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Thomas Edward Lawrence remains one of the most significant figures in British military history. He effectively led the Arab Revolt that defeated Turkish forces during the First World War, but was far more than just a soldier. Indeed, T.E. Lawrence was also an archaeologist, diplomat, and writer. But it's his exploits in the desert that earned him international fame as Lawrence of Arabia, a title used for the 1962 film based on his wartime activities.
Intrigued? Click through to learn more about the man behind the robes.
Thomas Edward Lawrence was born on August 16, 1888, in Tremadog, a small village in Carnarvonshire, Wales.
In 1896, the Lawrence family moved to Oxford. Lawrence attended the City of Oxford High School for Boys and, later, Jesus College, where he read history and nurtured a fascination for the Middle East.
After graduating from university with First Class Honors, Lawrence was offered a position as an archaeologist working on a dig at Carchemish, in Syria. The expedition was being organized by David Hogarth, a man who would figure considerably in Lawrence's life.
At Carchemish, Lawrence also worked alongside Leonard Woolley (right). According to some accounts, Lawrence and Woolley had been recruited by British Naval Intelligence and while participating in the dig were also monitoring the construction of Germany's Berlin-to-Baghdad railway.
At the outbreak of the First World War, Lawrence was transferred to Cairo as a employee of the Map Department of the War Office in London.
By December 1914, he had enlisted in the British Army as a lieutenant. His knowledge on Arab affairs and experience traveling through Turkish-held Arab lands proved invaluable, and Lawrence was quickly assigned to the Army's intelligence unit by Lieutenant Commander David Hogarth, his mentor at Carchemish.
Lawrence was reminded of the horrors of modern warfare when he received news that his two brothers, Will and Frank, had been killed in France.
Egypt at the time was the staging area for Middle Eastern military operations that were often quite ineffective in their strategy and implementation. Lawrence was convinced he could do a better job of undermining Germany's Turkish ally, the Ottomans.
Lawrence's role was essentially to act as a liaison officer between the British government and the Arab tribes. London was looking to take advantage of growing Arab nationalism in the region and encouraged and supported leading Arabs to revolt against Ottoman colonial rule.
Lawrence was dispatched to Arabia to meet Grand Sherif Hussein, ruler of the Hejaz province (now part of Saudi Arabia). There he was introduced to Hussein's four sons, Ali, Abdullah, Faisal, and Zeid.
It was Prince Faisal whom Lawrence thought would make the best leader of any revolt, and so he chose him to be his advisor. Lawrence also placed considerable trust in Prince Abdullah.
Back in Cairo, Lawrence urged his superiors to bankroll the impending rebellion with arms and gold. He also encouraged them to take advantage of the aspirations expressed by dissident sheiks for independence by sharing intelligence and military strategy.
Lawrence returned to Arabia and joined Faisal's Arab Northern Army, which became the main beneficiary of British aid.
The Arab Revolt began on June 10, 1916. The rebellion against the ruling Ottomans was officially initiated at Mecca.
Lawrence's effortless ability to assimilate himself into his allies' culture extended to speaking their language, staying with them, and adopting their dress.
It was also his tactical knowledge that endeared Lawrence to his Arab partners. He became the rebellion's brains, its organizing force, its liaison with Cairo, and its military technician.
Lawrence fought alongside Faisal for two years and helped him lead the Arabs north from the Hejaz to Syria.
Faisal's Arab Northern Army operated more as a hit-and-run guerrilla unit. Rather than engage the Turks as a force on the battlefield, the Arabs focused on sabotage—the mining of bridges and trains, cutting telephone lines, and interrupting supply chains.
In fact, a key objective was keeping the Damascus-to-Medina railway largely inoperable, thus severely restricting the movement of Turkish reinforcements.
On July 6, 1917, Faisal successfully seized the strategic city of Akaba. The capture of this Red Sea port city was of huge significance.
Lawrence then took leave of the battlefield to meet General Edmund Allenby in Cairo. Allenby was the leader of Britain's Egyptian Expeditionary Force. Both he and Lawrence agreed that Faisal's Arab forces would be very valuable in supporting Allenby's campaign in Palestine.
American journalist and filmmaker Lowell Thomas is credited with glamorizing T.E. Lawrence as "Lawrence of Arabia." Pictured here with his subject, Thomas was one of the first journalists to publicize Lawrence's exploits during the Arab Revolt.
Lawrence sometimes disguised himself as a woman to reconnoiter Turkish-held territory. But on one occasion he was recognized and captured at Daraa in Syria. The beating he received left physical scars and wounds upon his psyche from which he never fully recovered.
Despite his painful ordeal at the hands of the enemy, Lawrence was able to join Allenby's forces as they entered Jerusalem on December 11, 1917.
In October 1918, the Arab armies took Damascus. On October 25, the Arab Revolt was declared a victory. Lawrence joined Faisal and his delegates and advisors at the Versailles peace conference on January 22, 1919. Faisal was briefly king of Syria, and later Iraq. However, dreams of Arab independence were dashed as it became apparent that the British and French governments had already secretly resolved how they would carve up the Middle East in the post-war period.
Lawrence had returned to England a full colonel. In 1922, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) as an aircraftman, under the name John Hume Ross.
Throughout his time in the RAF, Lawrence wrote his autobiography, 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom.' It's an account of his experiences in the British Army and his role in the Arab Revolt.
Lawrence was forced out of the RAF in 1923 after his identity was exposed. He was readmitted in 1925 and posted to Karachi and Miranshah in British India (now Pakistan).
His enlistment having ended in March 1935, Lawrence returned to England and lived quietly in his cottage, Clouds Hill, located near Wareham in Dorset.
A keen motorcyclist, Lawrence had purchased a Brough Superior SS100 and was riding his machine on May 13, 1935, when he was fatally injured after swerving to avoid two boys on their bicycles.
Lawrence of Arabia died of his injuries six days later on May 19, 1935, aged 46. His funeral took place at St Nicholas' Church, Moreton.
Among the mourners was Winston Churchill, who described Lawrence as "one one of those beings whose pace of life was faster and more intense than what is normal."
Sources: (Britannica) (Imperial War Museums) (National Army Museum)
See also: Revolutions and rebellions that shaped world history
Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt
Who was T.E. Lawrence, and what is his place in military history?
LIFESTYLE History
Thomas Edward Lawrence remains one of the most significant figures in British military history. He effectively led the Arab Revolt that defeated Turkish forces during the First World War, but was far more than just a soldier. Indeed, T.E. Lawrence was also an archaeologist, diplomat, and writer. But it's his exploits in the desert that earned him international fame as Lawrence of Arabia, a title used for the 1962 film based on his wartime activities.
Intrigued? Click through to learn more about the man behind the robes.