Lionel Shrivenham

In the novel They Came to Baghdad, Lionel Shrivenham is a diplomat at the British Embassy at Baghdad. At the time of the events in the book, the newly appointed ambasssador have not yet arrived and all the embassy officials senior to him were either ill or away, so it is left to Shrivenham to receive and look after Sir Rupert Crofton Lee.

Shrivenham had received instructions that Sir Rupert must be treated like an absolute VIP and attend to his every wish. This is a task he does not look forward to with relish, especially when Sir Rupert's plane had to circle overhead, unable to land because of a sandstorm. Shrivenham fear especially that the plane might be diverted to Basra and all the complications this might entail. Shrivenham had only just arrived at the embassy in Baghdad some three months ago and his stint had so far been dogged by bad luck. One more mistake might blight his career. His task is made even harder that evening when Sir Rupert makes abrupt changes of plan. Throughout all this, Shrivenham gets the impression that whatever Sir Rupert is up to, it must be some "cloak and dagger" stuff.