T.E. Lawrence

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) was one of those films—spectacular, but (more or less) based on history—that enthralled teenage me (another was A Man for All Seasons). I did learn more of the actual history as time passed. The movie was directed by David Lean who also directed my favorite films of Dickens' novels, Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, as well as the film of Doctor Zhivago, another wide-screen spectacle. The Telegraph reports today about a re-creation of one of Lawrence's most heroic WWI feats:

It was a journey immortalised by Peter O’Toole in the epic 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia – and now four military veterans have become the first people to recreate T.E. Lawrence’s 700-mile (1,126km) trek across the sands of the Middle East.

Howard Leedham, James Calder, Craig Ross and Martin Thompson spent 25 days on camelback crossing the Nafud desert in Saudi Arabia to mark 90 years since Lawrence’s death.

The four men, who served in the British special forces, endured 37C (98F) heat, sandstorms and sheer cliffs on the trek from Al Wajh in Saudi Arabia to the Aqaba in Jordan.

They collected sand from four significant areas on the journey to spread on Lawrence’s grave in Moreton, Dorset.

Lawrence was a First World War hero who led the Arab Revolt against German-supporting Turkey. In 1916 he swept across the desert to Jordan and rewrote the map of the Middle East.

His remarkable feat was described in his autobiographical account Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the classic film Lawrence of Arabia. ...

On the penultimate day, the group, with 40 locals, re-enacted Lawrence’s attack on an Ottoman train that was transporting friends and family who had travelled to celebrate the end of their journey. The staff on the train were aware of the attack, but the tourists were “somewhat startled”. ....

Lawrence was killed in a motorcycle accident near his home at Bovington, Dorset in 1935. He is buried in the graveyard of St Nicholas Church in Moreton. (more)

Telegraph Reporters, "Veterans retrace Lawrence of Arabia’s epic 700-mile trek across Middle East," The Telegraph, Feb. 13, 2025.