Lawrence of arabia info and biography pdf english
Lawrence of Arabia
© Alamy © Getty Above: Lawrence photographed Arab forces entering Aqaba on 6 July This one image led to the widespread belief that Aqaba was captured with a mounted charge rather than by negotiation Top: An Arab irregular patrol flies the flag of the revolt during WWI © Getty Above: Lawrence at Aqaba, 6 July He wrote of his role during the Arab Revolt: “I drew these tides of men into my hands and wrote my will across the sky in stars” LAWRENCE BATTLE FOR ARABIA he story of Thomas Edward Lawrence has fascinated the world for over a century.
An archaeologist, historian and expert on Arabian culture, Lawrence became an international celebrity for his role in assisting the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during WWI. He later detailed these experiences in his acclaimed book Seven Pillars of Wisdom, but he was traumatised by the war and the Allied political betrayal of the Arabs.
Lawrence’s life was troubled yet he was also a skilled irregular soldier. An inspiration for many military theorists, he fought heroically and often successfully during despite having no formal training. However, his complexity means that his military achievements are difficult to assess. Dr Rob Johnson believes that much of the Arab Revolt’s success should actually be credited to the Arabs themselves rather than Lawrence.
In his research, Johnson has uncovered a complicated character who was brave,intelligent but also flawed – and perhaps even a criminal. T Bureaus and railways Lawrence was commissioned as a British Army officer in October and joined the Arab Bureau in Cairo two months later. The Bureau collected propaganda and intelligence about Arabian matters in the Middle East, and Lawrence initially made maps but his real skill was his expertise on the Arabs.
“His pre-war knowledge of Sinai, the Levant and Syria was valuable because there weren’t many people who had surveyed that area,” says Johnson.
“Like his colleagues, Lawrence scoured Arabic newspapers and Ottoman statements to pick up information about their military movements and intentions. That’s why he had an advantage when he went into Arabia to assist Arab forces. He had a basic knowledge of how the Ottoman Army worked and a sense of the big picture.” Key to Ottoman military power in the Middle East was the Hejaz Railway.
“It was the lifeline to their southernmost provinces in Arabia, particularly Medina,” says Johnson. “If they wanted to deploy troops as far as Aden they were logistically dependent on the © Alamy © Getty © Alamy BATTLE FOR ARABIA Above, left: Before World War I, Lawrence (left) worked as an archaeologist in the ancient city of Carchemish in northern Syria Above: Lawrence arrived in Damascus on 1 October in his personal Rolls-Royce, nicknamed Blue Mist railway.
The Hejaz represented a lateral line of communications for Ottoman forces to protect Arabia. If the British tried to strike north through Palestine the Ottomans could deploy reinforcements if the railway remained strong.” This vital railway came under immediate threat when Sharif Ibn Hussein of Mecca declared the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire on 5 June The revolt transformed Lawrence’s role when he was dispatched to southern Arabia in October to act as a liaison officer.
“He provided a link between the British military headquarters in Egypt and the Arab leaders,” explains Johnson. “Lawrence quickly discovered the revolt was very divided but detected that the fighting was going to be conducted by the sons of Hussein. He famously met one of these sons, Emir Faisal, and the situation was transformed.
Lawrence took this picture of Arab forces on the march in WORDS TOM GARNER 24 Dr Rob Johnson is a Senior Research Fellow at Pembroke College, University of Oxford and the Director of the Oxford Changing Character of War Centre © Alamy Dr Rob Johnson of Pembroke College, University of Oxford, discusses how an eccentric British archaeologist fought his way across the Middle East and became a military icon 25 LAWRENCE BATTLE FOR ARABIA Lawrence (centre, on foot) with his personal bodyguard of Arab irregular fighters, c © Alamy 26 The Battle of Aqaba, when Arab troops captured the port on 6 July by surprising Ottoman forces from inland, is arguably the most famous event of Lawrence’s military career.
