Post War
The main focus of Lawrence's life after the war was divided between his writing the Seven Pillars, writing other books and translating books. Riding his Brough Superior motorcycle and lastly his work with fast boats for the RAF.
The fast boats are less well documented about. However, as seen by his letter to John Buchan thanking him for helping him to get back in to the RAF, Lawrence saw his work with fast boats as something of a success.
It all began when he was stationed at RAF Cattewater (later to become Mount Batten), where he had witnessed a flying boat accident and took part in the rescue in which airmen lost their lives, in part due to poor boat tender facilities. Lawrence was a witness at the crash inquiry.
The fast boats are less well documented about. However, as seen by his letter to John Buchan thanking him for helping him to get back in to the RAF, Lawrence saw his work with fast boats as something of a success.
It all began when he was stationed at RAF Cattewater (later to become Mount Batten), where he had witnessed a flying boat accident and took part in the rescue in which airmen lost their lives, in part due to poor boat tender facilities. Lawrence was a witness at the crash inquiry.
RAF Cattewater later to become RAF Mount Batten, was home to 204 Squadron. The emblem of which was in heraldic terms,
'On Water barry wavy Azure/Argent a Mooring Buoy Gules thereon a Cormorant displayed proper.'
The motto is ' I seek my prey at sea.'
The cormorant is based on a photograph taken by the then Aircraftsman Shaw.
'On Water barry wavy Azure/Argent a Mooring Buoy Gules thereon a Cormorant displayed proper.'
The motto is ' I seek my prey at sea.'
The cormorant is based on a photograph taken by the then Aircraftsman Shaw.
ST 201
The picture shows the RAF's Seaplane Tender No 201, however in June 1934, Lawrence conducted a sea trial in ST 200, the report of which, by Lawrence is below.
9 June 1934
R.A.F. 200 left Southampton Water for Plymouth, her present station, on Saturday, June 6th, at ten minutes to eleven in the morning, carrying a special crew of five R.A.F. personnel, and nearly twice her normal capacity of petrol and stores. Wind S.W., freshening to 20 miles an hour. Tide contrary. Sea choppy.
Engines first set at 2300 to Hurst Castle at 11.40 a.m. There the sea became rougher, the wind and tide coming in together and raising a broken swell. Off the Needles the meeting of the cross-seas provided quite a rough twenty minutes, during which the boat was thrown about vigorously and took some heavy splashes of spray aboard. No rolling, and speed only temporarily reduced, as from Swanage onwards advantage was taken of the shelter of the Portland promontory to open her up to 2500, her best cruising speed, and run over the swell. From St. Aldhelm's Head onwards she was a perfectly dry boat, and this opportunity was taken to refuel her main tank from cans of petrol carried on deck, and from a temporary tank taken on board for the special run.
Portland Bill was reached at about two o'clock, and passed close inshore. The long seas at Lyme Bay gave further opportunity of keeping up her cruising speed economically, as the boat ran lightly over them, steadily and dryly. The tide was now ebbing in her favour. Course was set slightly to the N. of Start Point, and the Devon Coast sighted at 4 o'clock, a long and heavy rain storm making visibility very limited. Off Start Point more heavy and broken seas were met, and speed was again reduced for a time, past Prawle to Bolt Head off Salcombe. The wind then dropped off to half its former strength and the boat was opened up to 2300 revolutions and held cleanly on her course to Plymouth at twenty past six p.m. No water remained in her bilges upon arrival, thanks to the self-bailers arranged in each of the boat's compartments. No solid water was shipped during the run, and the main cabin remained perfectly dry and comfortably throughout.
The engines ran faultlessly. A little oil was added to them on the way, to maintain their pressures constant at 40 lbs.; except for this they were not touched or thought of. The water outlet temperature gauges stood constantly at 45° Cent. The oil put in amounted to 1 gallon, as noted. Before the run to Plymouth was started, the boat did two and a half hours of test and trial running in Southampton Water. The trip round took seven and a half hours; so that her total running on the day came to 10 hours. During this she used 90 gallons of petrol, and 30 gallons remained in tanks upon arrival at Plymouth.
