Mail is not downloading from server on iPad

Greetings OldTurkey,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. This sound like you may have Privacy Protection enabled in your Mail settings. If so, go to Settings > Mail > Privacy Protection, and switch that to Off. Get more info on this feature here:

Use Mail Privacy Protection on iPad - Apple Support

If the issue persists after doing so, try the steps in the Apple Support article: If you can't receive email on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Check Mail Fetch and Notification settings

By default, Fetch New Data settings are based on what's provided by your email service. If Push isn't available as a setting, your account will default to Fetch. These settings affect how your device receives email. To adjust these settings:

1.Go to Settings > Mail, then tap Accounts.

2.Tap Fetch New Data.

3.Choose a setting — like Automatically or Manually — or choose a schedule for how often the Mail app fetches data.

Let us know the outcome, and we can go from there if needed.

We look forward to hearing back from you.