Baghdad Ap. 24. Dearest Mother. It's after all settled that I shall go by air. I get to 'Amman on the 11th, which is the day Father arrives. It is very good of the RAF to take me, for it is an immense simplification. I think I told you I've got a new friend in the RAF, Air Commodore Charlton who is the second in command here. He is one of the Northumberland Charltons and a charming person, keenly interested in everything. I took him to see all the old buildings in Baghdad the other day (there aren't very many of them) and thought him delightful.
I went to Hillah [Hillah, Al] for the night on the 14th with Major Wilson and Dr Herzfeld. We stayed with the Longriggs that night and next morning motored out about an hour to the east to see the excavations at Kish - I was inspecting, you understand. We found that Mr Mackay had done a great deal of work at one of the mounds - the one for which I had got him a permit - but it was almost certainly not the oldest part of Kish which lies under another mound about a mile away. This second mound is covered with very ancient plano-convex bricks and very ancient pottery. I'm getting permission for him to do some preliminary work there.

After that we had a series of misfortunes. Just as we got back to Hillah we punctured. That being put right we went on to Babylon where we lunched, and then, if you'll believe me, we punctured twice again within ten minutes and were left without any spare tubes 40 miles from Baghdad at least. And then there arrived a God in a machine in the shape of an old friend of mine, Majid Beg al Shawi, who was motoring into Baghdad with 3 of his women folk, they had been marrying two sons in Hillah. So we packed the women into a corner of the car and I got in on top of them and motored back with them. They provided me with sweetmeats from the wedding and Majid Beg beguiled the way with historical anecdotes, most of them drawn, with emBellishments, from the life of Jesus Christ. Meantime Major Wilson and Dr Herzfeld struggled along on the rim of their wheel to the nearest village where they slept at the police station. That night while I was enjoying a pleasant bridge party with Mr Cornwallis, Mr Davidson and Col. MacNeece, I was, I must say, devoutly thankful that I wasn't sleeping at the police station also.

Next night there was a terrific dinner party in honour of Sir Percy given by the King - 40 people. It ought to have been the first night of Ramadhan and that being so all alcohol was prohibited. But it wasn't because the little moon happened to be hidden by a cloud, so we might have had the champagne which would have made the occasion less gloomy. I didn't personally mind about the champagne but I happened to have a touch of fever, just enough not to be quite certain whether I was standing on my head or not, and while I was shivering in an ague, it was quite independently of the ague, exquisitely cold. We were dining in H.M.'s new little pavilion and all the doors were open onto the garden. I never spent a more interminable evening, but next day I was all right again.

Last night a number of us gave a ball for Lady Cox - I was the only female host. I thought it horrible myself. I don't like the dances they dance and I don't dance them, and as for the music they dance to I think it excruciating! However I stayed to sup with Sir Henry and then came thankfully away about midnight.

The Tods paid a flying visit here last week. They dined with me to meet Sir Henry and Mr Cornwallis, a very pleasant evening for Aurelia was delightful. Sir Henry stayed on a long time after the Tods had gone, confiding some of his difficulties to Mr Cornwallis and me. I'm really very much attached to Sir Henry but he is a whole universe away from the decisiveness of Sir Percy. Did I tell you that the Municipality gave a tea party to Sir Percy in the Maude Garden - the King came also and presented Sir Percy on behalf of the town with a hideous little silver model of the tomb of the Sittah Zubaidah, Harun al Rashid's wife (it isn't her tomb at all really) inscribed with the following motto: Sir Percy Cox  Baghdad thanks. Wasn't it touching - the absurd English made it all the nicer.

We have turned the Turks out of our Eastern frontier - a very successful performance on the part of Levies and RAF, and I hope we're going to let the Arabs make their own arrangements there with the Kurds. If that happens I really shall for once take some credit to myself, for I have in season and out of season backed the P.M. and Mr Cornwallis with Sir Henry and the AVM. I'm quite certain the P.M. is right and that it's no good trying to run anything except through the Arabs. The Cabinet decision is we hear going to be for a four years' treaty and it's obviously preposterous to try and set up something which depends on our being there in force to push it through, let alone the fact that you haven't anything to build upon with wild Kurdish chiefs. Your material, as Ja'far Pasha says, is so damn. Most of them are holy men, half witted and half starved - wholly barbarous anyhow; and each one hates the other like the devil. How are you going to create a Kurdish state?

Haji Naji gave a luncheon party in his garden last Sunday to Sir Percy. In spite of its being Ramadhan several of the Ministers came - scarcely any of them are fasting. It was a very charming little function and Haji Naji's sorrow at parting with Sir Percy goes to my heart. But fortunately he has made great friends with Sir Henry.

Ap. 26. [26 April 1923] The hot weather has come with a burst in the last two days - not really hot, but more like what it should be at this time of year. It is withering my roses which have been gorgeous for the last fortnight. The entertainments to Sir Percy continue. Yesterday we had an immense tea party in a garden - it was given by the Indian mercantile community. They gave also two ugly bronze peacocks. Today there's a dinner party of 200 people, given by the civil community of Baghdad, of whom I'm one. I'm one of four who propose the health of Sir Percy, Sir Henry, the A.V.M. and Col Slater being the other three. How he'll hate our all talking about him, poor darling.
Marie leaves tomorrow, which is rather a nuisance. She goes round by sea and I think will come all the way by sea. Mr Davidson is on the same ship, so he will look after her. I've told her that she may go to Paris and stay till I come home - the 6th of June I think Father said. She deserves a holiday. I'll pay her journey, so if she wants it you might give her the money and I'll refund it.

All this time rather tears the heart strings, you understand. It's very moving saying goodbye to Sir Percy though I myself shall see him in London, and it's very difficult to uproot oneself though I shall be back in Sep. I know you'll understand.

We had the annual election of members of the Library Committee this week - I came out top. Last year I was third. They never elect any other European. That's the sort of thing that makes it difficult to leave. Goodbye my dearest Mother. Ever your affectionate daughter Gertrude

Ap. 27. [27 April 1923] A tremendous dinner last night; 200 people and 2½ hours! I was the best speaker I may say, except the P.M. for whom I translated.