It had taken months to plan but Johnson says that Lawrence’s precise role is controversial: “There are at least three claimants for who suggested going to Aqaba. One was Colonel Édouard Brémond, a French commander who thought there was a possibility of taking Aqaba because the Allies had taken other ports. However, he was effectively talked out of it by Lawrence because Brémond wanted to make a large Allied landing.
Lawrence responded by saying, ‘If you do it, you’ll be hemmed in like at Gallipoli.’ “The consensus among Lawrence specialists is that [Howeitat leader] Auda Abu Tayi probably came up with the final idea. Auda was to some extent driven by money, prestige and honour. He was also an opportunist and probably took the view that if you captured a port like Rabigh or Yanbu you could help yourself to whatever was in there.
It was his audacity that gave the Arabs military success towards Aqaba.” This boldness required the Arab fighters and Lawrence to undertake a journey of hundreds of kilometres through Emir Faisal later became the first king of Iraq in , although he never realised his dream of ruling a united Arab state inhospitable terrain from 9 May “It was appallingly difficult,” says Johnson.
“The first stage was crossing the ‘al-Houl’ (‘The Terror’), which was a huge, waterless desert region. We sometimes underestimate how © Alamy Aqaba © Getty “Faisal had political acumen but also had (unlike the other sons) some military experience. Lawrence thought Faisal was unlikely to inherit his father’s control of the Hejaz. He therefore might agree that Arab forces should go north into the Levant and Syria and conquer Arabia.
Lawrence saw real potential in him.” Faisal was judged the most suitable candidate to lead a post-war Arabian state but at this stage Lawrence was merely a lieutenant in the British mission to assist the Arabs. “The real British leaders were Colonels Pierce Joyce and Stewart Newcombe. These officers were trusted and regarded as heroic by the Arabs because they were brave and knew how to handle explosives.
Lawrence was just seen as a junior officer and interpreter,” says Johnson. Despite his lower rank, Lawrence made secret plans with Faisal and other Arab leaders to attempt to take the northern Red Sea port of Aqaba. Johnson explains how this was a crucial moment: “This is where Lawrence’s transformation really occurs. He did a good job of encouraging Faisal and his acolytes to stay cohesive after a military debacle that ended with the Arabs being forced back to the coast under Royal Navy protection.
Lawrence was able to build their trust because he was beginning to carry out audacious raids. He also spoke Arabic and was keen to culturally align with the Arabs, including wearing their clothes. Most British officers would not have done that.” A rusting Ottoman locomotive on its side next to the Hejaz Railways many decades after it was destroyed during the Arab Revolt © Alamy © Getty An Ottoman train and railway station destroyed in a raid by Lawrence © Alamy Ottoman soldiers during WWI big the desert is, and if you go there at the height of summer (which Lawrence did) it is so hot that your lungs are emptied of air and you have to regulate your breathing.
“Dehydration was a real threat and Lawrence wrote that several men were killed on the journey by snake bites. One fell off his camel and was famously rescued by Lawrence, who went back for him. This quite impressed the Arabs but there were other challenges, including hostility from other tribes and potential betrayal to the Ottomans.
Tribal fights could have broken out at any point and there was lots of distrust between groups even when they were together. If the Ottomans had known they were coming they could have easily destroyed them.” These hazards meant that Lawrence’s survival was important: “If Lawrence had been Johnson believes that Auda Abu Tayi, a shaikh (leader) of the Howeitat tribe probably came up with the successful plan to capture Aqaba from Ottoman forces “HE WAS A COMPLICATED MAN WHO WAS BRAVE AND HIGHLY INTELLIGENT BUT ALSO FLAWED – AND PERHAPS EVEN A WAR CRIMINAL” killed that would have ended that operation because the other Arabs wanted to raid further up the Hejaz Railway.
We know that’s important because a British captain called Shakespear (who was attached to Ibn Saud, the future king of Saudi Arabia) was killed in on a very similar mission. That ended close liaison between the British and Ibn Saud for a year.” Once the Arabs finally reached Aqaba its fall was swift. “They actually took Aqaba by negotiation rather than fighting,” says Johnson.
