LAWRENCE OF ARABIA's REAL LIFE

T. E. LAWRENCE

He was known as 'Lawrence of Arabia' but his real name was Thomas Edward Lawrence. He was born in 1888 in Wales and died in a motor cycle accident in 1935; trying to avoid to boys on their bikes coming towards him.

His father Sir Thomas Robert Tighe Chapman but left his wife for his daughter's governess. They never married but had five illegitimate sons. Thomas F Lawrence was the second son. The family lived in Oxford under the name of Lawrence. Thomas attended the Oxford High School of Boys. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford.

Summers 1907 and 1908 he toured France by cycle and collected photos, drawings of castles dating from the medieval period. Summer 1909 he went on a 1000 miles walking tour to visit the crusader 's castles in Syria. He received a First Class Honours for his thesis 'The influence of the Crusaders on Europe Military Architecture'

LAWRENCE AT AQABA 1917

LAWRENCE BIRTHPLACE

1910 He was offered to become a practicing Archaeologist in the Middle East in December. He sailed to Beirut and was working on a site at Carchemish, north Syria. Since the site was near the Turkish border, Baghdad Railway, the information was of importance to the military intelligence.

1911 British military send Leonard Wolley and Lawrence officially as archaeologists to map the Negev Desert, especially the water holes. It was of strategically importance because Ottoman had to cross Negev Desert to attack Egypt in case of War.

He was a British Soldier and worked as an archaeologist in the Near East. The name 'Lawrence of Arabia' came from organising the Arab revolt against the Turks in the First World War.

By the outbreak of the First World War Lawrence had extensive knowledge of the territory within the Ottoman Empire.

Lawrence wrote a book called 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom' and published it in 1926. He recalled the events and his adventures during the revolt. Apparently Lawrence was known as a shy man but these exploits definite made him a popular public figure.

After the war Winston Churchill made him his adviser in the new Middle Eastern Department. He withdrew from public life.

He enlisted in the Royal Air Force under the name of John Hume Ross as a mechanic. After that he joined the Tank Corps under the name of T E Shaw in 1923. Lawrence returned to the RAF in 1925.

Lawrence loved riding his motor cycle and was known for racing around in the English countryside. He was killed in a motor cycle accident, which is also shrouded in mystery, at the age of 47 in 1935. One story is, he tried to avoid to boys on their bike cycling side by side and were coming towards him and he went down a slope at the side of the road.

1962 a film was made 'Lawrence of Arabia' with Peter O'Toole and Anthony Quinn.