T. E. Lawrence Society

40th Anniversary of the founding of the T E Lawrence Society Sunday 29th June @ 2000 BST via Zoom
2025-06-29 20:00 - 22:00 UTC
To mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the T E Lawrence Society in a meeting at the Red Lion, Wareham on 29th June 1985 a special Zoom talk has been arranged by Susan Vincent. Ingrid Keith, who attended that first meeting and became the first Secretary will reflect on how and why the Society was formed, in conversation with our Chairman, Kevin Winter.
Also joining the conversation will be Richard Knowles of Rickaro Books, who was also at the inaugural meeting, Alan Payne, former Vice Chairman and Brough expert, Lorraine Tinsley, long term member and author, Veronique Thevoz, long time member and part of the London Group for many years and Rachel Snowden, who joined the Society last year. They will reflect on how and why they joined the Society and memorable moments during their membership.
We hope you can join us to celebrate 40 years of your Society. Details for joining the Zoom meeting are below:
T E Lawrence Society is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: TEL Society 40th Anniversary Celebration
Time: Jun 29, 2025 08:00 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/93481948758?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 934 8194 8758
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90th Anniversary Of The Death Of T.E. Lawrence
2025-05-19 11:15 - 12:15 | Moreton Cemetary, BH20 7NQ, United Kingdom
To mark the 90th anniversary of the death of T.E. Lawrence the annual laying of flowers on Lawrence’s Grave will take place at Moreton Church Cemetery.
In attendance will be the Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset and members of the Special Forces Club who in January 2025 retraced the steps of T.E. Lawrence and others who in 1917 rode 685 miles across the ‘Uncrossable’ from Al Wejh to Aqaba.

Lawrence of Arabia 90th Anniversary Commemorations at Wareham Museum
2025-05-16 - 2025-05-17 | Wareham Museum, Town Hall, East St, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4NS

Lawrence Lecture Series: Lawrence in Portraiture
2025-02-23 20:00 - 22:00
Zoom Conference
Sunday 23 February 2025
2:00 PM (CST-USA) 8:00 PM (UK TIME)
What is a visual portrait? What is the triangular dynamic that defines artistic portraiture? Using these questions, author Charles Grosvenor will explore the vast portfolio of portrait images of T.E. Lawrence and trace Lawrence’s quest to observe how artists perceived him.
Please join us for this presentation of Lawrence in Portraiture on Sunday February 23rd at 2:00 PM (CST-USA) (8:00 PM UK TIME). It is brought to you by the T. E. Lawrence Society and the National World War I Museum and Memorial and is free to members and friends but one must register for it at:
Lawrence Lecture Series: Lawrence in Portraiture | National WWI Museum and Memorial (theworldwar.org)

Joint presentation by the T E Lawrence Society & the Siegfried Sassoon Fellowship
2024-11-28 19:00 - 20:15
The Society is pleased to announce a special Zoom presentation in conjunction with the Siegfried Sassoon Fellowship.
Thursday 28 November 2024 at 7pm (UK time), ends at 8.15pm
Programme of Speakers
Kevin Winter, Chair of the T.E. Lawrence Society
A brief look at the life of T. E. Lawrence
Jean Moorcroft Wilson, President of the Siegfried Sassoon Fellowship
The key facts about Siegfried Sassoon
Martin Gething
The plaque in memory of T. E. Lawrence by Siegfried Sassoon at Salisbury Hospital
Christian Major, Vice Chair of the Siegfried Sassoon Fellowship
The friendship of Siegfried Sassoon and T.E. Lawrence
Susan Vincent
The graves of Siegfried Sassoon and T.E. Lawrence
Please use the link below to register in advance.
When: Nov 28, 2024 07:00 PM London
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEkc-igrTIjE9DvOwBEhufQjbqEMf_VNeG2
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
A reminder will be sent 2 days before the presentation.

Lawrence of Arabia Legacy Lecture Series: T. E. Lawrence and the Red Sea Patrol
2024-11-24 14:00 - 17:00
On November 24, 2024 at 2:00 PM CT (US time zone) John Johnson-Allen will offer the third program in the 2024 T. E. Lawrence Society series Lawrence of Arabia: Legacy Lectures hosted by the US National World War I Museum and Memorial.
The title of his presentation is T. E. Lawrence and the Red Sea Patrol.
Despite its integral role in the success of the 1916 Arab Revolt, the British Royal Navy’s Red Sea Patrol is seldom mentioned in scholarship on T. E. Lawrence. Evidence demonstrates that without the work of those ships, the revolt would have failed and Lawrence would have remained an obscure officer in the military bureaucracy of Cairo.
Delve into the significance of this campaign with maritime historian and former Merchant Navy officer John Johnson-Allen, author of “T.E. Lawrence and the Red Sea Patrol: The Royal Navy’s Role in Creating the Legend.”
This program is free to Society and Museum members and the general public. To register for it please visit the Museum’s website link at: Lawrence Lecture Series: T. E. Lawrence and the Red Sea Patrol (Nov. 2024) | National WWI Museum and Memorial (theworldwar.org)