“There were sensible Ottomans who realised they were completely cut off and couldn’t be resupplied. Perhaps one-third of the Ottoman Army during WWI was probably Arabic rather than Turkish. An Arab conscript was more likely to survive if Aqaba was taken by negotiation. Also, the cavalry charge in David Lean’s film [Lawrence of Arabia] was nothing like the reality.
There was a sandstorm and the Arabs only rode quickly to get shelter. The dramatic legend of the Arabs entering Aqaba is based on one photograph taken by Lawrence of them riding at speed.” Johnson argues that Aqaba’s strategic importance to the Allies has also been overplayed: “We’re told that it was strategically significant because it provided a potential naval base for operations into the interior.
The problem is the strategic reality. What difference did it make to the campaign when the Arabs took it in July ? It didn’t. No large-scale Allied force was brought in at that point except Arab regulars who had been trained in Egypt. It wasn’t a vital strategic hub for the first six months and was more important to the Arabs than the Allies.
“Edmund Allenby, the commander of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF), could see Aqaba’s potential but realised it was too difficult to get a brigade or more located there. It was a waste of resources, which he needed for Palestine. Aqaba was an achievement but there were six months of stalemate afterwards where the Arabs made almost no progress.” Raids and leadership Lawrence was promoted after Aqaba and given, in the words of Allenby, almost “free rein” to conduct irregular Arab raids against the Hejaz Railway.
During July-September , the railway was attacked once every three days in raids that destroyed locomotives, 27 LAWRENCE BATTLE FOR ARABIA “WE SOMETIMES UNDERESTIMATE HOW BIG THE DESERT IS, AND IF YOU GO THERE AT THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER (WHICH LAWRENCE DID) IT’S SO HOT THAT YOUR LUNGS ARE EMPTIED OF AIR AND YOU HAVE TO REGULATE YOUR BREATHING” 28 © Alamy The Arab Northern Army advances against Ottoman forces.
Lawrence can be seen as the robed figure in white towards the centre of the mounted group 29 LAWRENCE Tafila In January , Lawrence fought a pitched battle at Tafila as Arab irregular forces were pushing towards the Dead Sea. “Jerusalem was already in British hands but the mountains were almost purpose-built for defence,” says Johnson.
“They are rocky, exhausting to ascend and the Ottomans were being readily supplied by this route. Lawrence took a party forward to see how far they could get and when they got to the village of Tafila they found a very mixed community. Some were pro-Ottoman and others were eager to get rid of them. “As the forward patrols fanned out north beyond Tafila they encountered an Ottoman brigade.
There was some skirmishing and the Arabs fell back with the Ottomans pursuing them up to Tafila. Lawrence and his comrades should have pulled back but I think they felt that they couldn’t entirely abandon the villagers.” The ensuing battle “should never have happened but once the Arabs were caught they had to fight. The Ottomans established a firebase on a ridge and fired down on the retreating Arab forces.
There was then a lull because the Ottomans thought they had dispersed the Arabs and decided to stay in LEADERS REVOLT OF THE Dr Rob Johnson reveals the Arab military commanders who deserve more credit for the success of their rebellion NURI AL-SAID MALUD BEY “Nuri commanded the Arab regular army. Many former Ottoman soldiers were captured and imprisoned in Egyptian POW camps but were offered to join the regular Arab army with khaki uniforms.
They were trained as regular forces with Nuri as the field commander. He recaptured Abu el-Sam in January and secured the route to Aqaba. Nuri raided Maan and was prominent in quite large-scale operations to take Jurf alDarawish. In that battle he tried to control irregular Arabs and orchestrated a very successful attack. “Because he was a regular officer, Nuri is deserving of more recognition.
He also defeated Abdul el Kader’s putsch in Damascus because he anticipated where to put his forces. Without him in October , Lawrence would not have held onto Damascus. He’s a really important man and not given enough credit.” “Malud Bey held Petra against an Ottoman battalion sometime in autumn He did it by classic guerrilla warfare and was also the commander who held the mountains around Wadi Hesa in that dreadful winter of He was very stoic, inspirational and a good solid military leader.
