T. E. Lawrence

Contents lists

1888-1910

1911

1912

1913

1914

1915-16

1917-18

1919-20

1921

1922

1923

1924

1925

1926

1927

1928

1929

1930

1931

1932

1933

1934

1935

Updated June 2012

T. E. Lawrence to his family

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Grand Continental Hotel
Cairo

April 12, 1921

Back here in Cairo for two days: have been moving rapidly since I last wrote. We went from Cairo about March 25 to Jerusalem, stopping at Gaza on the way. Two days later I was driven over by car to Salt, across Jordan, where I met Abdulla, Feisal's brother, who drove back to Jerusalem with me. It was an amusing performance, for the people of Salt and Jerusalem were very enthusiastic and excited, and nearly mobbed the car in their anxiety to welcome Abdulla. From Jerusalem I went, on the 31st back to Amman by car, through Salt. The country across Jordan is all in spring, and the grass and flowers are beautiful.

On this side of Jordan the rains have not been very good, and things are too dry already.

Spent eight days in Amman, living with Abdulla in his camp. It was rather like the life in war time, with hundreds of Bedouin coming and going, and a general atmosphere of newness in the air. However the difference was that now everybody is trying to be peaceful.

On Saturday last I ran back to Jerusalem by car (it takes six hours from Amman) and on Sunday I went down to Ramleh, on the coast plain near Jaffa, where our aerodrome is, and flew with four machines to Amman. Abdulla had been longing for aeroplanes, and gave us a great reception and a large lunch. Then we went back to Ranileh, and I went up to Jerusalem to dinner. Next morning they drove me down to Ramleh, where another four machines took me in to Egypt: and here I have been yesterday and today.

To night I'm off to Jerusalem again, and after three days there to Amman, with Sir H. Samuel, who is going over to call on Abdulla, and who will probably stay two nights. Some of his party want to see Petra, so perhaps after that I'll go down there for a night or two to show them round. That ought to finish my jobs out here. I'll be very glad to get back. Would you tell Hogarth of my movements? I haven't written to anyone since I left, and he may be back by now. I am trying to buy him some bronze weapons from tombs on Philistine plain, axes and daggers.

N.

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T. E. Lawrence chronology

1888 16 August: born at Tremadoc, Wales

1896-1907: City of Oxford High School for Boys

1907-9: Jesus College, Oxford, B.A., 1st Class Hons, 1909

1910-14: Magdalen College, Oxford (Senior Demy), while working at the British Museum's excavations at Carchemish

1915-16: Military Intelligence Dept, Cairo

1916-18: Liaison Officer with the Arab Revolt

1919: Attended the Paris Peace Conference

1919-22: wrote Seven Pillars of Wisdom

1921-2: Adviser on Arab Affairs to Winston Churchill at the Colonial Office

1922 August: Enlisted in the Ranks of the RAF

1923 January: discharged from the RAF

1923 March: enlisted in the Tank Corps

1923: translated a French novel, The Forest Giant

1924-6: prepared the subscribers' abridgement of Seven Pillars of Wisdom

1927-8: stationed at Karachi, then Miranshah

1927 March: Revolt in the Desert, an abridgement of Seven Pillars, published

1928: completed The Mint, began translating Homer's Odyssey

1929-33: stationed at Plymouth

1931: started working on RAF boats

1932: his translation of the Odyssey published

1933-5: attached to MAEE, Felixstowe

1935 February: retired from the RAF

1935 19 May: died from injuries received in a motor-cycle crash on 13 May

1935 21 May: buried at Moreton, Dorset