T E Lawrence Society Symposium 2024
2024-09-20 10:00 - 2024-09-22 17:00 | RAF Hendon, London, NW9 5LL
The 2024 Symposium will be held on 20-22nd September 2024 at a new venue for the Society, RAF Museum Hendon in North London.
This is an exciting new venue for us and of course there are many connections between the war in the air, the RAF and T E Lawrence.
The facilities and opportunities at Hendon are first class and the format and programme will be similar to previous symposia, with the usual mix of learned presentations, exhibitions, and an opportunity to explore and experience the archives and exhibits at Hendon.
The most important gathering organized by the Society in the UK is the Symposium, held every two years. Past speakers have included such eminent names as Jeremy Wilson, Malcolm Brown, Professor John E. Mack, Professor John Adair and Dr Philip O’Brien.
For additional questions, please contact Kevin Winter at chairman@telsociety.org.uk or winterkevin28@yahoo.com.uk.
The Full Programme can be viewed at CLICK HERE.
Booking
There are two options for booking. For ease and convenience, we highly recommend booking through Eventbrite.
1) Eventbrite
To book with Eventbrite, please click the link below.

2) Manual Booking Form
To book via booking form and email, download the Booking form below then use the Paypal link to pay for it.
The BOOKING FORM can be viewed at CLICK HERE.
To pay using Paypal, CLICK HERE.

Service at TELs grave in Moreton with talks
2024-05-19 11:00 - 17:00 | Moreton Cemetary, BH20 7NQ, United Kingdom
On 19th May, there will be the Annual Service with readings at he grave of TEL at Moreton, Dorset, at 11am followed by coffee in cafe next door. There is a possibility that some Brough Club members may be present.
At 3pm there will be Talks on TEL’s life in Dorset and more on his love of poetry especially Rupert Brooke and the Dymock poets.
This will be over cakes and tea. All is free and all are welcome.

For further information, please contact Susan Vincent at:
07824 514080

Hay-On-Wye Weekend
2024-04-19 18:00 - 2024-04-21 18:00 | Baskerville Hall Hotel, Clyro Court, Hay-on-Wye, Powys, HR3 5LE, Baskerville Hall Hotel, Clyro Court, Hay-on-Wye, Powys,, Hereford, HR3 5LE
The Society weekend at Baskerville Hall, Hay-On-Wye, April 2023, has now been postponed and will be held 19-21 April 2024. All those who paid a deposit for April 2023, and who want to attend in 2024 will have their booking transferred.
The event will take place at the Baskerville Hall Hotel, Clyro Court, Hay-on-Wye, Powys, HR3 5LE. Please use the following link on Eventbrite to register for the weekend.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/t-e-lawrence-society-hay-on-wye-weekend-tickets-767714644167?aff=oddtdtcreator
The programme for the weekend is included in the link, together with booking accommodation directly with the Baskerville Hall Hotel.
https://www.baskervillehall.co.uk/
Please let the hotel staff know you are attending the Society event.
The programme for the weekend is as follows:

Hay-on-Wye weekend 19th – 21st April 2024
Friday afternoon 19 April 2024
1400 Welcome and introduction by Kevin Winter (Chairman)
1415 – 1515 Susan Vincent: TE Lawrence’s love of classical music including his favourite composers, his record collection and how he listened to music.
1515 Refreshments
1530 – 1630 Roger Holehouse: Lawrence & Sykes
Friday Evening
Evening free to have dinner at the hotel or in Hay town centre and to socialise with old and new Society friends.
Saturday morning 20 April
0800 – 0900 Breakfast at the hotel then make our way via car share to Hay town centre for 1000.
1000 Meet outside the Tourist Information Bureau on Oxford Road, HR3 5DG to explore the many bookshops. Many shops are likely to contain TEL related material, including: Hay Cinema Bookshop, Boz Books, Hay-on-Wye Booksellers, Richard Booth’s Bookshop, Addyman Books. Stay for as long or short as you wish.
Saturday afternoon
1500 Refreshments at Baskerville Hall Hotel
1530 – 1630 Richard Knowles: Little dark exciting words, Bibliographical Connections and Associations
1645 – 1745 Dr. Nick Lynch: Cycling Lawrence’s 1908 tour of France with a Half-Plate Camera
Saturday evening
1900 – 2045 Group meal together in the Baskerville Hall Hotel Restaurant
2045 Kevin Winter: The Society’s 2017 tour to Jordan- in memory of Neil Faulkner
Sunday morning 21 April
0800 – 0900 Breakfast at the hotel
Optional motoring tour of some of the Welsh castles visited by Lawrence.
This is an informal and social weekend and members are welcome to join us for one, two or three days.
To cover speaker expenses there will be a charge of £40 per person payable via Eventbrite or £8.00 per lecture if you are unable to attend them all, payable on the day.
Bookings should be made directly with Baskerville Hall Hotel (website: https://www.baskervillehall.co.uk/ e-mail: info@baskervillehall.co.uk, telephone: 01497 820033). Let them know you are a Society member when you book. Alternatively contact Hay-on-Wye Tourist Information Bureau for other local options (telephone 01497 820144).
The Saturday evening meal must be booked with the hotel reception when making your booking or on arrival. There will be vegetarian and other options available.
There is no train station at Hay-on-Wye. The nearest train station is Hereford, 21 miles away. Stagecoach South Wales operates a bus from Hereford Broad Street (outside the station) to Hay-on-Wye four times a day.