Lawrence of arabia info and biography pdf download Leading a personal crusade for Arab independence, British scholar and intelligence officer T.E. Lawrence altered the course of history and helped to shape the modern Middle East. Though an enigma to himself and others, Lawrence was lionized during World War I as the “uncrowned king of Arabia.” From the January issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.He was the sort of guy you needed for that kind of military endurance. If it hadn’t been for him, the route to Aqaba would have been reopened for the Ottomans. The greatest travesty for his reputation was when the journalist Lowell Thomas replaced him for the defence of Petra with Lawrence himself.” Nuri al-Said (second from left) pictured with Emir Faisal (centre) and Lawrence (third from right) at the Paris Peace Conference in Below: American journalist Lowell Thomas (right) met Lawrence in Arabia and turned the hitherto unknown officer into an international celebrity Malud Bey defended Petra, the magnificent Ancient Nabataean city which is now located in southern Jordan Ja’far al-Askari served as the third prime minister of Iraq during and was later assassinated during a coup in JA’FAR AL-ASKARI “Ja’far al-Askari was a former Ottoman officer who fought in Libya and was captured in Egypt.
He went on to train Arab troops and was very effective. He can be compared to Friedrich von Steuben, who trained the Continental Army for George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. I think Ja’far al-Askari is that guy for the Arab army and he’s effectively the founder of modern, regular Arab troops.” © Getty This suggests that he knew how to lead others but I don’t think he liked it because leadership places certain demands.” © Alamy Such was the strain of that winter that the Arab fighters began murdering each other.
“That’s how bleak it was and Lawrence gave a vivid description of a journey where he was almost killed by tribesmen,” says Johnson. “It gives an idea of how awful conditions were. His personal bodyguard were extremely loyal to him but there was a killing of a bodyguard by one of the other members. This demonstrates that there must have been huge tensions, and when Lawrence conducted reconnaissance there was the risk of betrayal.” Because of the unique nature of his role, Lawrence’s leadership of the Arabs was unconventional.
“He created his own personal bodyguard, which varied in number from , although he sometimes appeared on his own,” explains Johnson. “He personally commanded and directed them as both a protective force and a little reserve. But Lawrence had no direct command more generally in the Arab movement except for very small raiding parties. He would persuade others to come with him and if raids were successful they built prestige.” Johnson believes that Lawrence was a reluctant leader: “He felt deeply uncomfortable on a few occasions.
There’s an episode in where he found himself in command and made a joke of it to the Arabs. However, it must have been precarious because if he offended anyone he could have been instantly killed. During the final campaign, Arab fighters withdrew from a larger Ottoman force at AlShaykh Saad. Lawrence overruled them and was able to do that after months of campaigning and being sufficiently respected by the Arabs.
© Getty wagons, bridges and tracks. Johnson explains the difficulties Lawrence faced: “During the hot summer months you had to move at night to avoid detection. There were navigation problems in an area without maps and you were dependent on compasses, the stars, local knowledge and guides. “If Ottoman outposts were more strongly defended than you anticipated you could have problems laying charges.
This happened to Lawrence on multiple occasions. It sometimes took hours to get explosives into railway ballasts with the potential of being detected. Even if you laid a charge you had to get out of the way and the Ottomans were very good at sweeping railway lines. If you think of the attacks like a special forces raid then you have a sense of how difficult this was.” The raids were frequently unsuccessful: “One at Yarmuk went so badly wrong that Lawrence tried to cobble together a few minor attacks on other parts of the railway.
He didn’t have enough explosives, detonating wire and all sorts of bombs. Sometimes the plunger box didn’t function and it was extremely difficult.” Raiding became even more difficult during the winter of “People think deserts are extremely hot all the time but they’re not. That winter was one of the coldest of the 20th century, including in the Middle East where it was unusually cold and wet.
Lawrence was based at the medieval fortress of Qasr Azraq but was so appalled at the bad weather and low morale that he wasn’t able to make any progress. Raiding became too hard and he withdrew to the General Headquarters in Palestine. He basically resigned from the operation.” BATTLE FOR ARABIA SHERIF NASIR Right: Lawrence was a medieval historian and once based himself at Qasr Azraq during the winter of This fortress was built by the Ayyubids during the 13th century 30 “Nasir was from Medina and led irregulars.
