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TE Lawrence Newsletter 110:Layout 1 11/3/15 07:51 Page 1 The No. 110 T. E. LAWRENCE SOCIETY Spring 2015 Newsletter Château Tonquédec, Brittany, visited by Lawrence in 1906 T. E. Lawrence and friend “Scroggs” Beeson cycled round Brittany in 1906. This tour is well documented, and Society member Raymond Van Haelst recently followed the route of their travels. He shares his discoveries and photographs, alongside Lawrence’s own writings. Article on page 9. TE Lawrence Newsletter 110:Layout 1 11/3/15 07:51 Page 2 Contents Society News.................................................................................... 3 Dorset Event, Jordan Tour 2016 and AGM.................................... 4 London Group Report.................................................................... 5 Forthcoming N. England Tour ...................................................... 7 TEL 1906 Cycling Tour Revisited .................................................. 9 Late News........................................................................................ 15 Book Review and news .................................................................. 16 Latest news from Carchemish dig .................................................. 18 Two Polstead Road, Oxford ............................................................ 21 Diary Dates ...................................................................................... 21 “Archaeology of Lawrence of Arabia” ............................................ 22 Obituary: Nicholas Birnie .............................................................. 23 Resource Materials .......................................................................... 23 News and Updates .......................................................................... 24 Newsletter Contributions All contributions are welcome, although we cannot guarantee to use them. If they are to be included in the next issue, either send by post to TELS Newsletter at the address below to arrive by 15th May 2015, or e-mail to: [email protected] We also like to include photographs of members’ activities; either post original prints with an S.A.E. if you would like them returned, or send full resolution digital photographs by e-mail attachment. Please note that all contributions are subject to editorial amendment. The T. E. Lawrence Society Newsletter Editor: Harriet Coates ISSN 0950 950 X is published by: The T.E. Lawrence Society, P.O. Box 728, Oxford OX2 9ZJ (Registered Charity no. 297940) Copyright © 2015 The T.E. Lawrence Society and contributors. The views expressed by contributors are their own and not necessarily those of the T.E. Lawrence Society. Follow the T. E. Lawrence Society on Facebook 2 The T.E. Lawrence Society Newsletter No. 110 TE Lawrence Newsletter 110:Layout 1 11/3/15 07:51 Page 3 Your Committee News Your Society committee has been hard at work since the AGM in September. We’re a great team and are always ready to welcome new colleagues, so feel invited to participate! Chairman Philip Neale leads the team and is already booking speakers for the next Symposium in September 2016. Membership Secretary Louise Walker has been checking that everyone’s subscriptions are up to date and that new members are made to feel very welcome – especially one who joined on Christmas Day! We are a worldwide organisation, with many members abroad from as far away as Japan and Alaska. Don’t forget to encourage friends and family to join us - membership is great value, and it’s easy to pay by cheque or via our website with Paypal. Alan Payne is our Vice Chairman and Journal Editor – find out more about him with his brief biography: One of the great events in my childhood was the opening of a dedicated Children’s Library in my home town in Derbyshire. It was there that I found and devoured “The True Book of Lawrence of Arabia”. Throughout my teens I read several biographies (I remember Ocampo). Fortunately I did not attempt the Seven Pillars until I was 21 (and recovering from a motorcycle accident). It was the splendour of the language and what I think is poetry in prose which entranced me. In the meantime I had to earn a living as a Planning Officer (now a Consultant) and also wander round the mountains of Europe and Nepal - and save the odd historic building. Just for the record, my interest in Brough Superior motorcycles has nothing to do with my interest in T.E. Lawrence. It wasn’t until the 2008 Symposium when I gave a talk on them, that I made the Alan Payne connection. Many thanks to Alison Jolley, long-time Society member and excellent speaker at the 2014 Symposium, for editing the previous newsletter. Alison has stepped down from this editorship; she continues to support the society by updating our popular Facebook