Does Lawrence of Arabia deserve his reputation?

Lawrence has captured the imagination of the public throughout the 20^th century.  He gained an almost mythical status amongst the Arabs he fought alongside, and was titled ‘Al Auruns’ by them.  He was immortalised by the stunning 1965 screenplay of his exploits in the Middle East.  He is now regarded as indispensable to the Arab revolt which worked in conjunction with General Allenby’s offensive to drive the Ottoman Turks out of Arabia.  His reputation is not merely confined to his mastery of guerrilla tactics, Britain has no shortage of military heroes, but is inexplicably linked to his adoption of Arabic dress and his deep sympathy for the Arab people who were subjugated under the Ottomans, only to be swindled of their hard won gains by the land grabbing Sykes-Picot agreement between the British and French.  His appearance, beliefs and his inner-turmoil portray him as an exotic, mystical figure, this demeanour has only been enhanced by the continuous conflict, and often alien customs of the Middle East.  However, does Lawrence of Arabia deserve this legendary repute?

Lawrence in Arab dress

Lawrence had an extraordinary individual influence over the fortunes of the British campaign against the Ottomans in the Middle Eastern theatre.  Before he arrived in the region, both the Bedouin tribes and the British were struggling against the Turks.  The rebellious Arab tribes had some initial successes, capturing mecca, Jidda and Tarif, but the Arabs failed to take the main rail line that ran throughout the Arabian peninsula, and the Turks were able to quickly send reinforcements to assist the besieged city of Medina, thus the revolt lost its original momentum.  In October 1916, the British sent a party, including Lawrence, to investigate the revolt.  Lawrence met with tribesmen led by Fesial, son of Sheriff Hussein, leader of the Arab world.  Feisal’s fighters were keen-spirited but were hopelessly ill-disciplined, and had no chance of victory over a well-organised Turkish force.  Lawrence saw the potential of harnessing their revolutionary spirit against the decaying Ottoman Empire by changing the direction of their campaign.   Lawrence observed that while the Turks controlled the railway, they would maintain a stranglehold over the region’s cities.  He therefore believed that Feisal’s best chance lay in guerrilla warfare against the railway, North of Medina. 

Arab guerillas

Lawrence persuaded Faisal to harass the Turks along the route of the railway, derailing trains and harrying Ottoman troops before disappearing into the shifting sands of the Arabian desert.  This caused the Turks to commit more and more men to defend the railway.  Lawrence was charismatic in capturing the town of Aqaba, defeating an entire Turkish battalion in the process.  Such successes encouraged more tribesmen to join the movement against the crumbling empire.  Thus, the rebels were able to attack targets far larger than those within Arabia.  Lawrence’s lofty position within the Arab force meant that Faisal consented to placing his army under the command of British General Allenby, who used the overwhelming revolt to his advantage, as the two armies coordinated attacks against their common foe. 

Although their common enemy, and the benefit of British arms suggests that the British and Arabs would eventually join forces, Lawrence’s personal diplomacy was powerful in persuading the tribesmen to trust the British and to pursue the Ottomans beyond Arabia.  The British were often condescending to the Arabs as they regarded them as a barbarous people, the post-war mandates are testimony to this cultural arrogance as they didn’t regard the Arabs to be capable of governing themselves.  Lawrence however, set out to befriend the Arabs, and was a stern admirer of their distinct customs; he adopted Arabic dress, extensively studied the region and learnt the language.  The force that he managed to gain for the British had a massive impact on the course of the war in the Middle East. Lawrence’s host of just 3,000 Arab guerrillas tied down 50,000 Turkish troops.  This made Allenby’s advance much easier. Therefore, as we celebrate the centenary of Lawrence’s heroism in the deserts of Arabia, it is apparent that he deserves every ounce of the praise lavished on him. 

Lawrence of Arabia: a worthy hero