While Nuri was good at leading regulars, Nasir was good at leading irregulars. The two men together were quite effective. Nasir led the fighting at Tafila and independently led diversionary operations from the Wadi Hesa area, which also assisted Nuri, who held the line. Lawrence was a more constant companion to Nasir and in many ways he is the unsung hero of the story.
Faisal gets the credit as a political leader but he wasn’t making military decisions. Nasir was out fighting, taking risks and leading large columns of irregular forces. He and Lawrence were in constant dialogue in a way that Auda Abu Tayi wasn’t. Auda was brilliant in battle but wasn’t dependable. Nasir was both dependable and an adroit leader who understood political context.
He should be accorded much more credit in this revolt.” Source: PD / Library of Congress © Getty © Getty “NASIR WAS BOTH DEPENDABLE AND AN ADROIT LEADER WHO UNDERSTOOD POLITICAL CONTEXT” Bedouin fighters on horseback pictured bearing rifles, c They were possibly part of the forces that fought with Lawrence 31 LAWRENCE BATTLE FOR ARABIA “LAWRENCE KNEW THAT THE ARABS WERE NOT GOING TO TAKE PRISONERS, PARTICULARLY WITH AN OTTOMAN BACK RECORD OF ATROCITIES” Lawrence cultivated his celebrity by allowing himself to be photographed and filmed by Lowell Thomas, but he later came to resent his worldwide fame believes this applies to the overall campaign rather than Tafila: “Lawrence’s references to Tafila are more akin to the writings of [Prussian General] Carl von Clausewitz.
However, the often mounted nature of the campaign no doubt appealed to his sense of the medieval. It’s that almost romantic idea that there was a cause. Lawrence was in the land of the Crusaders and reliving that, although he was ironically operating with the descendants of the Saracens. Lieutenant CE Wood, who operated with Lawrence, reported that he sat in Qasr Azraq reading Morte d’Arthur.
Azraq was a medieval fortress, which was everything that Lawrence would have wanted. But the less romantic picture is that Azraq was also the place where he temporarily gave up.” War criminal? Although Lawrence later became a celebrity for his actions during World War I he was not well known in and the British and Arabs had different opinions of him.
Lawrence of arabia info and biography pdf printable Thomas Edward Lawrence CB DSO (16 August – 19 May ) was a British Army officer, archaeologist, diplomat and writer known for his role during the Arab Revolt and Sinai and Palestine campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the First World War.“He was known at British headquarters as a bit odd but they knew he was doing something that others didn’t want to do,” says Johnson. “Most British officers wanted to be in the main fight with the EEF, and even Allenby said no one else could have done it. “Arab opinions on Lawrence are more complicated. Ibn Hussein remained distrustful of him and just viewed him as a liaison officer.
Faisal remained positive until the end of the war but this had changed by the Cairo Conference of Faisal was now angry with the British and took it out on Lawrence, who wrote that he made ‘hurtful remarks’. Conversely, Lawrence had meetings with Auda Abu Tayi, Sherif Nasir and Emir Zeid around the same time which appear to have gone okay. The overall verdict on Lawrence at that point was probably positive, although the narrative of betrayal emerged with the Arab nationalism of the ss.” After Tafila, Arab forces continued to push north alongside the Allies towards Damascus during By September they were in Syria, but Lawrence became embroiled in one of the most controversial episodes of his career.
He later wrote that a preceding Ottoman column had massacred civilians in the town of Tafas. The Arab irregulars took revenge by killing retreating Ottoman, German and Austrian soldiers. Lawrence recorded: “By my order we took no prisoners, for the only time in our war.” For Johnson, the grim events at Tafas are difficult to analyse: “It’s very controversial because you have to ask if it actually happened.
A Turkish historian, Mesut Uyar, has consulted many records and says (for example) that there were no substantial German forces in that area at that time. There were German contingents and it’s likely they were caught up in the Ottoman withdrawal. There could have been Austrians too but they could have been mistaken for Germans.
