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

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 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.

The comments below have not been moderated.

devil dog been hitting the juice, or joint.

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The man who new to much,pain in tha a;;;;s to the british authorities,dies mysteriously to boot,Hmmm

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NO Prisoners!

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He was working for the British bankers and BP who were interested in the oil fields controled by the Ottoman empire that time.

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Like many other true British heroes he died long before his time.

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There is a bit in the film when the character played by Anthony Quinn shouts "Hey! You!". With the echo from the hills this comes out as :Hey! Hey! You! You" which always made wonder if this was an inspiration for the chorus in the Rolling Stones' song 'Get off of my cloud' released in 1965.

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He was a lieutenant colonel

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Eventually.

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A charismatic and mysterious figure who continues to interest us after all these years.

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Being of, inter alia, Orish background and raised on Hornblower and other dashing figure books, to include the romanticized version of LOA so aptly portrayed by O'Toole, when I first was in the Kingdom I was enchanted by the flowing robes, kohl enhanced eyes so prominently staring from the veils, and the ships of the desert majestically moving o'er the timeless dunes. Six months later! When I departed, I informed my Officer Monitor the only way I wanted to come back was if I were in the lead landing craft leading the force in an attempt to wrest the country from the 8th century.

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What a load of pretentious piffle. Your sentences are too long and waffling. In trying to be clever you just appear ridiculous.

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@Devil Dog,inter alia,your a numpty.

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assassinated by british government.

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That really is an absurd perspective.

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