Lawrence of Arabia, the modest hero: Letter which reveals army officer's unease at his legendary status set to be sold at auction
- Handwritten note to friend and former colleague expected to fetch £6,000
By Simon Cable
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Modest: T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, struggled to accept praise for his role in the First World War's Arab Revolt
A letter written by Lawrence of Arabia, in which he tries to persuade a friend not to name his newborn son after him is to go under the hammer.
The former British Army captain, whose real name was Thomas Edward Lawrence, privately struggled to accept the praise bestowed on him for his widely-commended role in the victorious Arab Revolt during the First World War.
In a letter written in 1920 to his friend and former colleague Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart Newcombe, Lawrence expressed his unease that Mr Newcombe should wish to honour him, after becoming disillusioned with the legacy of his famous wartime campaign.
He even suggests that naming the baby Lawrence would be a ‘handicap’ to the young child.
The handwritten note is in reply to a letter from Newcombe telling Lawrence of the birth of his first son, and asking if he would act as godfather and allow the child be named after him.
He replied: ‘Of course Lawrence may have been the name of your absolutely favourite cousin or aunt, (observe my adroitness in sex), and if so I will be dropping an immodest brick by blushing - but if it isn’t, aren’t you handicapping ‘it’?
‘In the history of the world (cheap edition) I’m a sublimated Aladdin, the thousand and second Knight, a Strand-Magazine strummer. In the eyes of ‘those who know’ I failed badly in attempting a piece of work which a little more resolution would have pushed through, or left un-touched. So either case it is bad for the sprig, unless, as I said, there is a really decent aunt.
‘As for god-fathering him, I asked two or three people what it meant, and their words were ribald. Perhaps it is because people near me lose that sense of mystery which distance gives. Or else it was because they didn’t know it was you - or at least yours. Anyhow I can’t find out what it means, and so I shall be delighted to take it on.’
The letter, recognised as the most famous written by Lawrence, is now being auctioned at Bonhams later this month where it is expected to fetch £6,000.
Lawrence was an archaeologist working in the Middle East when he was recruited by the British Army in 1914 to mount reconnaissance missions under cover of a scientific expedition. He later helped plan a series of battles against the Ottoman Empire, developing a deep sympathy for the Arabs who had lived under Turkish rule for centuries.
His close friendships with local tribes and his adoption of their flowing robes turned him into the romantic figure of popular imagination immortalised by Peter O’Toole in the 1962 film Lawrence Of Arabia.
Following the conflict, he had hoped the Arabs would be granted full independence of Turkey, but quickly became disillusioned after they were denied the chance of self-rule by the British and French governments, who divided up the country.
The great man pictured in 1917: Lawrence was an archaeologist working in the Middle East when he was recruited by the British Army in 1914 to mount reconnaissance missions under cover of a scientific expedition
The letter also reveals that Lawrence struggled to come to terms with his fame, and wanted to change his name in order to live a more anonymous life.
He finishes the letter by saying: ‘Seriously I am changing my own name, to be more quiet, and wish I could change my face, to be more lovely, and beloved!’
The following year Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill appointed Lawrence as an adviser, but in 1922 he resigned and joined the Royal Air Force under the name ‘Ross’ in an attempt to find anonymity.
During the 1920s and early 1930s, he served both in the RAF and the Tank Corps under assumed names, including T.E. Shaw. Lawrence left the RAF in February 1935 and died on May 19 that year following a motorcycle accident in Dorset. Newcombe was one of the six pallbearers at his funeral.
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jkone, stockport, United Kingdom, 9 hours ago
devil dog been hitting the juice, or joint.