T. E Lawrence in July 1918 The road to During June, Lawrence had spent a frustrating three 1918: the road weeks shuttling between Feisal’s H.Q. in Abu al-Lissan, Damascus General Allenby’s G.H.Q. in Palestine, the British base Marking the extraordinary at Cairo, and Jiddah on the Red Sea Coast – all in a trials, triumphs and to Damascus fruitless attempt to persuade King Hussein to transfer tribulations of T. E. Lawrence more Arab forces northwards to support his son Feisal. in the last year of the First World War, month by month, 1 July – In SS Mansurah [SS Mansourah, an Egy ptian in the British army alongside July: recovery and planning government mail steamer, for passage from Jiddah to the Arabs fi ghting in the Suez via Wejh]; 3 July – Wejh; 4 July – In SS Mansurah deserts of the Middle East; for a September off ensive [continuing on to Suez]; 6 July – Cairo when the legend of Lawrence of Arabia was born. On 16 June 1918 (while Lawrence was in Egy pt, so if he didn’t pick up on it then, he must have during this The British Empire, with support As victory in Europe becomes a next stay) the British government ‘clarifi ed’ its policy from many Arabs, was fi ghting in response to questions from seven surviving Arab against the Turkish Ottoman possibility, Britain wrestles with its Nationalist leaders, whom Lawrence dismissed as ‘an Empire, allies of the Germans war aims. In Palestine, Allenby and unauthorized committee of seven Gothamites.’ Britain and the Austro-Hungarians. promised that ‘the Arabs should keep, for their own, This series of leafl ets covers Lawrence use deception to keep the territory they [either held before the war or they the months leading up to the the Ottomans guessing about their capture of Damascus from the had] conquered from Turkey in the war.’ Territories Turkish army at the beginning intended next moves. liberated by Britain were to be ruled with ‘the consent of October 1918, which of the governed’, while regions the Turks still held at eff ectively signalled the end the end of the War were assured that Britain would of the war in the Middle East: continue to work towards their ‘freedom and the formal Armistice with the A Jiddah street scene independence’ in due course. Ottoman Turks was signed at This was not the commitment to his dream that the end of October. Lawrence wanted, writing with sarcasm: ‘The glad Some dramatic reversals of news circulated over Syria. To help the downcast fortune in the fi nal year of the Turks, and to show us that it could give as many campaign took their toll on promises as there were parties, the British fi nally Lawrence’s already strained countered document A to the Sherif, B to their Allies, nerves. This, and his feelings C to the Arab Committee, by document D to Lord of guilt around what he saw Rothschild, a new power, whose race was promised as the betrayal of his dreams of a pan-Arab empire during something equivocal in Palestine.’ [A = the McMahon the complex post-war peace correspondence with King Hussein; B = the Sykes-Picot negotiations, eventually caused Agreement; C = the ‘Gothamite’ clarifi cation; D = the the breakdown that brought Balfour Declaration to Rothschild, leading British Jew, Entering Damascus him in due course to seek on behalf of the Zionists.] solitude at Clouds Hill. The Arabs were confused. ‘Old Nuri Shaalam, wrinkling his wise nose, returned to me with his fi le of documents, asking in puzzlement which of them all he Copyright © 2018 National Trust might believe. As before, I glibly repeated, ‘The last in Map, quotes and photos: Seven Pillars of Wisdom, published in 1926; Lawrence’s personal account of his role in the Great Arab Revolt date’. Old Nuri saw the humour in it all.’ against the Ottoman Empire. Bust photo © John Hammond. The National Trust is a registered charity no. 205846. Design by Pure Glow Media 8 July – Alexandria; 9 July – Cairo; 11 July – Palestine thence, by Rumm, to carry Mudowwara [Al Mudawara] ‘On July the eleventh Dawnay and I were again by night-attack; thence by Bair, to destroy the bridge and talking to Allenby and [his Staff Brigadier-General] tunnel near Amman; and back to Palestine on August the Bartholomew, and, of their generosity and confi dence, thirtieth.’ seeing the undress working of a general’s mind. It was an Over the next two weeks Lawrence used all his tact and experience: technical, reassuring, and very valuable to diplomacy to persuade senior British offi cers of the me, who was mildly a general, too, in my own odd show.’ soundness of his plans, and the lack of on-the-ground 11-12 July ‘Allenby’s confi dence was like a wall. Before the attack experience evident in theirs. Lawrence crossed out he went to see his troops massed in secrecy, waiting requirements for forage (the camels would live off the the signal, and told them he was sure, with their good land, as this year’s pasture was good), and men’s food 8 July help, of thirty thousand prisoners; this when the whole for a return journey (the Arab irregulars would just melt game turned on a chance! Bartholomew was most 29-30 July away to their homelands, without needing to return to anxious. He said it would be desperate work ... we must Aqaba), and the ‘petrol, cars, ammunition, and everything not assume that the attack would follow as planned. It 6-7, 9-10, 13-25 else to the exact point, without margin, which would could be delivered only in the coastal sector, opposite July 28, 31 July meet what we planned.’ After receiving a disdainful Ramleh, the rail-head, where only could a necessary response, Lawrence ‘prosed forth on my hoary theorem reserve of stores be gathered.’ that we lived by our ragg edness and beat the Turks by our ‘Allenby’s plan was to collect the bulk of his infantry 3 July uncertainty. Young’s scheme was faulty, because precise.’ and all his cavalry under the orange and olives groves With help from Joyce, Lawrence prevailed. ‘Our own of Ramleh just before September the nineteenth. family rifts were distressing, but inevitable. ... The Simultaneously he hoped to make in the Jordan Valley troubles were only between ourselves, and thanks to such demonstrations as should persuade the Turks of a the magnifi cent unselfi shness of Joyce, we preserved concentration there in progress. The two raids to Salt 30 June enough of team-spirit to prevent a complete breakdown, had fi xed the Turks’ eyes exclusively beyond Jordan. ... however high-handed I appeared: and I had a reserve of In the coastal sector, the area of real danger, the enemy confi dence to carry the whole thing, if need be, on my had absurdly few men. Success hung on maintaining shoulders. They used to think me boastful when I said so: them in this fatal mis-appreciation ... Deceptions ... but my confi dence was not so much ability to do a thing became for Allenby a main point of strategy .’ perfectly, as a preference for botching it somehow rather ‘The noble prospect sent Dawnay and myself back to than letting it go altogether by default.’ Cairo in great fettle and cogitation.’ 26 July – in SS Borulos [an Egy ptian government mail British military Ottoman military 13 July – Cairo occupation occupation Main desert areas steamer, for passage from Suez to Aqaba]; 28 July – Markers show Arabs allied to Pro-Ottoman Lawrence spent almost a fortnight in Cairo discussing British front-line Akaba [Aqaba]; 29 July – Aba el Lissan [Abu al-Lissan] Lawrence’s Sharif Hussein Arab Sheiks plans for the proposed September off ensive. locations overnight Arab Sheiks not allied This had been Lawrence’s longest absence from the Arab to Hussein but in Hussein’s claim ‘News from Akaba had raised again the question of treaties with Britain front line – he had left Aqaba for Cairo and Palestine on defending the plateau against the Turks, who had just 10 June, over six weeks previously. turned Nasir out of Hesa and were contemplating ‘Among the Arab offi cers were distributed some British a stroke against Aba el Lissan [Abu al-Lissan] about military decorations, tokens of their gallantry about the end of August, when our Deraa detachment Maan. These marks of Allenby’s esteem heartened the should start. Unless we could delay the Turks another Map and quotations are taken from Seven Pillars of Arab Army. Nuri Pasha Said off ered to command the fortnight, their threat might cripple us. ... At this Wisdom, chapters 98 and 101. Deraa expedition, for which his courage, authority and juncture Dawnay was inspired to think of the surviving coolness marked him as the ideal leader.’ The dates and places in bold [with modern battalion of the Imperial Camel Corps. Perhaps G.H.Q. On 30 July Buxton arrived in Aqaba with the 300-strong transliterations where it helps] are taken from Appendix might lend it to us to confuse the Turk’s reckoning. Camel Corps, after a seven day march from Kubri on 2 of Seven Pillars, in which Lawrence records from his We telephoned Bartholomew, who understood, and diary where he was overnight. the Suez Canal. Lawrence went down to meet the force backed our request to [General] Bols in Alexandria, and at Aqaba, where the few Bedouin who saw them were to Allenby. ... Colonel Buxton, with three hundred men, Not all places mentioned remain visible today.