T. E. Lawrence

:"Lawrence of Arabia" redirects here. For the motion picture, see Lawrence of Arabia (film).

Postwar years

Immediately after the war Lawrence worked for the British Foreign Office, attending the Versailles Paris Peace Conference, 1919 between January and May as a member of Feisal's delegation.

Related Topics:
Foreign Office - Paris Peace Conference, 1919

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Lowell Thomas's show then gave Lawrence great publicity (it was seen by 4 million people). Until then Lawrence had little influence but newspapers began to report his opinions. Consequently he served for much of 1921 as an advisor to Winston Churchill at the Colonial Office.

Related Topics:
1921 - Winston Churchill - Colonial Office

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Lawrence was ambivalent about Thomas's publicity (calling him a 'vulgar man'), though he saw Thomas's show several times. Starting in 1922 Lawrence attempted to achieve anonymity, joining the Royal Air Force under the name "Ross". His cover was soon blown, however, and he was forced out of the RAF, changed his name to "Shaw", and in 1923 joined the Royal Tank Corps. He was unhappy there and repeatedly petitioned to rejoin the RAF, which petitions finally bore fruit in August 1925. A fresh burst of publicity resulted in his assignment to a remote base in British India in late 1926, where he remained until the end of 1928, forced to return to the UK after rumours began to circulate that he was involved in espionage activities. He continued serving in the RAF, specializing in high-speed boats and professing happiness, and it was with considerable regret that he left the service at the end of his enlistment in March 1935. A few weeks later he was killed in a Brough Superior motorcycle accident in Dorset, at the age of 46.

Related Topics:
1922 - Royal Air Force - 1923 - Royal Tank Corps - 1925 - India - 1926 - 1928 - Brough Superior - Motorcycle - Dorset

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