Having long ago seen the epic, widescreen version of the classic film about TE Lawrence, it was time for me to pick up his biography, Lawrence of Arabia: My Journey in Search of TE Lawrence, to learn a bit more about one of the more prominent 20th-century British heroes. A legend in his own remarkable lifetime.
Author Ranulph Fiennes recalls being a bored 23-year-old tank troop leader when he received a letter inviting him to apply for a posting to the Omani army.
The first image that came to mind was of Irish actor Peter O’Toole, who played the title lead in that epic film Lawrence of Arabia, “thrillingly leading the Arab tribes on his camel, his white robes flowing behind him, roaring them into action against the Turks”.
Without further thought, Fiennes filled in his application, and off he went to learn Arabic.
“Before my adventures in Oman, I already counted him [Lawrence] as one of my heroes. Yet it was only after treading in his footsteps that I realised the man’s true greatness.”
By the age of 25, this “blue-eyed, blonde-haired Brit from Oxford” had already established his presence in the Middle East, working on an archaeological dig, and his views were sought after in tribal disputes and on medical matters.
War
Lawrence, then, was already in the region when World War 1 broke out, and Britain declared war on the Turks (who were occupying much of the region) seeking to protect London’s oil interests and the shipping route through the Suez Canal.
There was a need for intelligence officers in Cairo who knew the language and the region, and Lawrence answered the call.
He used the opportunity to push his agenda of Arab independence and made no secret of his hatred of the Turks. A hatred that only intensified after he was beaten and raped after he fell into Turkish hands.
However, Fiennes reveals there was also a strong family drive that propelled Lawrence to seek a role in leading an Arab independence movement, for he strove to redeem his family’s honour.
Lawrence was illegitimate, “riddled with shame” — something he was keen to keep hidden — and he saw the pursuit of his own greatness as a way of enhancing his family’s status.
The bulk of this book follows Lawrence’s monumental achievements in leading the often-warring Arab tribes in support of Britain’s efforts to solidify a presence in the Middle East by moving to take Damascus, expelling the Turks. Lawrence and the tribesmen hoped to establish an Arab kingdom in Syria, though this was not a vision that was shared by the Imperial powers.
Lawrence’s genius was revealed by his understanding of the psychology of the tribesmen and his realisation that irregular guerrilla warfare rather than standard military tactics could be the key to victory.
“Therefore, rather than expecting the Arabs to operate as a typical disciplined army, able to defend ports and towns and attack as a unit, he now recognised they could be more effective attacking in smaller numbers on specific guerrilla operations,” Fiennes writes.
In the move north of the Arabs towards Damascus, the skill and daring of Lawrence and the tribesmen was evident in demolishing bridges, blowing up railway lines and trains, and keeping the Turks busy enough to allow the British forces to carry out their own conquests — not least the capture of Jerusalem.
We read of Lawrence’s own conflict: his duty to the British as a serving soldier, against his loyalty to the Arabs, who were the pawns in a larger geopolitical game.
Lawrence’s Arab followers were fighting to establish their own nation, but the global imperial powers had a very different agenda — to carve up the Middle East between them.
Thus, after the Arabs had taken Damascus from the Turks, Syria was not allowed to become an Arab kingdom, but went to the French, in line with an agreement that had earlier been reached by the Western powers.
With the borders of Europe, the Middle East and Africa on its agenda, it would become one of the most important meetings of the 20th century.
“The French had merely replaced the Turks, and the Arabs found themselves with no more independence than when they had started,” we read.
Lawrence left in disgust, but he did play a vital role in mobilising support for the Arab cause at the post-World War 1 Paris Peace Conference, which began on January 18 1919.
“With the borders of Europe, the Middle East and Africa on its agenda, it would become one of the most important meetings of the 20th century.
“Arab rule in Syria remained out of the question, but if they could not rule the lands they had been promised, Lawrence had another solution in mind.
“With the British having the mandate for oil-rich Iraq, Lawrence ensured that [his loyal ally Prince Feisal] was crowned as its king.
“At the same time, he advised on redrawing the borders, which created a new country known as Jordan, with [another Arab leader] Abdulla being put on its throne.
“Lawrence and the British now believed that their promises to the Arabs had somewhat been upheld: Feisal and Abdulla were kings of their own countries, albeit under a British mandate.”
Lawrence’s final years were spent in a search for inner peace, something it seems he never achieved. His legendary status was underpinned by his own autobiography, but his optimistic attempts to return to the armed forces as an anonymous private serviceman were doomed to failure.
Fiennes writes of Lawrence’s homosexuality with sensitivity, noting that this would have been enough to get him booted out of the British army. It also seems that he was incapable of forming a serious relationship, and this inner torment might have fuelled the recklessness which led to his untimely death in a motorbike crash in the English countryside.
“Judging from all the evidence available, it is clear that Lawrence struggled with his homosexuality. The assault in Deraa [where he was flogged and raped by his Turkish captors] left him more conflicted than ever.”
In his day Lawrence was a hero. Today, some of his actions, including the massacre of Turkish prisoners, might land him with charges of war crimes.
This book succeeds in peeling back some of the layers, exposing this complicated tactical genius, whose efforts secured at least some spoils for the Arab tribesmen whom he loved and befriended, and to whom he was a hero.
My main criticism is that the author often interrupts his narrative to talk of his own time in the army, in Oman, and to discuss the parallels with Lawrence’s own desert conflicts. I found this a distraction, as annoying as poorly edited jumps between different storylines in a movie or TV drama, and a more assertive publisher might have suggested devoting a separate chapter to the tactical military lessons that Fiennes learnt from Lawrence.
Despite this small flaw, it was rewarding and fascinating to learn more about this 20th-century hero and his remarkable life in an exciting, majestic but inhospitable part of the world that has seen far too much conflict and hatred, even to this day.
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