| Description | Typed transcript of pp.1-54 of Belgrave's diary for 1 January to 4 June 1952. Topics covered include the British decision not to publicise the KCMG awarded to Shaikh Sulman in the New Year's Honours List (7 January), theft of expensive cameras and film from a shop (15 January), concern over political turmoil across the region (25 January), James Belgrave's decision to postpone his wedding (27 January - it was later called off), visit from various guests including Eugene Black, President of the World Bank, James Bell of Time magazine and his wife, Mrs Ditcher, owner of the 'Petroleum Times' and Van Muerby (?), a Dutch explorer and Arabist (1-3 February), as well as Whitney Straight, managing director of BOAC (12 February), a memorial service for King VI at the Jufair cinema (15 February), visit from Sir Roger Makins of the Foreign Office (22, 27 February), cinema visits (3, 8 March, 5, 19 May), the development of a second generation of British people in Bahrain (3 March), presentation of KCMG to Shaikh Sulman (5 March), Makins' dislike of an article in Time magazine, and Belgrave's advice to Marjorie not to be interviewed by 'Saut al Bahrain' (The Voice of Bahrain), the local newspaper (6 March), filming for BAPCO (25, 28 March), death of a Palestinian school teacher who apparently set fire to herself (26 March), performance of 'Hay Fever' a Jufair with Belgrave's painted scenery (27 March), visit from Lord Inchcape (29 March) and Abd al-Ilah, the Regent of Iraq, accompanied by Nuri al-Said, Tahsin Quadri and others (2-3 April), another Life-Time photographer named Saunders (9-15 April), visit from Sir Eric Blackett, legal adviser at the Foreign Office, urging Belgrave to have a lawyer in the Bahrain government (22-23 April), a second meeting with Douglas Bader (25 April), reading Freya Stark's autobiography (1 May), news of resignation of the British adviser in Qatar, Phillip Plant (4 May), awarding of KBE to Belgrave on the Queen's Birthday List (9 May) and the departure of Colonel Mostert who had been helping to establish the Gulf Aviation Company (21 May). |