All accommodation can be booked at the Baskerville Hotel.

Members Event: Society Authors - Book Talks
2024-03-10 20:00 - 22:00
Sunday 10th March at 2000 (UK time) via Zoom
Members are invited to join the Chairman, Kevin Winter, as he hosts a discussion with a number of authors of books on TEL and related subjects, all of whom are Society members, These include:

Lorraine Tinsley, author of The Uncrowned King & the Desert Queen.
Joe Berton, author of T.E. Lawrence and the Arab Revolt: An Illustrated Guide.
John Johnson-Allen, author of T.E. Lawrence and the Red Sea Patrol.
Philip Walker, author of Behind the Lawrence Legend: The Forgotten Few Who Shaped the Arab Revolt.

The talk will explore what the inspirations were behind the books, how and where the research took place, what were the challenges of the authors approach and what surprises or insights they gained, amongst other questions. Members will have their own chance to pose questions to the authors via the Zoom chat facility, which will be posed to them at the end of the discussion.
The talk will take place on Sunday 10th March at 20:00 UK time and there is a limit of 100 attendees.’
For a link to the zoom meeting, please email our Chairman at chairman@telsociety.org.uk.

Lawrence Lecture Series: Modern Desert Warfare
2023-11-19 14:00 - 17:00
On November 19th at 2:00 PM CST (US time zone) David Murphy will offer the third program in the 2023 T. E. Lawrence Society series Lawrence Lecture Series hosted by the US National World War I Museum and Memorial. The title of the presentation is Modern Desert Warfare.
Following the outbreak of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1916, the British high command organized a military mission – designated Operation Hedgehog – to aid Arab armies in the Hejaz region. Responsible for training and equipping the Arab armies in the field, officers of Hedgehog would also engage in sabotage. Saddle up with Dr. David Murphy as he navigates how T.E. Lawrence, Arab leaders and many other British and French officers formed the basis of desert fighting which is still used today.
This will be a ‘Zoom’ program that is free to society and museum members and to the general public. You may register for it through the Museum’s website at: https://www.theworldwar.org/events/lawrence-lecture-series-modern-desert-warfare Please join us.

