Thomas Edward Lawrence: biography, interesting facts

Sir Thomas Edward Lawrence … Arabian. He still remains a romantic scout in history. In Arabia, he is considered a great hero. Various versions of his death excite the minds of researchers and writers today.

Ludicrous death

An expensive motorcycle rushes at high speed through the winding village street of Dorset. The motorcyclist is pleased with the fresh wind blowing in his face. In less than a minute, he reached the military camp.

He greets the familiar sentries, dismounts from his “iron horse” and goes to the post office. He sends his friends in London a telegram inviting them to nature.

Then he returns, mounts the motorcycle again and heads to his home. When there are only a few tens of meters left, the motorcyclist suddenly turns off, seeing two boys on a bicycle. He falls, losing his unbuttoned helmet, and hits his head on a stone on the side of the road …

Six days later, without regaining consciousness, he died in the hospital. The doctors turned out to be powerless, despite all the measures taken and a great desire to save the life of this person. So the life of an unknown aviator Thomas Edward Shaw ended tragically.

About a hundred people came to a small church in Moreton to say goodbye to him. A funeral service was performed for a low-ranking pilot. However, high-ranking military officials, journalists and even Winston Churchill were present here. He knew Shaw as the famous British Colonel Lawrence of Arabia.

The mystery of this man, according to one version, is in the youthful enthusiasm of the leader of a whole army of Arabs and in his talent as a writer. Others find her eccentric and extravagant.

The death of Thomas Edward Shaw (this is just one of the names of the hero) has caused numerous rumors and versions.

Biography of Thomas Edward Lawrence

Thomas was born in Wales in 1888. His father, Thomas Chapman, was a landowner who fled with Sarah Lawrence and then took the name of his new wife. Thomas Edward was born into this family living in poverty. After graduating from school, the young man successfully passed the exams at Oxford, he studied history with particular enthusiasm.

Teacher Ernst Baker, realizing the essence of an inquisitive and diligent student, once said that the training sessions for him are just a springboard to jump into the maelstrom of battles. During his visit to France, maps were found schematically drawn by him, which served to accuse the student of espionage.

In 1914, Thomas was a recognized specialist who knew literally everything about the countries of the Middle East. For more than five years he took an active part in the expeditions of archaeologists in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.

It was only in the 90s of the last century that secret documents were discovered, where it was said that Lawrence was a member of a certain intelligence organization monitoring the construction of a railway by the Germans, which ran from Berlin to Baghdad. The excavation only served as a cover.

It is known that this expedition to Mesopotamia was financed by the British Museum. An agent with a camera, quite often found himself near a railway under construction.

His own among strangers

Our hero was also an employee of the British intelligence department in Cairo. It was incredibly difficult for the British to fight Turkish troops in the unusual conditions of the Arabian deserts.

Here it was possible to win by acting in small mobile groups of people who were accustomed to this life, could appear in different places and act with lightning speed, organizing various kinds of sabotage. In this case, Britain could fight the Turkish army by proxy and retain its forces on other fronts.

Thomas Edward Lawrence knew this world perfectly, so in 1916 he was offered the post of adviser to Sharif Faisal, who later became King of Iraq. Thomas managed to unite the Arab population to fight the Ottomans and led this fight. His exploits have always been and remain food for numerous legends.

He often changed the officer’s uniform for Arab clothing, and an armored car for a two-humped camel. Under the leadership of a British officer, the “Arab army” fought with Turkish troops and won. Thanks to his efforts, the rebels were able to develop the so-called “liberation movement”.

To deliver the decisive blow, Lawrence proposed attacking the main Turkish base in the city of Aqaba. His plan seemed impracticable and fantastic, but in the end, the port of Aqaba, located on the shores of the Red Sea, surrendered.

