Page 818 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

Very nice & cool playing tennis. Much excitement in the evening as the Red Buoy got adrift. Sent out men in
a launch to get it in & anchor it. A destroyer came in after dark with a sick man who is to be sent up to
Basrah by air.

Sunday 24th [September]

Busy day. Office before breakfast. Then Court, then Shaikh Sulman & I went to meet the A.V.M who
returned from Oman. I had a guard of honour of 50 men on the shore by the Rest House & Gastrell, all
dressed up in uniform & sword, went down too to meet the A.V.M. It was low tide & the flying boats had to
stay a long way out so we had to get into a little cart, very rough & rickety & be pulled over the uneven
stones out to a launch in which we went to the flying boat. Stayed there some time & then four of us came
ashore in this most undignified & unsuitable way - with the guard of honour lined up looking on. It was very
comic, I always advised against it & Burnett did not like it at all, however we got ashore without mishap &
clambered out, Burnett was most pleased with the Police who looked very smart, and liked the band
especially. Then we went up to the aerodrome to see the nine land machines which seemed alright. Crowds
of people turned out to see them, then I went back to the office. In afternoon there were official calls. I
went with the Shaikh to call on Burnett at the Agency & then they returned the call at the Palace as usual.
The Shaikh was in good form and talked a lot. Mohammed and Abudlla were with him at the Palace. Later
on Burnett & Welsh came to call on us and Gastrell joined them & they all stayed till it was time to go to a
dinner party at the Palace which the Shaikh gave for the Air Force, there were ten of them. Later on Gastrell
went out to the up mail as he is going to Bushire for a week before the Navy comes. The AVM stayed at the
Agency & goes off tomorrow morning. I find such a lot of interpreting is rather exhausting especially when
several people speak at once and all wish their remarks & replies to be put into Arabic.

Monday [25th September]

Fort. Had another special court for the big estate case of Abdel Rahman b Abdel Wahab, the old Shaikh who
died some time ago. Heard witnesses of handwriting of the will and eventually decided that the will was
invalid, not genuine and forged. Police station and customs. Motored in afternoon. Dined with the Russells,
had some very good Bridge.

Tuesday 26th [September]

Fort, office & customs. Went up to see aeroplanes in afternoon and then to the Russells for Bridge.

Wednesday 27th Sept