This soldier and mystic became an enthusiastic archaeologist while he was an undergraduate at Jesus College, Oxford. Just 22, he undertook excavations in Syria and Mesopotamia between 1910 and 1914. In the desert, he learned desert lore from the many Arab friends he made on these scientific expeditions.

He joined the British Army and somehow managed to get himself promoted to Second Lieutenant. The War Office never misses a thing except a battle or two, and the one-pipper soon found himself in Jedda (December 1916), where this raw young man who already spoke fluent Arabic joined Amir Feisal (later King Feisal I) in organising The Arab Revolt against the Turkish hordes. The Great War had begun in 1914, and among Britain’s enemies was Turkey. The Army accepted Laurence’s eccentricities of dress and comportment, party because it was told to do so by the British Government, especially Winston Churchill, who was a fan. He knew Laurence and understood his peculiar genius.

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