T(homas) E(dward) Lawrence

Lawrence, T(homas) E(dward) (1888–1935), called Lawrence of Arabia, English scholar, writer, and soldier, legendary guerrilla fighter with the Arabs against the Turks in World War I. As a British intelligence officer he joined Prince Faisal I in a successful guerrilla campaign against Turkish rail supply lines and was with the Arab forces that captured Damascus in 1918. In The Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1918) he described his wartime experiences and his personal philosophy. He joined the Royal Air Force and Royal Tank Corps under assumed names (1923–25, 1925–35).