The whole run was made at cruising speed, no attempts to save time or take the shortest course being made. The boat was slowed down whenever the sea conditions made it comfortable to do so.
9 June 1934
R.A.F. 200 left Southampton Water for Plymouth, her present station, on Saturday, June 6th, at ten minutes to eleven in the morning, carrying a special crew of five R.A.F. personnel, and nearly twice her normal capacity of petrol and stores. Wind S.W., freshening to 20 miles an hour. Tide contrary. Sea choppy.
Engines first set at 2300 to Hurst Castle at 11.40 a.m. There the sea became rougher, the wind and tide coming in together and raising a broken swell. Off the Needles the meeting of the cross-seas provided quite a rough twenty minutes, during which the boat was thrown about vigorously and took some heavy splashes of spray aboard. No rolling, and speed only temporarily reduced, as from Swanage onwards advantage was taken of the shelter of the Portland promontory to open her up to 2500, her best cruising speed, and run over the swell. From St. Aldhelm's Head onwards she was a perfectly dry boat, and this opportunity was taken to refuel her main tank from cans of petrol carried on deck, and from a temporary tank taken on board for the special run.
Portland Bill was reached at about two o'clock, and passed close inshore. The long seas at Lyme Bay gave further opportunity of keeping up her cruising speed economically, as the boat ran lightly over them, steadily and dryly. The tide was now ebbing in her favour. Course was set slightly to the N. of Start Point, and the Devon Coast sighted at 4 o'clock, a long and heavy rain storm making visibility very limited. Off Start Point more heavy and broken seas were met, and speed was again reduced for a time, past Prawle to Bolt Head off Salcombe. The wind then dropped off to half its former strength and the boat was opened up to 2300 revolutions and held cleanly on her course to Plymouth at twenty past six p.m. No water remained in her bilges upon arrival, thanks to the self-bailers arranged in each of the boat's compartments. No solid water was shipped during the run, and the main cabin remained perfectly dry and comfortably throughout.
The engines ran faultlessly. A little oil was added to them on the way, to maintain their pressures constant at 40 lbs.; except for this they were not touched or thought of. The water outlet temperature gauges stood constantly at 45° Cent. The oil put in amounted to 1 gallon, as noted. Before the run to Plymouth was started, the boat did two and a half hours of test and trial running in Southampton Water. The trip round took seven and a half hours; so that her total running on the day came to 10 hours. During this she used 90 gallons of petrol, and 30 gallons remained in tanks upon arrival at Plymouth.
The whole run was made at cruising speed, no attempts to save time or take the shortest course being made. The boat was slowed down whenever the sea conditions made it comfortable to do so.
Lawrence with Hubert Scott-Paine.
Lawrence considered that the current tenders were too slow. They were full displacement hulled craft unsuitable for responding quickly. He had become associated with Hubert Scott-Paine whose company, Supermarine, designed the Schneider Trophy winning aircraft in 1922. Scott-Paine had also employed a young designer, Reginald Mitchell of Spitfire fame. As I understand it the Purdy Biscayne Baby speedboat was used as a tender to one of the support boats for the Schneider Trophy. Apparently the engine needed attention and Lawrence offered to rebuild the engine, setting about restoring and tweaking the boat at the same time. Perhaps the idea for the fast boats came from this. Lawrence and Scott-Paine worked together and Lawrence did much of the sea trials. Scott-Paine's British Power Boat Company at Hythe on the Isle of Wight, was eventually to go on and design many high speed rescue and attack speedboats for the Navy and RAF used in WW2.
As can be seen Lawrence's involvement from the beginning to where he got to before he retired was the production of the RAF's ST 200 seaplane tenders, which he was justly proud.
In January 1935 in a letter to John Buchan he writes:
As can be seen Lawrence's involvement from the beginning to where he got to before he retired was the production of the RAF's ST 200 seaplane tenders, which he was justly proud.
