FAMOUS LAWRENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 19 November 1932, Page 2

FAMOUS LAWRENCE

FROM ARAB CHIEF TO PRIVATE NOW IN ROYAL AIR FORCE WELLINGTON, November 16. “Colonel T. E. Lawrence, the h&ro of that notable book, “With Lawrence in Arabia,” is now a private* soldier in • the Air Force, of England,” said Mr F. C. Hawley, who was the speaker at the Rotary Club’s luncheon yesterday. As aiy aviator Mr Hawley was associated with Lawrence in his great work j.n Arabia. “After the war all sorts of decorations were offered Lawrence, which he refused to accept, and he even declined a knighthood,” said Mr Hawley. “He has assumed the name of Shaw, does mess duty, and will not even open letters addressed to Colonel Lawrence. ■lt is a sad and regrettable ending to what promised to' be a-uni-que and brilliant career. Lawrence was so cast down at not being able to keep faith! He had promised the Arabs a kingdom of their own if they lent their services to breaking the Turk. Damascus was to be the centre, but after leading his troops triumphantly into that city, he discovered that there were international complications in the way of keeping his promise to the Arabs, and he felt that in not keeping faith he was letting the Arabs down, and the authorities had let him down. After the war ended in the East 1 met Lawrence in Cairo,” said Mr Hawley. “Prince Feisal of Iraq had passed through on his way to England and when with Lawrence he had paid a compliment to Murphy and the speaker (Hawley) on their work, he sent a message to the King recommending a gratuity of £IOO each as a reward for their defence of the Jf aifcfi- * ful.

“At the samel time Lawrence told ind I would not get it, as he had stopped it. -When I asked why, ho said that no British officer could accept money from an Arab, not even an Arabian prince; it would be lowering British prestige.” Incidentally Mr Hawley spoke of operations round Azrak, not only , in fighting Turks, but leeches and flies as large at blue bottles, and almost transparent, who '.'-,tung like a gorsf bus,h. At Azrak they came across an

old Arab fort s aid to be 2000 years old. They spent many days there fossicking round but' the Arabs would not go near it—they said it was haunted by the dogs of the olt desert kings. Mr Hawley related how Lawrence deliberately kept the Turkish garrison at Medina. When the Arab revolt began Feisal wanted to attack the 50,-, 000 Turkish troops at Medina at once, as that city was one of the Arabian holy places, but Lawrence would not allow it. There they were, and there let them stay. The garrison depended for supplies on the desert railway, and as the trains only got through per favour of the Arab marauders, Lawrence was at once able to allow the garrison just enough supplies to keep them going, and algo provide his Arabs with.loot. Lawrence was admitted as a bloodbrother to the Arab princes, an honour never before offered to an Englishman, and while among them always wore the insignia of his rank,