10129 - Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), 1918

Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), 1918

Lawrence was a British army officer, diplomat, archaeologist, and writer. In 1914 he worked for the British Museum in Ottoman Syria. When war broke out he joined the British Army as an intelligence officer. In 1916, he became a military advisor to Bedouin forces during the Arab Revolt. As liaison he worked closely with the Arab Kingdom’s Emir Faisal and led in some military actions – notably in the battles of Aqaba and Megiddo, and in the capture of Damascus, 1918. After WWI, Lawrence joined the British Foreign Office, working with the British government and with Faisal. The narrative of Lawrence’s wartime experiences (and reputation) were derived from his autobiography, Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the big-screen epic, Lawrence of Arabia.