T. E Lawrence in March 1918 The road to 1918: the road The run of successes in late 1917 (capturing Aqaba, Damascus victory at Gaza, breaking into southern Palestine, and Marking the extraordinary the capture of Jerusalem on 11 December 1917) stalled trials, triumphs and to Damascus as the winter rains set in. British forces dug in on a line tribulations of T. E. Lawrence just north of Jaffa, extending into the Jordan valley in the last year of the First and typhus-ridden Jericho, on 19-21 February 1918. World War, month by month, in the British army alongside March: a false start to spring Emir Feisal was based in Aqaba, while his youngest the Arabs fighting in the brother Zeid headed the Arabs holding the town deserts of the Middle East; of Tafileh where on 29 January they had routed the when the legend of Lawrence Ottomans. More Arab forces, together with Indian of Arabia was born. troops, were stationed at the old fortress of Azrak that Reflecting on Lawrence of The British Empire, with support had been Lawrence’s winter base out in the desert east from many Arabs, was fighting Arabia’s activities, month of Amman, far behind enemy lines. against the Turkish Ottoman Empire, allies of the Germans Lawrence was exhausted: “For a year and a half I had by month, 100 years on and the Austro-Hungarians. been in motion, riding a thousand miles each month upon This series of leaflets covers camels: with added nervous hours in crazy aeroplanes, the months leading up to the or rushing across country in powerful cars. In my last five capture of Damascus from the actions I had been hit, and my body so dreaded further Turkish army at the beginning of pain that now I had to force myself under fire. Generally October 1918, which effectively I had been hungry: lately always cold: and frost and dirt signalled the end of the war had poisoned my hurts into a festering mass of sores.” in the Middle East: the formal Armistice with the Ottoman A Jiddah street scene Further depressed by Zeid squandering all the gold Turks was signed at the end of intended to fund the Arabs’ war, Lawrence went at the October. end of February to General Allenby’s headquarters, Some dramatic reversals of asking to be given “some smaller part elsewhere.” But, fortune in the final year of the with the War going badly in France, politicians needed campaign took their toll on victories and were leaning on Allenby “to take at Lawrence’s already strained least Damascus; and, if possible, Aleppo, as soon as he nerves. This, and his feelings of guilt around what he saw could.” Allenby’s difficulty“lay with his eastern flank, the as the betrayal of his dreams right, which to-day rested on Jordan. He had called me of a pan-Arab empire during to consider if the Arabs could relieve him of its burden.” the complex post-war peace Lawrence responded that the first stage would be negotiations, eventually caused to capture Maan, but 700 camels would be needed. the breakdown that brought him Allenby agreed, and sent two units of Camel Transport Entering Damascus in due course to seek solitude at Corps down to Aqaba. Meanwhile, Allenby would Clouds Hill. strike east across the Jordan, occupy Es [As] Salt, and destroy the railway south of Amman. Copyright © 2018 National Trust Lawrence, having finished his business at GHQ, went Map, quotes and photos: Seven Pillars of Wisdom, published in 1926; to Cairo for two days, and was then flown 200 miles in Lawrence’s personal account of his role in the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Bust photo © John Hammond. an old biplane to Aqaba to meet up with Feisal again. The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846. Design by Pure Glow Media 1 March – Cairo 17 March – Akaba 4 March – Akaba [Aqaba] 18 March – Nagb Shtar [Naqb Ishtar/Ashtar] “I gave him [Feisal] the good news that Allenby ... “It was springtime: very pleasant after the biting had put £300,000 into my independent credit [to Mediterranean Sea winter, whose excesses seemed dream-like, in the new pay for wages, equipment and supplies for the Arab freshness and strength of nature.... All life was alive forces], and given us a train of 700 pack-camels with us: even the insects. In our first night I had laid complete with personnel and equipment. ... We my cashmere head-cloth on the ground under my arranged rough time-tables and schemes: then I head as pad: and at dawn, when I took it up again, shipped busily back to Egypt.” twenty-eight lice were tangled in its snowy texture.” Meanwhile the Turks returned to Tafileh to 19 March – Shobek [Shobak] avenge their earlier defeat, and Zeid was forced to evacuate the town on 6 March; but the point 20 March – Sadaka [As Sadaqa] had been made on 29 January. “While we were in this comfortable air ... news came from Azrak, of Ali ibn Hussein and the Indians still 6 March – In SS Borulos [an Egyptian on faithful watch. One Indian had died of cold, and government mail steamer for passage from also Daud, my Ageyli boy, the friend of Farraj. Farraj Aqaba to Suez] himself told us.” Daud and Farraj had been with 8 March – Cairo Lawrence as enthusiastic servants since May “In Cairo, where I spent four days, our affairs were 1917. “Meanwhile at Aba el Lissan things went not now far from haphazard. Allenby’s smile had given 28 Feb well with our scheme to destroy the Maan garrison us Staff. We had supply officers, a shipping expert, by posting the Arab Army across the railway to the an ordnance expert, an intelligence branch: under north ... their officers clamoured for direct attack on [Colonel] Alan Dawnay. Dawnay was Allenby’s Maan. ... Maulud, hot for immediate assault, wrote Cairo greatest gift to us – greater than thousands of memoranda to Feisal upon the danger of English 1-3, 8-11 March baggage camels.” interference with Arab liberty ... Dawnay came up to “The Arab Movement had lived as a wild-man show, reason with the malcontents ... but he came too late, with its means as small as its duties and prospects. 19 March for the Arab officers now felt their honour to Hence-forward Allenby counted it as a sensible part Suez be engaged.” 20 March of his scheme.” 12 March Around this time, the Turks abandoned Tafileh, and the Arabs re-occupied it again. 12 March – Suez 18 March 21 March – Akaba, etc 13 March – In SS Borulos [return from Suez to 16, 30 March Just as Allenby’s forces started out across Aqaba] the Jordan (21 March) leading to the Battle 15 March – Akaba 4, 5, 15, 17 & of Amman (2 April), the Germans launched “With Joyce we laid our triple plan to support 21 March their “Spring Offensive” on the Western Front, Allenby’s first stroke. In our centre the Arab regulars, making their deepest advances since 1914 and under Jaafar, would occupy the [railway] line a march threatening Britain and France with defeat north of Maan. Joyce with our armoured cars would before the Americans could take their place on slip down to Mudowwara, and destroy the railway – Map and all quotations are Marker shows Lawrence’s the Front. Over the coming months, Allenby’s permanently this time, for now we were ready to cut taken from Seven Pillars of locations overnight forces were to be stripped bare to bolster the off Medina. In the north, Mirzuk, with myself, would Wisdom, chapters 90 to 92. Western Front. join Allenby when he fell back to Salt about March The dates and places in bold, with modern transliterations 30 March – Guweira the thirtieth. Such a date gave me leisure: and I where it helps, are taken from Appendix II of Seven Pillars, in Neither Allenby’s attack on Amman, nor the settled to go to Shobek, with Zeid and Nasir.” which Lawrence records from his diary where he was overnight. Arabs’ attack on Maan were to be successful, 16 March – Guweira [Al Quwayrah / El Quweira] Not all places mentioned remain visible today. and by early April 1918 the campaign would again be stalled.