan boarded the Salama heartbroken, forlorn and devastated. He paid his last respects to the Palace built by his great grandfather, Sayyid Said bin Sultan, and to the town where he and his father were born and grew up. He acknowledges that this is probably the last time he will see both.
After a long discussion between the Sultan and some wise people on board, the Sultan decided that they head to Mombasa rather then Pemba or Egypt, as some suggested.
Officials in Kenya thought that Sultan’s entry into Mombasa could lead to a volatile security situation and disturbances by the Arabs living in Mombasa; thus, it was decided not to grant him refuge, nor to his entourage; instead, it was decided they head to Dar es-salaam.
In Dar es-Salaam, the Sultan and his entourage were put under house arrest in two government houses protected by the police and located in the prestigious area of Oyster Bay. One house was allocated to HM. the Sultan and his family while the second one accommodated his entourage. They stayed in Dar es Salaam from the 13th to the 18th of January, the day they flew to England.
The pilot could not land at London Heathrow airport due to severe weather conditions, and was rerouted to Manchester. A press conference was arranged on his arrival at Manchester Airport where He spoke about the plot that had overthrown the Government.
Along with some British officials, the Sultan, his family and entourage were met by officers of the Red Cross who supplied them with warm clothes and coats to protect them from the bad January weather. They spent the night in Manchester and the following day they were taken by train to London where the Sultan and his family stayed in St. James hotel in Mayfair; while his entourage and the young men who accompanied him were accommodated at the Salvation Army Barracks.
The Sultan was expected to settle down in London. However, Sheikh Salim bin Masoud Al Riyami, who was studying in Portsmouth at the time appealed to the Sultan and invited him to live there with him. The Sultan, who had a close friendship with Sheikh Salim’s elder brothers, agreed, and he moved to Portsmouth. He bought a humble house at Victoria Grove, Southsea, where he lived until the moment he was granted welcome by HM. Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the Sultan of Oman, in 15.9.2020.
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