May 4. G.H.Q. Basrah [Basrah, Al (Basra)]. Dearest Father. I think you will be amused to find yourself an anonymous contributor to the Basrah Times - here is the number in which you appear. I am writing to you before mail day because General Gilman, sent out here by the W.O, is going straight home to report and I hope he will carry this letter. For some days before it actually happened, it was clear that Kut [Kut, Al (Kut al Imara)] must fall. We lost it on March 8 when we were actually through the Turkish trenches at Sinn, but instead of going straight on we waited 4 hours, obligingly allowing the Turks to hurry up reinforcements. From that time they have been digging like moles and I believe the position is now such that no troops could have taken it. We made our last effort to stave off the end by getting a ship load of provisions through. It was a very gallant attempt undertaken by the best Captain on the river, Cowley (I have met him in Baghdad) a man known to every Arab in Mesopotamia and respected and loved by them all. I fear he is killed; a man such as he cannot be replaced. Aubrey is, I gather, helping to arrange the exchange of prisoners, his knowledge of Turkish being very useful. The Admiral has just come down here; I have not seen him yet. And today the Army Commander and all G.H.Q. staff return from up river. I must then find out what they wish me to do. If they will let me, I shall stay for the work is extremely interesting and I think I can made a good deal more of the sort of jobs I have been doing if they will give me a free hand to recast a lot of their Intelligence publications - they are amazingly, indeed quite ludicrously bad. I am now engaged into getting into communication with Ibn Rashid whom it is rather important to preserve as a neutral if we can do no more. He is only about 4 days off and Sir Percy Cox  has approved warmly of my sending him a letter. A curious game isn't it, but you can understand that it is exciting to have a hand in it. The climate is of course infernal, but oddly enough I don't mind it. I ride 3 or 4 mornings a week, going out about 5.30, and then come in to a room with all doors and windows closed and electric fans spinning - really quite comparatively cool. The temperature hasn't run up to 100° yet but it is very close and stuffy with a perpetual south wind - if you can call it a wind, it seems to me perfectly still. This is always the weather in May and they say it is more trying than the hotter months when the N. wind sets in.
Donald Davidson has come down wounded. He had a very narrow escape. He was attacked 3 times by a small swift German aeroplane with a machine gun while he was returning from dropping food into Kut. His left shoulder was broken and he brought his aeroplane 6 miles home with own his right hand to fly it. It was a fine performance. I have been up to see him several times in hospital. He will be going off to India shortly. He heard that I was here and wrote asking me to come.

I paid a number of visits this week on Basrah notables; one was a big Pasha, a heavy stupid man, but he is the richest inhabitant and on that account has played some part. I wanted to see what he was like. The others were some half black eunuchs who are kept here by the Sherif of Mecca [Makkah] to look after some property he has here. I had told them I was coming and they had prepared a lunch for me in the house of a Christian who is their neighbour, so we all lunched together, a hottish performance with a thermometre [sic] well over 95! It was the day after the fall of Kut was announced and I knew that most, if not all Basrah was rejoicing over the news so I took occasion to give the Pasha and the rest a very confident, forecast of the future - may it be justified! - and also to tell them a good deal about Turkish doings in Syria and other Arab provinces. I think it was useful as far as it went.

Now goodbye dearest - I have two Arabs coming in, one for place names on maps and the other for tribes. I hope I shall hear from you tomorrow when the mail is due. I'm right to stay, don't you think, as long as this kind of work goes on? Ever your very affectionate daughter Gertrude

May 8. [8 May 1916] The general is delayed till tomorrow and I open my letter to tell you that we have had some of Ibn Rashid's men in. They had seen me in Hail and gave me news of all my friends saying I was much talked about still. I sent back by them a long letter to the Amir and many messages to all sorts of people. It would be a great triumph if we could rope him in.
I had tea with Admiral Wemys [i.e. Wemyss] yesterday - he has now gone off down the Gulf. He was very chatty, talked a great deal about his own doings (as indeed is his way) but left me with an impression, which I fancy is correct) that though he is not likely to underestimate his own importance, he has been pretty useful in the Red Sea. He has cleared away several difficulties (largely by disregarding susceptibilities) and got a move on. Egypt is much pleased with him I hear.

I am now going to do all the liason work between Egypt and Basrah [Basrah, Al (Basra)], which will I hope, bring me into much closer contact with Sir Percy Cox  as he will mainly be supplying me with material. I like him very much; he is a big man and it will be a great pleasure to work with him.

George Lloyd is on his way here from Egypt - Sir Percy has asked for him. Won't it be delightful to have him. He is going to be put onto commercial matters which I should think he will do very well. In under 3 months from now we shall have the date harvest - and no shipping to carry the dates away. That is the sort of thing which needs careful handling and an ingenious mind.

We all decide that I had better remain here for the present and I am glad to do so.

Oh, will you please tell Marie to make and post to me 4 crepe de chine nightgowns - she knows the sort I like. No fal-lals about them, the washing here is past words but those I have wash beautifully. I'm afraid they will begin to wear out in a month or two, I've had them so long.

May 9. [9 May 1916] I really believe this letter will get off tomorrow. Please tell Mother that the things she sent to me c/o Mrs Shaw have reached me to my great joy. That's something to go on with anyhow. I'm so grateful.