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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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T.E. Lawrence
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(Thomas Edward Lawrence, known also as Lawrence of Arabia, 1888–1935) Author and leader of irregular troops. He was posted to Saudi Arabia in 1916 to support an uprising against Turkish rule. Dressing in Arab costume, he joined Faisal (the future king of *Iraq) in mounting a guerrilla campaign which helped *Allenby to capture Jerusalem and Damascus. Lawrence described these events in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom (begun 1919, published privately 1926).
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Famous after the war from reports of his exploits, he attempted in 1922 to plunge back into anonymity, joining the RAF as aircraftman Ross and the following year (after Ross had been unmasked) enlisting in the Royal Tank Corps as T.E. Shaw. Noel Coward gently mocked this camouflage, beginning a letter to him: 'Dear 338171 (may I call you 338?)'. Lawrence died as a result of a motorcycle accident near Clouds Hill, his cottage in Dorset which is kept as a museum. His desert adventures were made the subject of a spectacular film (Lawrence of Arabia 1962), directed by David Lean with Peter O'Toole in the title role.
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