In January 1935 in a letter to John Buchan he writes:
That for eight years, and now for the last four I have been so curiously fortunate as to share in a little revolution we have made in boat design. People have thought we were at finality there, for since 1850 ships have merely got bigger. When I went into R.A.F. boats in 1929, every type was an Admiralty design. All were round-bottomed, derived from the first hollow tree, with only a fin, called a keel, to delay their rolling about and over. They progressed by pushing their own bulk of water aside. Now (1935) not one type of R.A.F. boat in production is naval... We have found, chosen, selected or derived our own sorts: they have (power for power) three times the speed of their predecessors, less weight, less cost, more room, more safety, more seaworthiness. As their speed increases, they rise out of the water and run over its face. They cannot roll, nor pitch, having no pendulum nor period, but a subtly modelled planning bottom and sharp edges.
Now I do not claim to have made these boats. They have grown out of joint experience, skill and imaginations of many men. But I can (secretly) feel that they owe to me their opportunity and their acceptance. The pundits met them with a fierce hostility: all the R.A.F. sailors, and all the Navy, said that they would break, sink, wear out, be unmanageable. To-day we are advising the War Office in refitting the coast defences entirely with boats of our model, and the Admiralty has specified them for the modernised battleships: while the Germans, Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese Governments have adopted them! In inventing them we have had to make new engines, new auxiliaries, use new timbers, new metals, new materials. It has been five years of intense and co-ordinated progress. Nothing now hinders the application of our design to big ships - except the conservatism of man, of course. Patience. It cannot be stopped now.
Now I do not claim to have made these boats. They have grown out of joint experience, skill and imaginations of many men. But I can (secretly) feel that they owe to me their opportunity and their acceptance. The pundits met them with a fierce hostility: all the R.A.F. sailors, and all the Navy, said that they would break, sink, wear out, be unmanageable. To-day we are advising the War Office in refitting the coast defences entirely with boats of our model, and the Admiralty has specified them for the modernised battleships: while the Germans, Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese Governments have adopted them! In inventing them we have had to make new engines, new auxiliaries, use new timbers, new metals, new materials. It has been five years of intense and co-ordinated progress. Nothing now hinders the application of our design to big ships - except the conservatism of man, of course. Patience. It cannot be stopped now.
For those interested in the development of these boats, in 2021 there is to be a book published by John Johnson Allen which will document Lawrence's involvement in the fast boat project.
Read more..
Lawrence with the Station Commander's wife, Clare Sydney Smith
The Biscayne Baby built by the Purdy Boat Company, New York.
A long time client of the Purdy's was one Carl Fisher of Indianapolis (Indy) fame, who came up with the idea of building a 'Class' speedboat. 10 were built in the first year and raced, all piloted by Indy drivers. The craft were however lightly built and at the end of the season, stripped of their mechanics and the hulls burnt. Later more were built using heavier construction methods. They were powered by Scripps engines F-6, 18 feet long.
A long time client of the Purdy's was one Carl Fisher of Indianapolis (Indy) fame, who came up with the idea of building a 'Class' speedboat. 10 were built in the first year and raced, all piloted by Indy drivers. The craft were however lightly built and at the end of the season, stripped of their mechanics and the hulls burnt. Later more were built using heavier construction methods. They were powered by Scripps engines F-6, 18 feet long.
As I understand very few original craft survive. However, I recently heard that a member of the Antique & Classic Boat Society Inc in America had a set of Purdy's plans, and he set to to build an 18' Biscayne Baby. He also sourced a Scripps F-6 engine found lying in the back of a Detroit auto repair shop for forty years! Below are some photos of the build by its owner, Wayne Purdy.
It is a beautiful craft without question.
It is a beautiful craft without question.
The Biscayne Baby pictured above was called 'Biscuit.' It was a favourite pastime of Lawrence to take people out for jaunts in the speedboat, Claire Sydney Smith and Lady Astor, being two. In a letter to the now Air Commodore Sydney Smith in January 1935, Lawrence writes as a postscript:
A sad week, this: The Biscuit, of tender memory, has journeyed to Felixstowe. Her new owner is F/Lt. Barlow. I hope he will be kind to her. She ran like a race-horse last time I drove her, in November. Leaving here is a preliminary training for the wrench next month when I lose the Service too. A bad year, 1935, for me. I hope it will go on being fine for you, at any rate.
In retrospect and unbeknown to Lawrence the year was to get worse and I am not referring to his untimely end.