T E Lawrence Society AGM 2023
2023-09-30 | bovington tank museum, BH20 6JG, United Kingdom
Annual General Meeting of the T. E. Lawrence Society
Saturday, 30 September 2023, Bovington Tank Museum
Information For Attendees
Directions to Bovington Tank Museum can be found on SatNav / Google Maps, etc, using the postcode BH20 6JG. There is a one-way route along Linsay Road from Bovington Lane to the car park and then on to the exit onto King George V Road. The main entrance to the Museum is right next to the car park.
You can download the floorplan of the Tank Museum by clicking here.
The Museum will be open to the public and delegates from 10:00am onwards.
On arrival, delegates need to check in at the front desk where tickets are on sale. The staff there will have a list of AGM attendees who will be let in with no charge.
There will be (should be!) signposts with the Society logo directing to the meeting room.
We will be in The Briefing Room, in the Conference Suite shown towards the top right of the floor plan.
Delegates will be able to come to the meeting room, and leave coats and bags (at their own risk) while they look around the Museum. We will ensure there is always someone in the meeting room all day.
There will be tea/coffee available for delegates in the meeting room during the morning. The Museum also has a restaurant and a café that delegates can use if they would like a wider range of refreshments.
There are toilets immediately next to The Briefing Room, and others through the Museum.
We will convene in The Briefing Room from 12:00 for buffet lunch 12:30 to 1:30pm.
The AGM will commence in The Briefing Room at 2:00.
Please note we all need to have departed (and cleared up) by 5:00, when the Museum closes.
For those joining us in the evening at The Frampton Arms, Moreton, the pub is open all day so we can start gathering there straight after the meeting, if members wish. There will be spare seats available in cars if anyone would like a lift to the Frampton Arms from the Tank Museum. The pub is across the road from Moreton Station, on the Weymouth to Waterloo line, for onward journeys.
The evening meal has been booked for 6:00pm. Further bookings are welcome (contact mgething@aol.com), however they need to be soon in order to get the pre-ordered meals in place! (The pub is, of course, open for casual drinks / meals.)
We hope delegates will take advantage of the opportunity to visit Clouds Hill, Moreton, Wareham, and other local sites connected with Lawrence, over the weekend.
More Information
All members are welcome and invited to attend the Society’s AGM, which this year will be held in The Briefing Room at Bovington Tank Museum, Dorset.
This is a special centenary year, marking Lawrence’s arrival in Bovington to join the Tank Corps as Private T. E. Shaw (March 1923), first visiting Max Gate and meeting Thomas and Florence Hardy (also March), and starting to rent his cottage at Clouds Hill (September 1923). The Tank Museum is also celebrating 2023 its centenary year with special events and exhibitions, as it was in 1923 that the setting up of a museum to house the rusting tanks littering the area around the Army camp was first proposed.
Members are also cordially invited to extend their visit to Dorset, to explore some of the other local places with a ‘Lawrence’ connection – please see details below.
Programme for Saturday 30 September
10:00 onwards The Tank Museum opens at 10:00am.
Attendees are free to look around the Museum at their leisure. Tea and coffee will be available in The Briefing Room from 10:00am.
The opportunity can also be taken to visit Clouds Hill, or other local places.
12:00 to 12:30 Convene in The Briefing Room.
12:30 to 1:30 Buffet lunch in The Briefing Room.
2:00 to 3:00 Annual General Meeting of the T. E. Lawrence Society, in The Briefing Room.
The AGM will include Minutes of the 2022 AGM, Reports for the year 2022-23, and Election of Officers and Committee Members. Full details, invitations to stand for election, and election procedures will be provided to members at a later date.
3:00 to 3:30 Tea and coffee break.
3:30 to 4:30 Talk by Martin Gething, volunteer with the National Trust at Clouds Hill:
‘Clouds Hill then, before and after’ – exploring the transformation of the cottage while Lawrence was there, its earlier history as a farm labourers’ home, and some of the stories from the National Trust’s custodianship.
5:00pm Museum closes
Evening An informal meal at the Frampton Arms, Moreton, will be organised for those who wish to join us.
Location
The Tank Museum is in south Dorset at Bovington, near Wareham, and is signposted by Brown tourist signs when approaching from Dorchester, Blandford, Weymouth and Poole. The museum is about a 30-minute drive from these locations, about 45 minutes from Bournemouth and Salisbury, and about an hour from Southampton and Yeovil. The postcode for satnavs is BH20 6JG. There is plenty of free parking on site.
The nearest railway station is at Wool, 1.5 miles distant, which is on the South Western Railway main line from London Waterloo to Weymouth. Trains are approximately hourly in each direction. There are good footpaths to the Museum, and it is walkable in about thirty minutes, however you may prefer to use the local taxis which run from Wool station. There is, unfortunately, no public transport from the station to the museum.
Cost
The cost for attending the AGM is £35.00, which includes entry to the Tank Museum, teas and coffees, and buffet lunch.
Book your place on Eventbrite
Extending the weekend
There are many nearby Dorset places to explore with a ‘Lawrence’ connection, including Clouds Hill, Moreton, Wareham, Corfe Castle, Swanage, Lulworth and Dorchester.
A special screening of the 1990 British television film A Dangerous Man, starring Ralph Fiennes as Lawrence and Alexander Siddig as Faisal, has been arranged at the Rex Cinema, Wareham:
Sunday 1 October
2:00pm A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia, Rex Cinema, 14 West Street, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4JX
Payment on the door, or pre-booking through the cinema’s website: https://www.therex.co.uk/. (Please note, the screening will not be listed on the website until a few weeks ahead of the date.)
Other places to visit
Clouds Hill was rented by Lawrence from 1923, and then purchased in 1929. It is the only home he ever owned. Filled with his own furniture and artefacts, the cottage is a National Trust property located 1.5 miles north of the Tank Museum, and will be open on Saturday and Sunday. Entry is via pre-booked tours starting at thirty minute intervals (10am, 10:30, 11:00, etc, last entry 3:00pm). The National Trust have very kindly offered AGM delegates free entry, and they will pre-book your preferred day/time slot if you specify with your AGM booking. Please note, bookings through the NT Clouds Hill website (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/clouds-hill) are available up to four weeks ahead.
Moreton is the location of St Nicholas’s Church, where Lawrence’s funeral took place, and where Laurence Whistler’s fabulous etched glass windows can be seen. Across the road from the church is the cemetery, with Lawrence’s grave. Next to the cemetery are the beautiful Walled Gardens (free entry), with its Dovecote Café, where teas, cakes and light lunches can be purchased. The Café has on display the bier (hand cart) used during Lawrence’s funeral. Each of these places is open every day. Moreton is about three miles by road from the Tank Museum, or it can be reached by a two-mile walk along the Lawrence Trail.
The Lawrence Trail is a signposted walk, along generally flat sandy paths with some gentle slopes, connecting the Tank Museum, Moreton and Clouds Hill. The full circular route is about 6.5 miles. It can also be undertaken in shorter sections: Tank Museum to Moreton, two miles each way; Moreton to Clouds Hill, two miles each way.
Wareham, about five miles from the Tank Museum, has a number of places of interest. St Martin’s Church, in North Street, is the home of Eric Kennington’s Effigy of Lawrence, recumbent in Arab clothing. The church is generally open every day. (If it is closed, a key can be borrowed during normal business hours from A. F. Joy, Men’s Outfitters, across the road.) Wareham Library, in South Street, holds the Society’s Collection of Lawrence books and papers. The Library will be open on Friday (9:30am to 5:00pm) and Saturday (9:00am to 12:30pm). Wareham Town Museum, in East Street, houses a small display on Lawrence. The Museum has free entry, and will be open on Friday and Saturday (10:00am to 4:00pm).
Max Gate, Thomas and Florence Hardy’s home that was visited many times by Lawrence, and Hardy’s Cottage, where Thomas Hardy grew up, are both National Trust properties near Dorchester. Max Gate will be open on Saturday and Sunday, 10:30am to 4:30pm (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/max-gate), and Hardy’s Cottage on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00am to 4:00pm (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/hardys-cottage). Dorchester is a ten-mile drive from the Tank Museum.
Also nearby are Corfe Castle, where Lawrence says he liked to get breakfast on Sunday mornings, Swanage, where Sarah and Bob Lawrence had a number of holidays in the 1950s and 1960s, and Lulworth, the beautiful cove with many tourist attractions.
For a gentle walk of about a mile each way one can reach Arish Mell, a small bay where Lawrence liked to swim in the sea, from the village of East Lulworth through the Lulworth Army Range Walks, which are open to the public at weekends. (A more strenuous route can also be taken from Lulworth Cove. It is about three miles each way, but includes some very steep hills!)
Booking
Further details, with booking and payment arrangements can be found on the Society’s website. Details can also be requested by post from The T. E. Lawrence Society, P.O. Box 728, Oxford, OX29ZJ.
Please book your places at the AGM by 31 August 2023, with full payment of the delegate rate of £35.00 per person.
If you wish to take up the National Trust’s offer of free entry to Clouds Hill, or to join us for an informal meal at The Frampton Arms on the Saturday evening, please email Martin Gething at mgething@aol.com.

