Page 1578 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

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1942

Spent a long time at the Customs with DC on food affairs. The position is not at
all satisfactory & in other states where there is no control there is no shortage,
here prices low but no flour.

Sunday 21st June

Office. HH came in & spent from 10 till 1.30 in the office with me & Wakefield
mostly discussing the food position which is serious - still no flour & little
rice coming in.

Worked all the afternoon in the office, heard they had an air raid alarm at Awali
but was not informed - there is a great muddle over it all.
Manama H Mistress & her husband came to see me in the evening re going away.

Dined with TT.s, a sticky party, Sh Kh, Hewitt & Leslie Smith, H in a bad temper
about the air raid muddle, it was apparently a real alarm but nobody told me.

Monday 22nd June

Very busy morning. Fort. Had a meeting of merchants re rice & flour supplies,
they are all foreigners & behaving very badly, forced to raise the amount of
profit from 10 to 20% which I resented. Sh A was there but took small part in the
talk.

Went to Jidda pm to see some gold smugglers but they didnt turn up, Mr Jufar was
there the house was finished & very nice indeed. Came home via Budega.

Tuesday 23rd June

Very busy day. Fort. Office, saw Wakelin re going to Kuwait & school matters.
Some teachers are going on next boat. King came to see me re land at Jufair.
Went off at noon in the launch to intercept some Kuwaitis thought to be smuggling
gold, have them taken to Jidda & there searched them thoroughly. Found nothing