Page 679 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

677

1932

mind it. Later on they had supper and then again there was a good deal of rowdyism, and then, after midnight, a short
play by Steele and Mrs Schindler. By about two oclock we thought it was time to go home to bed but some of the
people went on to the de Greniers house and kept on till three in the morning. I really enjoyed the show very much, it
was such a change in Bahrain to see some liveliness, though I cant imagine what the Mission thought about it all.

Friday January 1st 1932

I had to get up earlier than I wanted to as the boys of the Shia school came down to serenade me with their band, and then strings of people
came to call, all the office staff, the Arabs and all the leading merchants and also Shaikh Hamed and Shaikh Abdulla. The usual show at the
Agency, a Guard of Honour for the Shaikh and a meeting of all the notables and speeches etc etc in the Agency. Mrs de Grenier came round
to see the manumitted slaves who go every year to the Agency with their drums and music and sing and dance at the gates. I went across to
pay my official call on the Political Agent, as usual, and then came back and we played Bridge with the de Greniers and Father Lamb. Cold
day but sunny. After lunch we and Major Holmes and Prior motored out to call on the Skinners at the oil camp, we thought they both
seemed to be suffering rather the effects from the day before.

Saturday [2 January]
Court. Went out to the Portuguese Fort in the afternoon in the car and then walked quite a long way along the shore taking the dogs with us,
unfortunately they seemed to find an unusually large number of dead animals. Dined with Holmes in the evening, the Steeles and Ham were
there, we four played Bridge and the others sat and looked bored, and no wonder, Tiffany was there too, Holmes had been buying quite a lot
of pearls and also several carved rubies which he says are a wonderful bargain, he got them from Katif, they are rounded but not cut into
segments, I think that is what is called cabouchon, one was a big one. A very good dinner as there always is at his house.

Sunday 3rd Jan.

The Resident arrived in the morning on the "Chakla" one of the B.I. boats which he has chartered for the trip, at enormous expense which I
suppose falls on the British tax payer eventually. It seems absurd that he should have a boat of this size when he could easily travel on one
of the sloops. He had a sloop as escort. I went down to meet the Shaikh and we went out to the boat to call on him, a beautiful fine day so
not unpleasant going out. The Shaikh of Kuwait was with him also a young man called Baggalay from the Legation in Teheran. We stayed
some time and then, as usual came ashore and he followed about ten minutes later and made a formal landing, we had a guard of honour and
all the naturs and quite a big crowd about the pier. Baggalay wore his Diplomatic uniform and Prior and the P.R were both in full unifor
The Shaikh met them at the head of the pier and the whole party walked in procession down the pier to the room above the Police Office
which had been prepared with carpets where the Resident returned the Shaikh's call. It is rather a picturesque affair but I have done it all so
often that the novelty has worn off. Mrs Parke and Mrs de Grenier looked on from the veranda of the Customs House. After the show I
went in to the Customs for a little while and then up to the Palace to see about the arrangements for the show tomorrow afternoon. In the
afternoon we took Baggallay out for a drive and showed him the bazaar and the tombs and various places which are counted as sights. He