Writing Lawrence and his World - a One day conference at Magdalen College, Oxford
2023-08-31 09:00 - 18:00 | Magdalen College Oxford, OX1 4AU
The soldier, archaeologist and writer T.E. Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia, is one of the most elusive and controversial figures of the twentieth-century and also one of the most studied.
He has intrigued generations of biographers and interpreters from his contemporaries in the 1930s to students re-analysing his role in the Middle East one hundred years later. In 1989, Jeremy Wilson produced a monumental authorised biography of Lawrence that was based on unprecedented access to official records and personal letters, and proved to be a landmark in Lawrence biography. To celebrate the cataloguing of Wilson’s extensive archive, we are bringing a range of speakers who have approached Lawrence from a variety of different perspectives, professions and genres.
This conference will explore conflicts and controversies in the history of Lawrence biography, approach Lawrence from the view of the indexer, the bookseller and the archivist, find out how some of the latest major biographies of Lawrence were written, delve into some intriguing new stories in Lawrence research, explore Lawrence in parallel with the stories of his friends and contemporaries, and discover how Lawrence is transformed and re-interpreted in fiction and art.
The keynote speaker will be Sabina Murray, award-winning novelist and screenwriter, who will tell us about researching and writing her new bio-fictive novel about T.E. Lawrence, using the Wilson Archive at Magdalen. The conference will take place on 31 August 2023 at Magdalen College. See below for the full programme.
All are welcome and the conference is completely free.
Those wishing to attend the conference should complete the registration form here

The conference will now be broadcast online for free. If you wish to attend remotely, please enter “online viewing” under Access Requirements on the registration form. We will send you a link nearer to the day itself.

Programme
9:00am Welcome – Dr. Richard Allen, Magdalen College Archives
9:10am-11:10am Panel One: Jeremy Wilson and his Archive
Ed Maggs, Maggs Brothers Ltd, Rare Books and Manuscripts. “Lawrence Biography, and the arrival of a professional on the scene”.
Hazel Bell, Society of Indexers. Paper on indexing the works of T.E. Lawrence [Title TBC].
Joe Berton, T.E. Lawrence Society. “Jeremy Wilson and A.W. Lawrence, the start of an ‘authorized biography’”.
Dr. Lucy Smith, Magdalen College Archives. “Cataloguing the Jeremy Wilson Archive”.
Break 11:10-11:30
11:30-12:30. Keynote: Sabina Murray, novelist, University of Massachusetts. Novelising T.E. Lawrence [title tbc]
12:30-1:30pm Lunch, including a chance to view the “Writing Lawrence” exhibition in Magdalen College’s Old Library.
1:30-3:10. Panel Two: Lawrence and the Art of Biography
Michael Korda, author of Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia. “Double Image: The Biographers and Interpreters of T.E. Lawrence”
Scott Anderson, author of Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Middle East. “‘Discovering Lawrence’: A Tale in Three Documents”
Adam Fraser, archaeologist and heritage consultant. “Lawrence’s Escape from the Cretan Labyrinth”.
3:10-3:30 Break
3:30-4:50 Panel Three: Writing Lawrence and his Friends
Alexander Maitland, biographer of Wilfred Thesiger. “T.E. Lawrence and Wilfred Thesiger”
Dr. Helen Smith, Honorary Lecturer, University of East Anglia. “Giving Yourself Away: T.E. Lawrence and Edward Garnett”.
Ian Johnson, University of Newcastle Archives. “Challenging Legacies: Curating the Gertrude Bell Archive”.
4:50-5:50 Panel Four: Lawrence on the Borders of Biography and Fiction
Ned Wolfe, cartoonist. “Drawing TE Lawrence’s life: A cartoonist’s journey in biography”
Jan Woolf, playwright. “Blood. Gold and Oil – digging a play out of the desert: A personal and political excavation of Lawrence for the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq”.

