Among the Ghosts: Remnants of the British Empire in Iraq
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell — or Miss Bell, as the Iraqis still call her — is interred in the Anglican Church's cemetery in a raised tomb. It's dried up and crumbling in the Iraqi sun. The British delegations that used to pay homage stopped coming months ago because of the danger. A ring of jasmine trees and date palms planted last year by Ahmad Chalabi's daughter, Tamara, "in recognition of Gertrude Bell's historic contribution to Iraq" are mostly dead.
"The soil is too salty," said Mansour Ali, the grave keeper, jabbing a finger at the earth.
Miss Bell, the British adventurer and diplomat, was as decisive in the creation of the modern Iraqi state as any single person. She imagined it in the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, then ending its 600-year run. The First World War was over, and the Middle East seemed as blank as a sheet of paper. The borders of the new state would be long and straight like a ruler, cutting across deserts, tribes and languages. It was a thrilling time to be alive.
Back when the British Empire reigned supreme, and refrigeration was scarce, the men who gave their lives for the Crown were buried where they fell. It took too long to ship them home. Even now, across the old realm, in places like Trincomalee, Sri Lanka and Kohima, India, the British war cemeteries are lovingly maintained, prideful reminders of a vanished world.