Lawrence of arabia info and biography pdf free
Lawrence, T. E. , Great Britain. Army -- Biography, Soldiers -- Great Britain -- Biography, World War, -- Campaigns -- Middle East, Middle East -- History -- 20th century. Edition.Did it happen? It may have done.” Another serious question is whether Lawrence committed a war crime by ordering no quarter. “Should soldiers be killed if they’ve been taken prisoner? The answer is no. On various grounds it would be a war crime because prisoners (regardless of who they are or what they’ve done) are accorded certain rights.
However, if Arab forces had come across these atrocities it’s very unlikely Lawrence could have stopped them killing those particular soldiers. He knew that the Arabs were not going to take prisoners, particularly with an Ottoman back record of atrocities. Is it a war crime under those conditions?
Is Lawrence directly culpable? ‘Indirectly’ would be the fairest judgement. He EGYPTIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE Lawrence described Allenby as “physically large and confident, and morally so great that the comprehension of our littleness came slow to him” This British-led Allied army conducted one of the most successful campaigns of World War I by destroying the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East the Ottoman Empire but the EEF’s success has largely been forgotten.
Johnson explains its importance: “The Arab Revolt would have collapsed if the EEF had been defeated, and Allenby was an extraordinarily successful commander.
Lawrence of arabia info and biography pdf Lawrence, T. E. , Great Britain. Army -- Biography, Soldiers -- Great Britain -- Biography, World War, -- Campaigns -- Middle East, Middle East -- History -- 20th century. Edition.Lawrence called the capture of Jerusalem the ‘crowning moment’ of his life because he was so enamoured of the EEF’s success. Imagine if there had been no fighting elsewhere during WWI? This was a British-led campaign in the Middle East and dozens of books would have been written because it was so significant. The problem is that the Western Front was where the war was going to be decided.” © Getty © Alamy The EEF was a British Empire formation that was initially formed to push Ottoman forces out of the Sinai Peninsula.
Commanded by General Edmund Allenby from June , the EEF was a huge multinational force of British, Imperial, French and even Italian troops that outnumbered Ottoman forces and pushed into Palestine. The campaign was notable for its mobility in an overall static war. The EEF famously captured Jerusalem and won significant victories such as Megiddo.
The EEF captured Damascus in October after a lightning advance of km in a month, with the capture of 75, Ottoman prisoners for the loss of 5, men. The campaign’s success led to the destruction of © Getty what they thought was a strong location. At this stage the Arabs decided to counterattack. It’s not clear whose idea this was but it was probably Sherif Nasir.
The attack was broadly successful because the Arabs made a classic pincer movement on this Ottoman force. The Ottomans were so surprised that they tried to escape and it turned into a disaster. They were cut down in large numbers and the Arabs captured machine guns.” With reputed casualties of Ottomans compared to Arabs, Tafila was a notable success – but Johnson disputes the figures: “If you look at Ottoman records they say, ‘Yes, there was a battle’ but the losses were far fewer than Lawrence claims.
We know the Ottoman force must have stayed reasonably intact because without reinforcements it came back and defeated Emir Zeid (Faisal’s younger brother) a few weeks later when Lawrence had left that group.” Whatever the truth of the battle, Lawrence was promoted again after Tafila, this time to lieutenant colonel. The pitched nature of the engagement (which included a mounted charge) has often been portrayed as appealing to Lawrence’s medievalism.
However, Johnson 32 Above: Edmund Allenby entered Jerusalem on foot to show respect to the Holy City on 11 December Lawrence accompanied the general in his capacity as a British officer 33 LAWRENCE “HE’S CONTRIBUTED TO MILITARY THOUGHT IN WAYS THAT WE’VE NEVER PROPERLY APPRECIATED AND HIS UNDERSTANDING OF WAR DESERVES MUCH MORE ATTENTION” © Getty An exhausted and haunted Lawrence was pictured in Damascus during his ill-fated acting governorship of the city during October should have advised but perhaps he didn’t and he possibly had the same mood as they did.” Johnson believes Tafas demonstrates Lawrence’s increasing mental anguish: “It is shocking but things can go wrong in war and there is a decomposing of decency in some.