Lawrence in Fragments Exhibition
2023-07-26 - 2023-12-13 | Magdalen College Old Library, High St, Oxford, OX1 4AU, United Kingdom
Lawrence in Fragments Poster final

Summer Gala Event at Hinton St Mary Tithe Barn
2023-07-13 18:00 - 21:00 | Hinton St Mary Tithe Barn, Hinton St Mary Estate, Sturminster Newton, DT10 1NA, United Kingdom
Bring your own picnic from 6.00 p.m.and enjoy the atmosphere of this Grade II* Listed Tithe Barn
7.30 p.m. ‘Lawrence of Arabia and his Dorset connections’ Lecture by Martin Gething. Martin is a volunteer guide at Clouds Hill and a member of the T.E. Lawrence Society.
Tickets: £18 for DAT members, £20 non-members (incl. strawberries and cream and a glass of fizz)
To book your place at eventbrite.
This event is open to members and non members

Blood, Gold and Oil. The play by Jan Woolf
2023-07-10 - 2023-07-13 | Riverside Studios, Hampstead, W6 9BN, United Kingdom
A updated version fo the play is presented at the Riverside Studios Hampstead. 10th to 13th July 2023
Book your tickets at the Theatre website
From the Arab Revolt of World War One, a modern hero is constructed: The brilliant, flawed figure of Lawrence of Arabia. His legacy is as complex as his psyche.
A museum. Present day. A curator puts the finishing touches to her final exhibition while its subject – seemingly summoned by the passion of the archaeologist – searches for a way out.
Produced for the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, BLOOD GOLD AND OIL scrapes away at the topsoil of TE Lawrence’s continued celebrity and interrogates all that lies beneath. Was he a brilliant military commander? Certainly. A Freedom fighter? He’d definitely like to think so. An agent of British colonialism? Could be.
During the course of the play, a real living exhibition is carefully pieced together with an array of genuine World War One artefacts on loan from the National Civil War Centre in Newark and Imperial War Museum. The finds were from a 2013 archaeological dig in Jordan where playwright Jan Woolf was a writer in residence and dug the play out of the ground.

TE Lawrence motorcycle meeting, ride out and bike blessing
2023-05-20 14:00 - 15:00 | St Nicholas’ Church, St Nicholas' Church, Moreton, Dorset, DT2 8RH, United Kingdom
A motorcycle meeting, ride out and then bike blessing beginning at the grave and ending at Moreton church. This is on Saturday 20th May at 2pm.

Moreton Church service in memory of Lawrence
2023-05-19 11:00 - 12:00
Service and meet at the Lawrence graveside in Moreton, Dorset with readings and coffee afterwards.

T E Lawrence Commemorative Evensong
2023-05-14 18:00 - 19:00 | St Nicholas’ Church, St Nicholas' Church, Moreton, Dorset, DT2 8RH, United Kingdom
T E Lawrence commemorative evensong featuring readings and music for the occasion at St. Nicholas Church Moreton.

The Nineteenth Oxford Naval Symposium: ‘Sea to Ocean’
2023-05-13 09:15 - 17:30 | Tsuzuki Lecture Theatre, 56 Woodstock Rd, Oxford, OX2 6HS, United Kingdom
ONS 2023 Sea to Ocean Text Flyer

Blood Gold and Oil: A Play by Jan Woolf
2023-04-25 08:00 - 2023-04-30 17:00 | The Gatehouse, Highgate, N6 4BD, United Kingdom
Rootball & Chromolume Theatre present

Blood Gold and Oil

“We fought on a lie”

Written by Jan Woolf | Directed by Isaac Bernier–Doyle

Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London on 25 – 30 April 2023

From the Arab revolt of the First World War, a modern hero is constructed: the complex, flawed figure of Lawrence of Arabia. His legacy is as conflicted as his psyche. Brilliant military commander? Agent of British Imperialism? Vulnerable fantasist? Freedom Fighter?
Set in the present day, as an exhibition of the genuine archaeological finds (on loan from the Great Arab Revolt archaeological dig in Jordan) is set up in a museum, the ghost of Lawrence of Arabia is summoned through the passions of the archaeologist. Yet reality and agency reside in the more grounded figure who thinks about the future rather than the past.
Written for the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Jan Woolf started the play as writer in residence with the Great Arab Revolt archaeological dig in Jordan in 2013 where she ‘dug a play out of the desert.’ More information about Jan here.

