T. E. Lawrence

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

The Arab Revolt

Main article Arab Revolt

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Once enlisted he was posted to Cairo, where he worked for British Military Intelligence. Lawrence's intimate knowledge of the Arab people made him the ideal liaison between British and Arab forces and in October 1916 he was sent into the desert to report on the Arab nationalist movements. During the war, he fought with Arab irregular troops under the command of Emir Feisal, a son of Sherif Hussein of Mecca, in extended guerrilla operations against the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire. Lawrence's major contribution to World War I was convincing Arab leaders to coordinate their revolt to aid British interests. He persuaded the Arabs not to drive the Ottomans out of Medina, thus forcing the Turks to tie up troops in the city garrison. The Arabs were then able to direct most of their attention to the Hejaz railway that supplied the garrison. This tied up more Ottoman troops, who were forced to protect the railway and repair the constant damage. In 1917 Lawrence arranged a joint action with the Arab irregulars and forces under Auda Abu Tayi (until then in the employ of the Ottomans) against the strategically-located port city of Aqaba. On July 6, after a daring overland attack, Aqaba fell to Arab forces. Some 12 months later, Lawrence was involved in "The Big Push", which resulted in the capture of Damascus in the final weeks of the war. Initially, he had told his CO that he, "did not want to be part of your big push!" But later, he realized "they would be coming for me" , so he agreed to lead the Arab Army.

Related Topics:
Cairo - Irregular troops - Emir Feisal - Sherif Hussein - Mecca - Guerrilla - Ottoman Empire - Medina - Hejaz railway - 1917 - Auda Abu Tayi - Aqaba - July 6 - Damascus

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As he did before the war, during the time he spent with the Arab irregulars, Lawrence adopted many local customs and traditions as his own, and soon became a close friend of Prince Feisal. He especially became known for wearing white Arabian garb (given to him by Prince Feisal, originally wedding robes given to Feisal as a hint) and riding camels and horses in the desert. During the closing years of the war he sought to convince his superiors in the British government that Arab independence was in their interests, to mixed success.

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In 1918 he co-operated with war-correspondent Lowell Thomas for a short period. During this time Thomas and his cameraman Harry Chase shot much film and many photographs, which Thomas used in a highly lucrative show which toured the world after the war.

Related Topics:
1918 - Lowell Thomas - Harry Chase

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