Page 871 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

869

1934

responsibility. Stayed on at the Agency discussing oil matters & then worked till after 2 o'clock in the
office, a very busy day. YK came round after lunch & consulted me about going to the Shaikh of Kuwait
from whom he hopes to get help, I fear he will not succeed. Went out to Jufair with some people to assess
property there, they put on an absurdly high value. Then young Coates, Intelligence Officer RAF came to
see me, he always comes to get information, quite a decent fellow & very keen. Afterwards went to the
Agency & Mrs Loch showed her cinema to 70 of the Police, one of the films being the one of the
Admiral's arrival here & Police guard of honour, very well taken. M called on two of the Shaikh's
daughters at Sukhia & then played Bridge at the Fort. When I got back at 7.30 Coates was still here. The
cinema was a huge success, the Police were delighted at seeing themselves and very interested in a film of
the Trooping of the Colours and also Felix the Cat. The last they decided was an ... They behaved very
well. Dinner party in evening, ten people, all Americans, a mixture of oil & missionaries , pretty awful.
We were both late & our guests arrived before we appeared, so awkward. Loch is very disturbed at the
wives of the oil men

living in the bazaar. He thinks there will be trouble & I am inclined to agree with him. One of them is
already causing gossip by receiving visits from her landlord, an Arab who talks English & has been in
England. She, poor lady, does not realise how careful one has to be & I am sure she is quite respectable
& think no harm of it. She is a stout golden haired lady used to be a dressmaker. She & her husband
came to dinner.

Friday [23rd February]

Strong shamaal and very cold again. Went out in car to Jufair in morning with Mohammed Khaled. Ali
bin Hassem called with a bran figure said to have been dug up at Muharraq, looks late Victorian but may