CAST

Suzanna Hamilton

As Caroline

Douglas Clarke Wood

As TE Lawrence

Mascuud Dahir

As Muzz

Listings information

25th – 30th April
Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate Village, N6 4BD
Tues – Sat, 7.30pm, Sun 4pm | Running Time: 75 minutes
£20 – £16 | www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com | 020 8340 3488

Press contact: Annlouise Butt / Jan Woolf
E: annlouise@chromolume.co.uk T: 020 8340 4256
E: janwoolf@hotmail.com T: 07967 161 291

Lawrence Lecture Series: The ‘Earthly Paradise’ at Clouds Hill - presented on Zoom
2023-04-23 20:00 - 21:00
Members may be interested in the next talk in the series arranged by the Society in conjunction with the National World War I Museum in Kansas. The talk will be delivered by Martin Gething, Tony Gill and Neill Child who are all Society members, as well as being guides at Clouds Hill.
The Event will be delivered by Zoom.

Lawrence Lecture Series: The ‘Earthly Paradise’ at Clouds Hill
Sunday, April 23 – 2pm (Central US Time ), 8pm (British Summer Time)

Every day from spring to fall, a steady stream of fascinated sightseers files through a tiny cottage in rural Dorset close to Britain’s south coast, trying to catch a glimpse into the life of one of the most extraordinary – and famous – figures of the early twentieth century. 100 years after he first rented it in 1923, the home of T.E. Lawrence still attracts over 10,000 visitors a year. Tony Gill, Neill Child and Martin Gething, members of the team of staff and volunteers who welcome visitors to Clouds Hill, will discuss how Lawrence converted an abandoned and uncared-for cottage into his ‘earthly paradise.’

T E Lawrence: The Unconventional Warrior
2023-04-18 19:00 - 20:00
T.E. Lawrence – The Unconventional Warrior
Online Talk and Live Q&A with Brigadier Hugh Willing CBE

Organised by The Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum
Streaming from: 7pm, 18th April 2023

To the war-weary British in 1916, T. E. Lawrence rapidly became a hero – “Lawrence of Arabia” – the man who seemed a gallant brother to the Arabic people fighting to gain freedom from their Turkish overlords. But were Lawrence’s motives as clear-cut as the legend suggests? This talk will explore who Lawrence really was.
Watch the event free on the museum website, no ticket or registration required. Just watch the video in your browser once it goes live(Google Chrome recommended).

Joint Study Day on Lawrence and Thomas Hardy
2023-04-01 10:00 - 17:00 | Corn Exchange, High Street, Dorchester, United Kingdom
Joint Study day on 1st April 2023 with Dorset Group of the TEL Society and the Thomas Hardy Society on the friendship of TE Lawrence and Thomas Hardy which started 100 year ago on March 29th, 1923.
The keynote speaker is Jean Moorcroft Wilson, writer of biographies of both Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon.
Other speakers will include Mark Chutter, Chair of the Hardy Society, Dr. Tracy Hayes, Martin Gething, Marilyn Holehouse, Vance Wood.
10.00 to 4.30 followed by a wine reception. All in price £40 and £20 for unwaged and retired at the Corn Exchange Dorchester High Street Also includes lunch tea and coffees.
Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite on The Thomas Hardy Website www.hardysociety.org at the link below.
Further information from Susan Vincent at susan@susanvincent.org

Lawrence as a Writer
2023-02-05 20:00 - 21:30
Zoom presentation in conjunction with World War I Army Museum, Kansas, USA.
Presentation by Philip Neale at 20.00 (UK time) 14.00 (US CT)
Please use link to register interest and obtain link to event
Colonel Thomas E. Lawrence always aspired to be a great writer. His 1926 published book “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” was an autobiographical account of his years in the Ottoman Empire during WWI – and is why many in the 21st century know him as Lawrence of Arabia. Philip Neale explores whether Lawrence succeeded in his writing ambitions, as well as the checkered history of “Seven Pillars” and the facets of Lawrence’s varied compositions. This program is presented in partnership with the T.E. Lawrence Society.
Free with RSVP | Zoom Conference

Exhibition: Challenging Legacies: The Kingdom of Iraq and Gertrude Bell
2023-01-16 - 2023-03-05 | Newcastle University, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PT, United Kingdom
Members may be interested in this new exhibition at the Great North Museum Hancock in Newcastle. This is the culmination of work done on the Gertrude Bell Archive at Newcastle University as outlined by Dr Mark Jackson at our 2018 Symposium

On display from 16th January – 5th March 2023, Hall 1, Great North Museum Hancock.Free entry.
For opening times please visit the Great North Museum website for more details.

