Lawrence of Arabia's War: The Arabs, the British and the Remaking of the Middle East in WWI

Let me begin by stating that this is NOT a biography of TE Lawrence (of Arabia). Faulkner uses Lawrence as a metaphor hook to both market the book and as a euphemism for the British military campaign on the Eastern front in the Middle East during WW 1. Lawrence is used as a symbol of the imperialism of the war. The book mostly details the actual battles fought between the Ottoman Empire (and Germany) and the British (using mostly Australian and Indian troops) with a minor role played by the French. It is excellent at giving a ground view via individual soldiers’ comments and observations of conditions. I did appreciate that Faulkner like others believes Lawrence’s memoir (Seven Pillars of Wisdom) to be true and supported by historical and archaeological facts (some early biographers have attacked Lawrence saying he made many things up). I found the book quite interesting and enjoyable to read. Since I am not usually drawn to military books that outline battles, fronts, attacks and retreats I was surprised how fascinating I found Faulkner’s book. He covers first in a very perceptive way the British defeat at Gallipoli and its loss of the British Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force (Indian troops) south of Baghdad (where Lawrence was called upon by London to try and bribe an Ottoman commander into letting the captured British Army escape.) Without adding extensive length to this review I will leave it to future readers to discover the step by step, battle by battle, eastern front campaign. Highlights being the battles fought to save the Suez Canal, the capture of Palestine and Jerusalem and the final big push in to Damascus all under the command of General Edmund Allenby who focused on the Eastern half of the campaign along the sea while his subordinate T E Lawrence assisting the Arab revolt fighting a guerrilla campaign in the interior (which mainly focused on the destruction of the hijaz railway). The take away the general reader will have to this book will be how dogged the Ottoman soldier was. They were thought to be pushovers but were nothing of the sort. The battles on the Eastern half of the campaign and even Lawrence's Arabs fought under awful conditions… heat, dust, insects… in addition to much hand to hand combat. The British using mostly Indian troops at the end made great use of Calvary charges, airplanes, and the Arabs rear guard campaign. Towards the end the Arabs tied up almost 2/3's of the Ottoman troops and completely destroyed their railway system. The Ottoman ethnic cleansing genocide of the Armenians also included many middle class and educated Arabs. This Faulkner says this left mostly the Bedouin who were ridged Islamic fundamentalist to fight in the Arab revolt. It was a testimony to Lawrence’s skill, patience and leadership to find ways to unit these un-modern troops. I did find Faulkner’s description of Lawrence to be a bit over the top. No doubt Lawrence probably suffered from post-traumatic disorder (not so diagnosed in WW1) but to say that Lawrence suffered mostly over a quilt complex finding himself torn between British and French imperialism and their broken promises to Arab nationalism is hard to believe. More likely Lawrence was a great intellect, shy, and somewhat a misfit which gave him great empathy to listen and accept the Arabs as they were and not as many perceived them. This mostly is his legacy. For those unfamiliar or have not read a biography of Lawrence I suggest you do so before reading Faulkner’s book. There are several good biographies but the most complete is by Jeremy Wilson who wrote the Authorized Biography in 1989. I just found out this week that Jeremy Wilson died on April 2nd of this week. His will be a great loss. Both he and his wife Nicole have run Castle Hill Press publishing limited edition deluxe editions of Lawrence’s work.(Note: I do realize that Mr. Faulkner is a Marxist historian but I don't think this impacts the books narrative with the exception of some nonsense he writes in his epilogue. Here he criticizes the Arab nationalist for not being more grounded like the Russian "Reds" were in fighting the "white" Russians. However interesting this is just out of context with the rest of the book.)

Informative overview of TE Lawrence's involvement in the Middle Eastern theater of operations during WWI. Respectful of Lawrence. A fan of Lawrence would be comfortable reading this account. Easy reading for history buffs but detailed reading also where you gain an understanding of the dynamics driving all participants including the Turks. I never knew that when Dahoum died, he perished along with a third of the inhabitants of northern Syria during a famine and typhoid epidemic. I was appalled at the mass slaughter of prisoners by both sides and the very sad and regrettable waste of human lives. I felt sad reading about the allied troops firing down in a narrow mountain path at retreating Turks, picking them off like a turkey shoot. I never knew about British imperial malfeasance of Egyptian citizens after the war as they lobbied for freedom. My eyes were opened with a host of new information. I have more questions than ever because I have been exposed to history in a new way.

For all its brilliance, the movie Lawrence Of Arabia doesn't tell you what was really Going On in the Middle East during the first World War. Neither does its source, T.E. Lawrence's book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. What, for instance, were the British doing in Egypt in 1916? Why was Lawrence himself there? Why were Egypt, Arabia and Syria part of the Turkish empire? Whose idea was a general Arab revolt? Why did Turkey ally itself with Germany?Starting long before the war, this book explains many of the whys that go unanswered in on-the-ground accounts. Painstakingly researched and beautifully written, it brings the Arab war to life. Faulkner writes about all sides with understanding and sympathy, and makes clear how this war shaped, and continues to affect, our world.

I found this book to be a slow read as it is so filled with interesting ideas. I’d get a few pages in and Neil would present a new idea or concept or point of view and I would have to go and research that. This is a book worth reading

An excellent study that confirms so much about the myth and legend of Lawrence of Arabia and it also gives voices to the other forces fighting in the desert, be they British, ANZAC, Ottoman, or German.

My little historian loved the gift!

This is very thorough and dense reading. Takes a long time to get through it because there's so much information and context development. I learned a lot, but it's a fairly dry read, so you really have to be motivated by genuine interest in the subject matter to appreciate it.

A thorough work of Archaeology to back up the history.

An interesting overview of WWI in the Middle East, showing that despite the myths Lawrence played a much smaller part in it than people think. Sadly Gertrude Bell is given very little coverage. At times I do wonder about Faulkner's interpretation of Lawrence's mental state - he is not a trained doctor but an archaeologist/historian. I therefore read his views with some cynicism. However, as an overview of the war it is an interesting contribution.

Clearly written and very well organised, the book is a great read for anybody seriously interested in modern politics. It's both informative and illuminating about a very important part of the First World War. It also helps to understand much that has occurred in Palestine, Iraq and Syria in recent times. My only objection is that the military detail occasionally makes reading slow going.

I bought this because of my long time interest in Lawrence and my expectations have been exceeded. Lawrence's part in the campaign in the Middle East has been adequately covered, but there is so much more to this excellent work of research. I have learned much about the campaign in the Middle East which was new to me. Highly recommended.

Attended the Lecture by Neil Faulkner, which was very good and got me interested in buying his book.After 100 years it is amazing to that so much archeology has been found.

Great insight into a side of the First World War that doesn't get much coverage