Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell (July 14, 1868 - July 12, 1926) was an Englishwoman who, singlehandedly, inventedcountry which todaycalled Iraq. Little knownalmost forgotten inlatter part of20th Century, Bell waswomanextraordinary intellect, ability, daringpolitical skills. During her adventurousvaried life, she wasunrecognised brains behindArab revoltWorld War I -which LawrenceArabia was unfairly given most ofcredit -atconclusion ofwar,was Bell who drew upborders offormer Mesopotamiaincludethree vilayets which became Iraq.It was also Gertrude Bell who persuaded Winston Churchillappoint Faisal,recently deposed KingSyria, asfirst KingIraq,until her death, she wasmost seniorimportant female Civil Servant inentire British Empire.
Gertrude Bell was bornWashington Hall Durham County, England tofamilygreat affluence. She showed extraordinary brilliance aschild,atage16, went upOxford University, where she gainedfirst class Honors DegreeHistoryonly two years.
She then spent muchher time travelling aroundworld, mountaineeringSwitzerland,gaininglovearchaeologylanguages. OneEngland's great explorers, Bell opened upArabian deserts towestern worldher vivid descriptions,brilliantly written prose. She spent many years gettingknowArab chieftains, EmirsSheiks,atoutbreak ofFirst World War, she was inparticularly good positionadviseBritish War Ministry aboutlocationdispositionArabic forces which could be encouragejoinBritish againstTurks. It was at this pointher life that she became an advisorColonel T. E. Lawrence, later known as LawrenceArabia. She was instrumentalBritish wartime effortsEgyptMesopotamia,wasprofoundly talented intelligence officer, her work causing herbe specially mentionedcredit inEnglish Parliament. She was awardedCBE.
Becauseher knowledge ofcountry, she was part ofdelegation toParis Conference1919was askeddraw upboundaries fornew countryIraq. However, after Paris, Bell was virtually ignored byBritish,was largely bypassed byworld, which caused herbe deeply depressed, especially as she saw so much attention being paidLawrenceArabia, who had, comparedher, been more ofside-show thanserious player inArab revolt.
During her remaining few years, she createdwasfirst Director ofBaghdad Archaeological Museum.
Bell died July 12, 1926,Baghdad, Iraq. Shethoughthave committed suicide.
