Page 639 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

636

1931

all use of one side and is very bad. He is a decent old man and though very unprogressive he is a good type of Arab and rather
one of my supporters. If he dies he will be missed a great deal. A lot more rain. Invited to dinner tomorrow on the Hastings,
as long as its fine I dont mind as she is very close to the shore. Prior had Pemberton to dinner and some of the others. Much
warmer owing to the rain.

Friday 6th February 1931

No Bank Bridge as Barden went out to the ship to call on them. Wrote my diary most of the morning and worked at the
History of Bahrain which is coming on well but I shall have to make two versions of it, one in full with all the information
which I have "acquired" and the other a more censored edition. It is very interesting working at it but I miss very much not
having a good library to refer to, my books are limited to about half a dozen. Rain most of the day. The town is in an awful
state I have never seen it so bad. My house leaks in places quite badly, in fact every room except the bed room has three or
four basins set there to catch the water. Called on Parke in the afternoon, he seemed to be recovered, didnt stay long as his
arabic teacher arrived. Then to the D.Gs to call, I feel I have not been to see them enough, found them with tea very much set
out but some very pretty black china which she brought out, expecting Startin to call, later on he came. Had a most excellent
tea with very good cakes which I afterwards discovered had been made by Walker's cook. D.G. was really terribly pompous
and made some choice remarks such as saying that he always had his finger on the pulse of the Arab feeling in Bahrain and
knew exactly what was going on, actually of course he knows nothing. Mrs D.G. obviously didnt like his talking in such a
way. Dined on board the Hastings, with Prior. A very dull and indifferent dinner, she is so near in that I didnt mind going.
The Captain is a man called Ms Grath, a Roman Catholic as I noticed he ate no meat and had a crucifix in his bunk, Startin was
there and also the Ship's doctor and the Quartermaster, both extremly common. Very dull the only bright person was Startin
and if he made at all a risky remark the other man looked down his nose. They spent most of the time running down the Air
Force. A horrid little cabin with hardly room to stand up in and the Captain's bunk behind curtains in a corner of it. After
dinner we literally stood about for about an hour and a half and then left, on the whole a very dreary show. prior told me that
the P.R. had told him that he had felt quite awkward when calling on the de Greniers as she had called him "Sir" all the time!!!
- like a housemaid or something. Evidently D.G. had told her to do this, so like him.

Saturday [7 February]

Quite a busy morning, a lot of Police cases. Poured with rain most of the day. Went up to the Palace which is leaking badly
and then to the little Biladya garden to get some flowers. The house leaking badly. All the houses are doing the same even the
Agency. Went round to see Walker and stayed there for some time. He told me that the Strakers are going to Mohammerah,
definitely and he doesnt expect to get leave for some months, a pity as he needs it badly. Talked about the D.Gs, he was very
funny about it. He had been asked to dinner last night but said he was ill as he didnt want to go out to the ship.

Sunday [8 February]

Rain all day. They say that there has not been rain like this for about 20 years, it is simply awful in the town all the roads are
deep in water. I walked to D.Gs in the evening where I was dining and walked back, in the rain as it was so bad for motoring
even on the sea road, it looked quite like England with the lights from the lamp posts reflected in the wet road and a thick