This amazed the leadership of the British headquarters, where the winner arrived on a camel four days after the attack and the hardest journey through the hot desert regions …

It was he who broke the siege of Damascus. However, while carrying out reconnaissance in the small town of Deraa, he was seized by soldiers, severely beaten and raped. He managed to break free, but the weight of the memories never left him.

In Great Britain, Lawrence received the rank of colonel and the nickname “Arabian”. The Turkish government has estimated the British head at 20 pounds.

Homecoming

In 1919 he returned to his homeland, where he was greeted as a hero of the nation, and sat down at his desk to write a memoir with the eloquent title “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.”

In 1921 he took up the post of adviser for the Middle East in the government. He, along with Churchill, participated in the Cairo Conference, where a new policy was established in the region.

Soon the legendary colonel resigned from his post, and became a simple soldier in the British military aviation. On the eve of this decision, he wrote to the poet Robert Graves that he dreams of being an ordinary person. The British Air Force Commander, Hugh Trenchard, received a report from Lawrence about his acceptance as an aircraft technician.

The Marshal was shocked to read this report. But after persistent requests, Trenchard had to give in to an unusual request and issue an order as follows: “Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence can join the Air Force as an aircraft technician, like John Hume Ross, until he wants to leave.”

Such an order meant that if Lawrence reversed his decision, he would again receive the rank of colonel. After 15 days, John Ross appeared at the recruiting station, but the medical board found him unsuitable for health reasons.

Before his “crazy decision”, he worked for several months on memoirs, which later tarnished his reputation, but the fact that the “Arabian fox” could not become an aircraft technician ?! That was incredible!

Some time passed, and the colonel was accepted into the group serving the British aircraft. However, someone could not resist and revealed the secret of John Ross. The Daily Express in late 1922 published an article: “Colonel Lawrence of Arabia has become a private!”

Thomas Edward Shaw

Lawrence had to quit and get creative. In the spring of 1924, 33-year-old Lawrence changes his name to Thomas Edward Shaw and enters the Tank Corps. Having secular habits, he cannot stand in the barracks even for several minutes, constantly feeling the coldness of his colleagues.

In January 1925, suffering from misunderstanding, he filed a report for any lower position in the air force.

In the summer of 1925 in the United States, many publications published the article “Lawrence’s New Mask”. It said that the colonel was serving as a private. In addition, some facts from his biography were given, incl. beating in Deraa.

It was a hard blow. Private Shaw is reassigned to the position of aircraft technician. After a short time, he was seconded to Karachi.

And very soon all publications published a new sensation. “Lawrence is sent to India for a mysterious mission to organize a revolution in Afghanistan, to spy on the Russians in that country.”

The mere mention of Laurence did not seem to be rosy at all. But Shaw, following the order, was only engaged in guarding the runway and wrote the following work. The sensations were believed, and the colonel was hastily dispatched to England.

Russia, which was looking for allies on the border by all means, suspected that Lawrence had been thrown into Afghanistan to fight the agents of the Bolsheviks. Even in Britain, some considered him a hindrance.

The true reason for his death remained a mystery. After all, cyclists were driving in the oncoming lane, and the severity of the vehicles involved in the accident is incompatible. Who drove the blue car that the Colonel circled before the accident?

A soldier, who was 10-15 meters from the scene during interrogation, told about this car. The interrogation is carried out in a hurry and some information is not recorded. There is no doubt that the colonel’s experience and intelligence were used for the new policy. This hastened the increase in the combat readiness of the British Air Force.

In 1935, Thomas Edward Lawrence was buried in the capital of Great Britain in St. Paul’s Cathedral, where the heroes and famous aristocrats of the country rest.

Film “Lawrence of Arabia”

David Lean created the wonderful epic film Lawrence of Arabia (1962). The film won seven Oscars. Starring British actor Peter O’Toole. Friends, if you haven’t watched this masterpiece yet, be sure to check it out! You will not regret!

Exciting storyline, adventure, stunning landscapes. The movie is easy to find on the Internet! Good quality, duration 3,5 hours.

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