T. E. Lawrence

[Cliff. Hobson]

Prompted by the Blue Plaque thread can someone tell me please what was the Parent Regiment of T. E. Lawrence, thanks in advance.

Cliff.

[Max]

Hello Cliff

I think up until December 1914 he was in some sort of geographical section of the General Staff(Intelligence) but don't quote me on that.

Andy

[Terry_Reeves]

Cliff

According to the November 1918 Army List, he had no regiment. He appears under Commands and Staff in the Special Appointments list and also in the Special Lists - Local Temporary Acting and Hon. rank, as "Lt Colonel...whilst holding special appointment"

Terry Reeves

[michaeldr]

Cliff,

In all honesty I don't know the answer to your question, however I feel that the following may be a clue : Was he with the Devons ?

Page III of the Introductory Chapter of 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom'

"I went up the Tigris with one hundred Devon Territorials, young, clean, delightful fellows, full of the power of happiness and of making women and children glad. By them one saw vividly how great it was to be of their kin, and English. And we were casting them by thousands into the fire to the worst deaths, not to win the war but that the corn and rice and oil of Mesopotamia might be ours."

Regards

Michael D.R.-

[Guest Pete Wood]

Max is right. Lawrence's first position was with General Staff Geographical Section (GCGS).

Lawrence replaced Captain Walter Nugent, who "hurriedly instructed me in my GCGS duties (we were MO4, O and I being one!)..."

Military Operations: Operations and Intelligence.

The above quote is from a note on the typescript of Lidell Hart's 'TE Lawrence:' in Arabia and After.

Lawrence deliberately got on everyone's nerves until he was transferred to the newly formed Arab Bereau in the spring of 1915 where he became the key writer of the secret peridoical, The Arab Bulletin, which was designed to keep the High Commands (in India, Egypt, Sudan and Mesopotamia) fully informed of event in Arabia.