T.E. Lawrence: The Enigmatic Lawrence of Arabia

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But Lawrence was a shattered man. His body was wracked by illness and weight loss and scarred by dozens of wounds. The war, the deep psychological trauma suffered at Deraa, politics, writing Seven Pillars and his celebrity status had all taken a toll on him, and he became depressed and tormented by existential angst. A terrible indication of his burdens is that from 1923 onward, Lawrence arranged to have himself beaten. Whether that was out of penitence, punishment or to suppress undesired urges is unknown. As a respite, he joined the ranks of the Royal Air Force (RAF) under the name of John Hume Ross in 1922. When that was discovered by the press, he was discharged, but he joined the Royal Tank Corps the next year under the alias of T.E. Shaw. In 1926 he completed Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which was available only by subscription. By then he was back in the RAF and stationed in India when Revolt in the Desert, a popular abridgement of his book, was published to instant acclaim. Lawrence also wrote a novel, The Mint, about life in the RAF, and completed a highly praised modern translation of Homer’s Odyssey. He kept up a voluminous correspondence with some of the most influential artists and politicians of the day. Haunted by the press, who were now claiming that he was a spy in India, he returned to Britain, where he lived in seclusion at Clouds Hill, his cottage in Dorset. Stationed at Plymouth, he was influential in the design of a high-speed rescue boat for the RAF. He also indulged in one of the great passions of his life, motorcycle riding. He retired from the RAF in March 1935, but just two months later, on May 13, he was injured in a motorcycle accident near Clouds Hill, and died six days later.

Lawrence had longed for fame and was appalled by it. He wished to be accepted by others, yet was a strong individualist. He was an intensely lonely man who had legions of friends. A bookish person, perhaps his first love in life was writing and literature. But his talents were legion, and he excelled at everything he put his hand to. From such volatile mixtures, geniuses are born; the contented rarely achieve greatness. Lawrence was a rarity, for he had dared to dream and to turn his dreams into reality.

This article was written by O’Brien Browne and originally published in the October 2003 issue of Military History.

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Tags: 20th - 21st Century, Historical Conflicts, Historical Figures

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