Baghdad Nov. 11. Darling Father. Here I am again writing at the last minute. I can't help it, for as long as Sylvia has a bandaged eye and can't read, I have to amuse her every second after I come back from office. It is so lonely for her in the mornings when I can't be there that I feel I cannot leave her at all when I'm free. So you must please accept these hasty scrawls in the spirit in which they are meant.
First I'll tell you what we have done. We had an uphill dinner with the Bourdillons on Wed - the day I wrote. Not because the Bs were anything but the smoothest going, but Violet and I were sitting on either side of the Air Marshal and he simply declined to speak. I tried every topic of Air Force or other interest in vain and finally left him alone and talked to my other neighbour, Mr Swan. I think when the A.V.M. feels like that - which he not infrequently does - he should stay at home. Anyhow I'm glad I'm not Lady A.V.M. After dinner it was better for we were two bridge tables; the AVM plays well and likes it.

The next day, on the other hand, we had a very pleasant little party of our own - two of the men from the King's diwan - ie office - Rustam Beg and Mr Kisbani, both Syrians, both agreeable and good bridge players. On Friday we gave a dinner party for the Vernons which was unexpectedly successful - we had been looking forward to it with some anxiety. Mr Keeling and Sylvia's doctor, Woodman, were the other guests. They played bridge after and I talked to Mrs Vernon. I'm afraid I rather like her after all!

I must tell you that an American couple turned up on Thursday, namens Wright. He is a professor of law at Chicago and brought introductions to me. He and his wife appeared in my office and announced that they were studying the mandatory system in its relation, especially, to international law. I returned that they had come to the wrong place for we had replaced the mandate by a treaty. Mr W. said he couldn't understand what we meant by that - he evidently thought it eyewash; so having a not very busy morning I explained for an hour and he left me, I may say, a wiser man. He was evidently worth taking some trouble about so I arranged for him to see Ken and others, and by luck on Saturday afternoon, when I was taking a short walk by myself (Sylvia having gone motoring with someone) I fell in with the Wrights and we walked together and had a very interesting talk about Syria. Ken had dropped in to lunch that day to hear what I had to say about the Wrights and they had an interview with him that evening which, I gather, made Mr Wright still wiser. We dined at the Palace that evening, a large party, including the Higginses. I sat by him again and found him in an outgoing mood to my great relief. It fell to me to arrange the card parties after so that I was obliged to put myself in the worst one - so tiresome, but what can one in decency do?

On Sunday morning I met the Wrights at the Museum and showed them over it - it is getting to be a wonderful place, but oh I wish it were better housed. J.M. [Wilson] has gone - I went with all the crowd to see him off on Friday. I do miss him so much. I had a couple of men to lunch, Mr Stafford of my own office, and Captain Anson who is an A.F. intelligence officer at Kirkuk and very pleasant. We went to tea at Mu'adhdham [Azamiyah, Al], Ken taking us, with my dear little friend Saiyid Mustafa who is the original grower of cabbages and cauliflowers. Mr Cooke came too, bringing the charming Jesuit Mr le Grain who is the Babylonian scholar of the Ur expedition and the nicest member of it. We also took the Wrights.

A walk through the cabbage gardens left me laden with all kinds of delicious vegetables for which I am very grateful now that I have so many people to dine and lunch.

Ken and Major Eadie dined and played bridge. It streamed and poured in the night - this is very good for the country but a bore for individuals. It was still raining off and on on Monday but by 5 o'clock we got so tired of being in the house that we struggled out and called on the Vernons and Mrs Sinbad, all out. After that we felt better. Sylvia dined out with Mr Keeling and I had the Wrights to dinner to meet two ardent nationalists, Nuri Pasha and the Minister of Auqaf, Hamdi Pachahji. We had a good talk at dinner; afterwards I left the 3 men together and took Mrs Wright into the other room. She is a very nice and intelligent woman.

On Tuesday afternoon we borrowed Ken's car and drove out into the desert where we had a little walk which Sylvia liked. It was comparatively dry there. We had a Rummy dinner party. The Dunlops, Elsie Sinbad and Mr Cooke, quite pleasant. Rummy, introduced by Sylvia, is a great resource with people who don't play bridge.

So now we come to today. There were two telegrams pointing to very remarkable developments in the Syrian question, but as yet so secret that I must not breathe a word about them. Sir Henry had come back last night and I had a talk with him after breakfast, a rather difficult talk for we were approaching the whole thing from diametrically opposite sides and I had to be as tactful as I could so as not to antagonise him while yet trying to put the other point of view. That's my real trouble with him as compared with Sir Percy (deeply private!) Sir Percy and I might take different lines about details - it should be added that in the end he almost always was right - but we were absolutely at one on the spirit of the thing we are doing. Sir Henry not only doesn't share that spirit, but he thinks it nonsense. However, I don't think I need bother much, for the march of events is being so rapid and so inevitable.

There was a function at the military cemetary [sic] where Maude is buried - H.E. unveiled a cross and a memorial. Bernard took me. It was very simple and touching, marred only by a sermon which was the purest balderdash. What an opportunity missed! Then came the 2 minutes silence and then the Last Post on bugles which I think is the most emotional thing in the world - I have stood so often over the graves of my colleagues here and listened to it.

It was a holiday in our office and I took the opportunity to go to the Ministry of Works and get through a mass of Antiquities Dept work which has been standing over for the last ten days. It was a delicious afternoon - S. and I hired a taxi and went out to see a polo tournament where we met all the world and were amused. We dine alone tonight, almost for the first time.

I have your letter and Mother's of Oct 28 telling of your domestic hiatus at 95. I do hope it is over. Thank you so much for the long cutting about Damascus [Dimashq (Esh Sham, Damas)] - the special correspondent. Was not it well done and the leader too was admirable. You agree, don't you, that it is a most shocking story. I have sent in my memo. about Syria which was much approved by Bernard and Ken but will not be, I fear, by H.E. - not that it matters now, only I should have liked to have been able to say after "I told you so!"

S. was grateful for the obituary notice of Lord H. What an extraordinary way you heard of his death.

I think your Banker memorial excellent and shall be deeply interested to hear whether the B. of E. joined in and you carried it through.

Goodbye darling. I want to write a line to Mother. Your very loving daughter Gertrude.

Don't ever forget how much I love you.