Lawrence, T. E. (1888-1935), a British soldier and writer, became world famous as Lawrence of Arabia. He was one of the most adventurous personalities of World War I (1914-1918). In Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926), he described his exploits in Arabia. A shortened version of his book appeared in 1927 as Revolt in the Desert.
Thomas Edward Lawrence was born on Aug. 15, 1888, in Tremadoc, Wales. He attended Oxford University, where he studied archaeology and the Near East. When World War I started, Lawrence was working as an archaeologist for the British government. He was sent to Egypt to head the military intelligence department. Later, as a colonel, he helped organize the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire and became passionately devoted to the Arab cause. He led daring guerrilla raids and contributed to the defeat of the Ottomans and the entry of the Arabs into Damascus, the capital of Syria. Lawrence refused all honors and decorations. But the Arabs hailed him as a hero, and he was called “the uncrowned king of Arabia.” At the Versailles Conference in 1919, he unsuccessfully pleaded the cause of Arabian independence.
In 1921, Lawrence became adviser on Arab affairs to the British Colonial Office. But he had become uncomfortable with his fame, and he resigned from the post in 1922. Later that year, he joined the Royal Air Force under the name J. H. Ross. His identity was discovered, and he transferred to the tank corps under the name T. E. Shaw. In 1925, he returned to the R.A.F. He legally adopted the name T. E. Shaw. Lawrence died in a motorcycle accident in England on May 19, 1935.
See also Wadi Rum .