page, and welcomes members’ contributions and comments. Subscriptions, due 1st April annually. If you’re unable to send a UK cheque then our Paypal facility is a good alternative. Use it to pay for events, subscriptions and donations; just click the link on our website home page, or follow “Membership”. Cheques can be posted to The T.E. Lawrence Society, P.O. Box 728, Oxford OX2 9ZJ, along with an explanatory note. Don’t forget to Gift Aid your donation. Our Newsletter Harriet Coates, Secretary, is guest editor of this issue. Would you like to share in the Society’s work by joining our Editorial Team? Editorship provides plenty of fascinating reading and conversations with interesting people, as well as bringing together much recent research and Lawrence news. Contact Harriet Coates NOW at [email protected] for further information and to offer your expertise. The T.E. Lawrence Society Newsletter No. 110 3 TE Lawrence Newsletter 110:Layout 1 11/3/15 07:51 Page 4 Dorset – Special Lawrence Event 11th – 17th May 2015 To commemorate the 80th anniversary of T E Lawrence’s death and to celebrate his life, the National Trust will be running ‘Lawrence Week’ from 11th – 17th May. Events and activities will include talks by Alan Payne, Alison Jolley and Roger Holehouse; a guided walk; Tim Laycock at Clouds Hill performing readings and music associated with Lawrence and his friends; a family-orientated brass rubbing activity and archaeology display at Clouds Hill on the weekend of 16th and 17th May; a trail for children around the grounds of Clouds Hill during open days (Wednesday – Sunday). See the National Trust Clouds Hill website for details. Society Trip to Jordan, April 2016 The Society is planning a 7-10 day trip to Jordan in April 2016, working in conjunction with James Dyer and Sam McConnell (both Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society). You may recall James and Sam from last year’s Symposium, when they supported the cadets in their trek in Jordan. The plan is to stay at three camps out in the desert, at Lawrence-related locations near Maan, Mudawwara and Wadi Rum, where there will be optional day walks to interesting sites. We will be fully supported by the Bedouin and transported between the camps. We will also visit Aqaba, Petra and Amman, where hotel accommodation will be used. The cost for all accommodation, meals and transport in Jordan is predicted to be about £900 - £1100. This does not include flights to Amman. To register your interest for this exciting opportunity, please e mail [email protected] 2015 Annual General Meeting at Shuttleworth Aerodrome – Saturday 12th September 2015 You are warmly invited to participate in the Society’s Annual General Meeting, to be held on the afternoon of Saturday 12th September. Our venue will be the world- famous Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society (SVAS) aerodrome located at Old Warden, Bedfordshire, just off the A1 near Biggleswade. Come to meet the Committee and other members and explore this fascinating venue. The proposed programme will be: 10.00 – 12.30 Arrival, welcome and guided visit of the SVAS collection (Cost £10pp) 12.30 – 14.00 Buffet Lunch (costs to be confirmed) 14.00 – 15.30 Annual General Meeting 15.30 – 17.00 Afternoon Tea, with Guest Speaker (to be arranged) For more information about the Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society collection and directions to the site please see www.visiteastofengland.com/Biggleswade-The- Shuttleworth-Collection/details/?dms=3&venue=0223773 4 The T.E. Lawrence Society Newsletter No. 110 TE Lawrence Newsletter 110:Layout 1 11/3/15 07:51 Page 5 London Group Report 14 members attended an afternoon of talks on 30th August 2014 at Friends House, Euston. Ian Heritage and Véronique Thevoz – Great Arab Revolt Project Society members Ian Heritage and Véronique Thevoz have been on a few of the Great Arab Revolt Project (GARP) digs over the last 9 years. The project mainly investigated conflict areas in Jordan close to stations on the Hejaz railway between Ma’an and Mudowarra, but the groups also visited Abu el Lissan and Guweira. Ian’s talk began with the Ma’an area, saying how difficult it was to work in populated areas due to the attention caused, particularly from schoolboys. Aerial/satellite images were useful for revealing entrenched lines, such as the Turkish line on the Hill of the Birds. South of Ma’an at Aqabat Hajazia station a rudimentary steel hand grenade had been found, marked with the Turkish crescent. A similar one was presented to the GARP team at Mudowarra by a Jordanian boy – thankfully without its fuse and explosive filling! Rings of stones, occasionally with the remains of a wooden centre peg, were the signs of tented encampments. Ian ended with some details of Tooth Hill camp, near