Challenging Legacies: The Kingdom of Iraq and Gertrude Bell will examine the events that led to the creation of the Kingdom of Iraq in 1921 and the role played by archaeologist and colonial administrator, Gertrude Bell. Using original material and newly digitised photography from Bell’s UNESCO International Memory of the World archive, held at Newcastle University, the exhibition will reflect upon the impact of this historically significant period on the rich and diverse landscape of Iraq and the Middle East.
This exhibition has been made possible by generous funding from the Harry and Alice Stillman Family Foundation, and the Catherine Cookson Foundation.

T E Lawrence Society Symposium 2022
2022-09-23 09:00 - 2022-09-25 17:00 | Keble College Oxford, OX1 3PC, United Kingdom
The 16th Symposium of the T. E. Lawrence Society
Keble College, Oxford
Friday 23 to Sunday 25 September 2022
The Society is pleased to be back in Oxford at Keble College, which is a new and exciting venue for our 16th Symposium.
Programme details and Booking Forms will be sent out to all members in late February. If any non members would like to come to the Symposium please contact the Hon.Secretary, and you will be placed on a waiting list.
Friday’s programme will consist of visits to archives related to Lawrence at Jesus College and Magdalen College in Oxford.
There will be four presentations on both Saturday and Sunday, covering a range of interesting subjects by world renowned speakers:

Lawrence and Hedgehog: Special Operations, James Stejskal
The SA riddle: Mystery solved, Dick Benson Gyles
Reliving Arabia: Lawrence’s post war life, Prof. George Thompson
Jim Ede and T E Lawrence, Dr. Barbara Cooke
One Brother in India Very Remarkable: T.E.’s Favourite Brother, Will, Alison Jolley
Desert Insurgency: Archeology and the Arab Revolt, Prof. Nicholas Saunders
A Syrian volunteer in Feisal’s army, Dr. Peter Clark
‘Rosy’ Wemyss, Admiral of the Fleet, John Johnson-Allen

The Full Programme can be viewed at CLICK HERE.

Seville Society trip - on line (Zoom) presentation
2022-07-30 14:30 - 16:30
The Society presents a Zoom based meeting looking back at the recent Society trip to Seville and Southern Spain, where the film locations for David Lean’s iconic film were set.
Presenters will include Louise Walker and Andrew Wright
Susan Vincent is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: My Meeting
Time: Jul 30, 2022 02:30 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83264055026?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 832 6405 5026
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Society weekend in Hay-on-Wye
2022-04-22 - 2022-04-24 | Baskerville Hall Hotel, Clyro Court, Hay-on-Wye, Powys, HR3 5LE, Baskerville Hall Hotel, Clyro Court, Hay-on-Wye, Powys,, Hereford, HR3 5LE
Friday 22 to Sunday 24 April 2022
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Hay-on-Wye in the Welsh Borders is widely regarded as the literary capital of the country thanks to its thirty-plus book shops and its famous book festival, held each May. We invite Society members to join us there for a social weekend of lectures, convivial company and an optional tour of Welsh castles.
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The weekend will be based at the Baskerville Hall Hotel, Clyro Court, Hay-on-Wye, Powys, HR3 5LE, two – miles from the centre of Hay. Baskerville Hall and a local legend were the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write his famous Sherlock Holmes story, The Hound of the Baskervilles. The hotel offers a variety of accommodation options, from en-suite double and single rooms to bunk-house beds, and camping in the grounds, all at reasonable prices.
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We will have five speakers, an informal dinner on the Saturday evening, and an optional tour of Welsh castles on the Sunday.
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For full details, please click here.
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‘On the Trail of T.E. Lawrence: 1908-1911’, a talk by Dr Nick Lynch
2022-02-18 19:00 - 20:30
Combined North West Group & Royal Geographical Society event
CHESTER CATHEDRAL – FRIDAY 18th FEBRUARY 2022 @ 7:00 pm – Tickets must be purchased in advance from The Royal Geographical Society website at a special price of £7.50 for Society members. There will be no cash sales on the door.
‘On the Trail of T.E. Lawrence: 1908-1911’, a talk by Dr Nick Lynch
Nick will talk about his journeys following the young Lawrence of Arabia prior to the outbreak of WW1, including cycling the majority of Lawrence’s 2500 mile tour of France.

Lawrence’s hardiness, simple living, and determination, which characterise his role in the Arab Revolt, are already evident in his 2500 mile cycling tour of France in 1908, and his walking tours of Syria in 1909 and southern Turkey in 1911. Nick will talk about following the young Lawrence of Arabia on these three journeys prior to the outbreak of WW1. Use is made of Lawrence’s letters and photographs to make then and now comparisons.
Nick is a trustee and former chairman of the T.E.Lawrence Society and is coordinator of its London Group. His interest in Lawrence dates from the late 1980s. On learning that no-one had previously followed Lawrence’s 1908 Crusader Castles cycle tour of France, he felt that the experience might give him some additional insight into Lawrence’s character and stamina. Nick’s re-tracing of the cycle route was followed in subsequent years by visits to Syria, Turkey, Israel and Jordan. Nick is currently at work on a publication describing these journeys, and detailing the locations of Lawrence’s photographs from this time.
