Thomas Edward Lawrence English intelligence officer Date of Birth: 15.08.1888 Country: Great Britain

Biography of Thomas Edward Lawrence

Thomas Edward Lawrence, also known as T.E. Lawrence, was born in August 1888 in Tremadog, Wales. He was the second of five illegitimate sons of a wealthy Irish nobleman. From a young age, Lawrence showed linguistic abilities, and one of his pastimes was reading newspapers upside down. During his studies at Oxford University, where he learned the basics of archaeology and improved his knowledge of Semitic languages, Lawrence embarked on an expedition to Syria. He crossed the desert on foot, studying the remains of fortresses built during the Crusades. At the end of his journey, Lawrence was attacked by Kurds but managed to make it to a Syrian village, where he received help. His expedition resulted in a prize-winning dissertation from the history department.

After finishing at Oxford, Lawrence joined an archaeological expedition excavating along the Euphrates. During his nearly five years of work in Syria and Mesopotamia, he mastered Arabic dialects (he was proficient in at least six languages, including Latin and Greek). In January 1914, the famous British archaeologist Leonard Woolley and Lawrence, together with a surveying team, were sent to the Middle East by the Palestine Exploration Fund. Their mission was to map the region between the ports of Gaza and Aqaba. However, the true purpose of the expedition was military reconnaissance, ordered by Lord Kitchener, the British High Commissioner in Egypt. Lawrence worked under the command of Colonel C.E. Newcombe, who was responsible for the measurements.

After the outbreak of World War I, Lawrence was assigned the task of quickly mapping the Sinai Peninsula. After completing this work, he tried to enlist as a volunteer in the British army but was rejected due to his short height (only 1.65m). However, when Turkey entered the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary, Lawrence was sent to serve in military intelligence. In December 1914, he, Newcombe, and Woolley were sent to Egypt. With the rank of major, Lawrence effectively led the British secret service in Egypt, which was responsible for areas of the Arab territories under Turkey's control.

Lawrence easily passed himself off as an Arab sheikh. He strictly adhered to the teachings of the Quran, wore Arab clothing, and sat in military councils with his legs crossed like a Turk, carrying a golden dagger at his waist. He had conflicts with some staff officers because he believed that Arabs could be organized into a formidable unit if their desire for independence was respected. In 1915, Lawrence became the liaison officer between the British and the 80-year-old great sheikh of the holy Muslim city of Mecca, Hussein. In June 1916, with the support of British forces, the Arabs, led by Hussein, rose up against Turkish rule and expelled them from Mecca and the ports of the southern Red Sea coast. However, their martial spirit did not last long, and Cairo gave Lawrence full freedom for further joint operations with the Arabs. Starting in December 1916, he served as a British officer with Hussein's son, Emir Faisal, with whom he developed a friendly relationship. Lawrence convinced Hussein and Faisal to join the fight against German and Turkish forces and promised them British support in the reestablishment of the once mighty Arab Empire.

Lawrence appeared in various Bedouin camps, urging them to join the uprising. The 28-year-old Englishman, by this time a colonel, spoke about independence, reminded them of Arabia's glorious past, and urged them to strike blow after blow against the enemy as long as Turkey fought against the British and their allies. Gradually, his efforts began to bear fruit, and the Arab tribes, forgetting their past enmity, gathered under Faisal's green banners. After months of preparation and with the support of the British secret service, Lawrence gradually formed combat-ready units from nomadic herders. Lawrence understood that the Bedouins had little chance of success, but he believed that by mastering the art of camel riding and employing guerrilla tactics, the Arabs could successfully fight against the Turks. In June 1917, Lawrence led a victorious attack on a Turkish detachment of over 500 soldiers in Ezion-Geber near Aqaba. The Arab camel cavalry routed the Turks, and Lawrence, at the head of his triumphant warriors, entered Aqaba. They then embarked on a four-month, 1,900 km journey across the desert on camels. The deadly heat and a diet consisting only of dates and camel meat brought Lawrence to extreme exhaustion - by the end of the journey, he weighed only 44 kg. Despite this, he personally set off for Cairo to seek reinforcements. With a few companions, Lawrence crossed the Sinai Peninsula and covered the 250 km to the Suez Canal in less than 48 hours. The new British Supreme Commander in Egypt and the Middle East, General Allenby, immediately agreed to expand support for the rebellious Arabs. The Turks offered a reward of 20,000 pounds for Lawrence's capture alive and 10,000 pounds for his death, but the Arabs did not give him up. Lawrence's idea of creating a unified Arabia made him an idol of the desert sons. Now, Lawrence led a larger force of Bedouins, armed by the British with the most modern weapons. They were to attack the flank of the German-Turkish army in Palestine. The operation was successful, and the enemy was defeated. In September 1918, General Allenby advanced from Palestine towards Syria, while Lawrence, with a large force of 1,000 Arabs, 200 British and French soldiers, marched towards the city of Deraa. Lawrence now had field artillery, tanks, and even airplanes at his disposal. The city was besieged, and after some time, the Turks abandoned it. Lawrence pursued the retreating garrison towards Damascus and almost completely annihilated them in a battle near Tafileh.