Lawrence on one of his Brough Superiors.
Lawrence loved his Brough Superiors. He gave them names starting with Boanerges (Sons of Thunder) and thereafter named George I and so on. In total he had seven bikes from Brough. The last bike was being constructed for him when he had the fatal crash and would have carried the name George VII.
In 'The Mint' (written by Lawrence while serving in the RAF post WW1 under the name of 352087 A/c Ross), he describes a regular trip he used to make while at RAF Cranwell. It is titled 'The Road'.
The journey taken that evening starts at RAF Cranwell, though the village, on to the A15 heading northward to Lincoln. While riding up the A15, a Bristol B2 Fighter from nearby RAF Digby (Whitewash Villas), joins him overhead and they have a race until the aircraft can no longer continue.
Lawrence eventually parks up in Lincoln Cathedral Close. He enters the Cathedral and listens to the organist practicing. He leaves via the White Hart Hotel courtyard where he refreshes himself under the yard pump.
The journey resumes with him heading to Newark, thence to Nottingham and returning to Cranwell via Sleaford. Along the way he purchases some of his favourite foods.
The journey taken that evening starts at RAF Cranwell, though the village, on to the A15 heading northward to Lincoln. While riding up the A15, a Bristol B2 Fighter from nearby RAF Digby (Whitewash Villas), joins him overhead and they have a race until the aircraft can no longer continue.
Lawrence eventually parks up in Lincoln Cathedral Close. He enters the Cathedral and listens to the organist practicing. He leaves via the White Hart Hotel courtyard where he refreshes himself under the yard pump.
The journey resumes with him heading to Newark, thence to Nottingham and returning to Cranwell via Sleaford. Along the way he purchases some of his favourite foods.
Lawrence's retirement from the RAF was fast approaching and indeed dominated many of the letters he wrote. When the time came he left his post in Bridlington on a bicycle, to ride to his home at Clouds Hill in Dorset in the hope of perpetual anonymity. A letter to Pat Knowles reads:
Bridlington
20.2.35
Dear Pat,
No more to here. I've finished, and shall push off by bike in a day or two for Clouds Hill, travelling by very slow stages, but arriving there in very scruff order some time in early March.
I shall be glad to get away, now.
Yours
T.E.S.
The newspaper press on the other hand had other ideas. They besieged his cottage and he was forced to leave. Using a false name he went to London. There is on public record a draft of a letter he most likely intended to send to the Press Association but in a letter to Pat Knowles he writes:
Mr. B. Smith,
3 Belvedere Crescent,
London, S.E.1
19.3.35
Dear Pat,
I've spent all today with Press Association bosses, and Press Photographing Agencies, making quite a lot of ground. There are good hopes, I fancy, of persuading all of them to leave me alone, and to refuse to buy the stolen products of the freelancers. I shall know for certain in about three days time; and if successful I shall try to get back to Clouds Hill early next week.
Will you send me current stuff (and any news or needs you have) to this old address, between now and Saturday?
I hope nothing disastrous has overtaken our place.
Yours ever
T.E.S.
Although he signs himself off as T.E.S. he calls himself Mr B. Smith. Eventually all calms down at Clouds Hill and he returns. A further explanation is revealed in a subsequent letter to John Buchan, 01.04.1935, congratulating him on being appointed as the new Governor General of Canada. He writes:
My life? Not too good. The Press were besetting this cottage when I reached it. I went to London for a while: they desisted. I returned: they did. The most exigent of them I banged in the eye, and while he sought a doctor I went off again on my wanderings, seeing the Newspaper Society, and the Photographic Agencies, and Esmond Harmsworth (for the Newspaper Proprietors Assn.) with the plea to leave me alone. They agree, more or less, so long as I do nothing that earns a new paragraph: and on that rather unholy compact I am back here again in precarious peace, and liking a life that has no fixed point, no duty and no time to keep.
Then on the morning of 13th May he went out on his Brough Superior motorcycle. He had collision with errand boys not far from the Bovington Army Camp. He received serious head injuries and was taken to the Camp where he remained in a coma for six days, dying on 19th May 1935.