Page 1553 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

1551

1942

Incendiary bomb demonstration at the Fort, well attended & very useful &
interesting - comments of the crowd were that before bombs fell they would leave
their houses & go to the Gardens. Not as many Europeans who should have come.
Went into the Steeles afterwards & then to the Van Ps. Took tea to Seluliat &
bathed Hosha ran away, called at Sakhir on way back but she was not there. Hot
stuffy day, most unpleasant, water not hot but quite pleasant for bathing.

Saturday 4th April

Cool day, shamaal. Fort, went to hospital, new block was nearly finished.
Office, Shs M & A came to go over the Durbar speech, Sh M incorporated all my
suggestions into it & it sounded quite tolerable, though no flourishes. Argument
about the place, Sh M suggested at last moment that it should be in corner of
verandah - quite impossible. Wakefield & I went to Palace & spent some time on
the site. Snow re new woman doctor. Went to Fort after tea & to T school on way
then to the Palace. Dined with Wakelin, B.T. there, Elspeth refused last minute -
owing to sailor boys. N had some very good gramophone music & evidently knows a
lot about music, the flat looked very nice, dinner very bad.

Monday 6th April

Durbar. Spent all the morning at the Palace preparing the outdoor meglis, about
1000 seats, all very nice, simple decoration scheme of red & the palace front
behind as a background with scarlet curtains on the arches, pleasant cool day.
The show went off well but Sh S was late so we had to divest the P.R. I had an
anxious time waiting for his arrival. After the two speeches all the people came
up to the dais to congratulate him. Captain of Danae sat next to me & there were
a lot of naval officers & people in uniform.

Sunni Kadir - the old sheep, came & departed angry because not on the platform.

Had people to Bridge and dinner in the evening, a very good dinner. Thankful to
get the show over.

Wednesday 8th April