Meanwhile, the uprising instigated by Lawrence in the Turkish rear expanded, and most of the retreating Turkish troops faced destruction. Lawrence's Arab forces occupied Damascus. Soon after, General Allenby arrived in Damascus with his British troops. As a result of this year and a half-long campaign, the Turks were expelled from the Arab lands. During this time, the Arabs blew up 79 bridges and trains, disrupted telegraph communication, and destroyed the Hedjaz Railway, the main supply line for Turkish troops. Lawrence himself often laid mines. He would hide with his Bedouins behind rocks or sand dunes and wait for the trains to pass before attacking. Afterward, the Bedouins would eliminate any surviving Turks and loot the train cars. Lawrence conducted long-range reconnaissance raids into the enemy's deep rear, often alone or with one or two companions. Once, he single-handedly blew up an important concrete bridge on the railway between Damascus and Aleppo. Lawrence wrote in his memoirs: "To gather as much information as possible during a raid across the Guran plain, it was necessary to scout out its capital, Deraa. I intended to go with Faris to the area near the station and through the city, and after dark, reach Nisib. We climbed up the embankment of the Palestine railway, which provided a good vantage point to observe the Deraa station. We found that all approaches to the station were too exposed, and a surprise attack would be impossible. We decided to walk along the eastern side of the defensive structure. On the way, we saw German-produced military material warehouses surrounded by barbed wire, with passages left between the rows. Turkish soldiers walked between the tents or went to the latrine area on our side. But they showed no interest in us. From the corner of the aerodrome, on the southern side of the station, we headed towards the city. We saw several old 'Albatros' planes in the hangars. People were bustling around them... One of them shouted something to us in Turkish. We continued on, pretending not to understand, but some non-commissioned officer caught up with us, grabbed my elbow, and said, 'You must come to the bey. And don't think of running - there are plenty of people here.'"

Because of the numerous scars from his wounds, the Turks mistook Lawrence for a Turkish deserter and took him to the commander. During the interrogation, Lawrence kicked him, and in response, the commander struck him with a bayonet and ordered him to be whipped and subjected to cruel torture.

Lawrence wrote: "I counted the blows to try to maintain control, but after the twentieth blow, my strength failed me."

He was afraid of giving himself away with an involuntary exclamation in English but soon lost consciousness. After the torture session, the Turks released, or rather abandoned, Lawrence. When he regained consciousness, he ran to his companions. The brutal torture visibly transformed him: he became silent, sharp, and indifferent to any danger. The 30-year-old Oxford graduate managed to do what no caliph or sultan had ever been able to do over the centuries - unite perpetually warring Bedouin tribes and lead them in a rebellion against the conquerors.

Lawrence promised the Arabs that they would gain full independence. He was unaware that a secret Anglo-French agreement had been signed in 1916, determining the post-war order in the Middle East. This agreement guaranteed France control over most of Syria, while the British would dominate Mesopotamia. Palestine was to be placed under international control. When Lawrence learned about these conditions, he renounced all rewards and honors, stating, "The role I played in the Arab revolt is shameful not only for me personally but also for my country and its government."

After the war ended, Lawrence participated in the Versailles Peace Conference as an expert on the Middle East, but he was unsuccessful in defending Arab interests. Realizing that the peace treaty did not fulfill the promises made by the British, he returned to England deeply disappointed. He began writing a book titled "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," in which he described the Arab uprising. Both the book and its author faced a troubled fate. On his way from Oxford to London, Lawrence briefly left his bag with the manuscript unattended to buy a newspaper. When he returned, the bag was gone - it had been stolen. It is believed that this was done on the orders of the British secret service. The bag contained a manuscript of about 1,000 pages and Lawrence's diary from the campaign. However, with his courage and perseverance, Lawrence managed to reconstruct the manuscript from memory, albeit in an abbreviated form.

Minister of the Colonies Winston Churchill convinced Lawrence to join his ministry as an expert. However, Lawrence quickly grew tired of the bureaucratic atmosphere and in 1922 joined the Royal Air Force under the name John Ross. Rumors circulated about him, suggesting that he was involved in the bloody massacres during the Chinese Civil War or that he used immense resources to turn the Chinese leadership against the Soviets. After a London newspaper discovered and published Lawrence's true identity as aviator John Ross, he was dismissed from the Royal Air Force. But by March 1923, he became a private in the Royal Tank Corps under the name T.E. Shaw. However, his passion now turned to aviation, and in 1925, he was transferred to the RAF as a pilot, this time under the name T.G. Shaw. In July 1927, Lawrence was assigned to India. Using his connections, he personally arranged this assignment, stating that he wanted to be far away from any gunfire when the second edition of his book was published. In 1928, Lawrence-Shaw arrived at the 20th Air Squadron in Peshawar.

One legend states that Lawrence supposedly studied the Afghan language and crossed the border disguised as a dervish. Indeed, Afghan tribal leaders rebelled against their pro-Western king, Amanullah Khan. Labour Party members in the British Parliament believed that this rebellion was organized with the participation of Indians, and Lawrence's presence there was undoubtedly connected to these events. The Soviet press wrote that Lawrence was secretly leading British intelligence in the region disguised as an ordinary soldier. Due to the controversy surrounding him, the Royal Air Force urgently recalled him to England, and when the ship he was on arrived in Plymouth, he was not allowed a single reporter. The mystery surrounding his arrival only fueled the general interest. In the House of Commons, a request was even made to know why Lawrence was allowed to serve under a false name.

After his final discharge from the RAF in March 1935, Lawrence secluded himself in his small house near the village of Clouds Hill in Dorsetshire. On Monday, May 13, 1935, he was riding his motorcycle on a country road when he suddenly noticed two boys racing toward him on bicycles. Realizing that they would not be able to avoid a collision, Lawrence hit the brakes, causing his motorcycle to skid and overturn. Without regaining consciousness, he died from severe injuries on May 19, 1935.

A bust of Lawrence was installed in St. Paul's Cathedral in London alongside the busts of Nelson and Wellington.