Lawrence confessed that he no longer had a moral compass on certain issues. However, he confessed this because he wanted to be honest and tell us what war is like.” Damascene debacle Damascus was finally captured on 1 October It was the ultimate aim of the Arab Revolt but Australian soldiers actually entered the city first. Lawrence arrived on the same day and became acting governor of Damascus in an attempt to establish a provisional government for Faisal.
To ensure that the Allies did not press their own imperial claims for control, Lawrence refused British help and disorder ensued. Johnson says: “Fighters can fight but can they govern? We have to say that when the Arab irregular force arrived it became absolute chaos. The Arabs didn’t want a modern administration and called on the original Ottoman administrators.
Lawrence of arabia info and biography pdf book: Leading a personal crusade for Arab independence, British scholar and intelligence officer T.E. Lawrence altered the course of history and helped to shape the modern Middle East. Though an enigma to himself and others, Lawrence was lionized during World War I as the “uncrowned king of Arabia.” From the January issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.
Lawrence made it worse by refusing to accept British assistance, which could have saved the city from itself.” The Arabs began fighting among themselves: “It got so bad that there was an attempted coup by Abdul el Kader, who had previously betrayed Lawrence and saw a chance to get rid of him, Faisal and the Arabs. Nuri al-Said and Lawrence set up machine guns all over the city centre.
When the coup got underway Nuri opened fire and the rebels were shot down in the street. The media reported it very badly and 34 accused the Arab fighters of a heinous crime without knowing the context.” Eventually, Allenby imposed order: “He had promised Lawrence an administration but said, ‘Enough’ and moved in. Lawrence wrote that within ten minutes everything had been resolved, with British technical units restoring Damascus’s utilities.
This explains Lawrence’s disappointment. He’d won militarily but most of the Arab fighters who had accompanied him to Damascus were leaving. Mostly Syrians were left to govern under Faisal but it wasn’t terribly successful. Nobody supported Faisal when the French later defeated the Syrian government at the Battle of Maysalun in ” ‘Deeply courageous’ After just four days of attempting to govern Damascus, Lawrence left the city on 4 October a broken man.
His dream of a united Arab state had been destroyed while the British and French carved up the Middle East between them. Nevertheless, his fame was only just beginning. American journalist Lowell Thomas soon turned Lawrence into an international celebrity and his fame has endured ever since. Such is his legacy that during the 21st century wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Lawrence’s military writings were extensively studied by American forces.
Johnson notes that this may have been counterproductive: “Lawrence’s contribution was Article 15 of his injunctions on how to work alongside Arabs. However, he was an insurgent commander and the irony is that American forces are counter-insurgents. Lawrence said that you can only understand locals if you study, work and live with them. Western forces in Afghanistan or Iraq were never fully embedded with Afghans or Iraqis but the real problems aren’t due to liaison – they’re down to political decision making.” Johnson believes that Lawrence was a unique, brave but traumatised soldier: “He’s contributed to military thought in ways that we’ve never properly appreciated and his understanding of war deserves more attention.
He was a very indifferent regular soldier but a very accomplished irregular fighter. Both he and the Arab irregulars didn’t like discipline but they did like the fluidity of movement and avoiding major threats to inflict damage. “Finally, Lawrence was deeply courageous and pushed himself to absolute breaking point. What later happened to him in the s was the product of that human breakdown.
He was profoundly affected by war and tried, through his writings, to come to terms with the person he’d become. While serving in the lower ranks of the RAF and Tank Corps he wanted to get back to those fundamental aspects of soldiering rather than being a famous personality. He was broken but he’s a remarkable figure and continues to be appealing and well known.
It’s not just because of filmmakers etc, because anyone who studies Lawrence finds something extraordinary in him.” Dr Rob Johnson is the author of Lawrence of Arabia on War: The Campaign in the Desert , which is published by Osprey Publishing. To purchase a copy visit: