T.E. Lawrence Society

07/02/2026

From 15th - 19th May this year Andy Thompson will walk 235 miles from TEL's birthplace at Tremadog to Bovington Camp to raise funds for a number of mental health charities under the banner of Marching 4 Minds.

Full details can be found here https://marching4minds.com/

And if anyone would like to sponsor Andy you can do so here https://givewheel.com/fundraising/11724/marching-4-minds-2026/

Hi everyone. My next challenge is to march, jog, wobble or crawl 235 miles in 5 days from Tremadog in Gwynedd (the birth place of Lawrence of Arabia) to …

01/02/2026

18th Biennial Symposium 18 - 20 September 2026

Leonardo Royal Hotel, Godstow Road, Oxford, OX2 8AL

We are delighted to announce that booking is now open for our 18th Biennial Symposium to be held from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September 2026 at the Leonardo Royal Hotel, Godstow Road, Oxford, OX2 8AL.

To access the programme and booking form please go to the following link on the Society website:

https://www.telsociety.co.uk/event/symposium-2026/

A link is included to download the booking form which includes details of how to send it to us.

Hard copy versions of the booking form and programme will be sent with the next Journal, which should be out soon.

Our Symposium in September 2026 returns to Oxford, at the Leonardo Royal Hotel Oxford. We will welcome speakers from across the world, with a special emphasis on the centenary of the publication of the Subscribers Edition and US edition of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

20/01/2026

Our next talk in the Lawrence Lecture series is one not to miss.

T. E. Lawrence amassed numerous items during his studies and travels; being a collector, he also became a focus of collection over the past century. When starting or growing a collection related to Lawrence and the Arab Revolt, the objects are as diverse as their price points – from books, uniforms and medals to autographed letters, documents, maps and other ephemera. Even a novice collector can start with a modest budget.

Learn where to find and how to identify authentic Lawrence artifacts with Joe Berton (author of “T. E. Lawrence and the Arab Revolt: An Illustrated Guide”) as he shares a lifetime of lessons in collecting. Please join us for his presentation Collecting Lawrence on Sunday February 22nd at 2:00 PM (CST-USA) 8;PM (UK). This program 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:

Learn where to find and how to identify authentic T. E. Lawrence artifacts with author Joe Berton as he shares a lifetime of lessons in collecting.

15/01/2026

From yesterday's Daily Telegraph ...

17/12/2025

Society member Rachel Snowdon (Rachel Snowdon Studio) has designed and hand-printed this beautifully detailed linocut print, 'Clouds Hill now, then and before'.
It celebrates the three different phases in the life of T. E. Lawrence's cottage Clouds Hill in Dorset: as a farm labourers' cottage in the 19th century (top right); as Lawrence's home in the 1920s and 30s (centre); and as a National Trust house open to the public since then (top left). Around the outside are numerous objects and motifs associated with Clouds Hill.
The limited-edition print was commissioned by Society member and Clouds Hill volunteer Martin Gething.

04/12/2025

For those members who may have missed or just want to re-experience Roger Holehouse’s presentation on Lawrence and the Arab Bureau it is now available on the Society’s website where you will find the program as well as previous ones in the series:

08/11/2025

For anyone who might be interested in taking part in a raid on the Hejaz Railway the following report appeared in the Times https://www.thetimes.com/article/f88d780e-8d43-4a11-bab2-da9966516cba?shareToken=f06d61658b953d9d8c8bd7da1370d5e6

More information about the trek, led by Howard Leedham, can be found here https://jordancameltrek.com/en

The Jordan Heritage Revival Company (JHRC) brings Jordan’s history to life through authentic experiences. With local Bedouin guides and cultural preservation projects, JHRC ensures every trek supports the community and keeps traditions alive.

30/10/2025

Members may be interested in the latest of our talks organised by our North American Group in conjunction with the National WWI Museum and Memorial.

Roger Holehouse OBE, a retired British official and volunteer docent at Lawrence’s Clouds Hill cottage, will reassess the relationship between T.E. Lawrence and the Arab Bureau in the First World War from 1916 through 1918. His talk, Lawrence and the Arab Bureau, will be given on November 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM (CST-USA).

In his presentation he will review the origins of the bureau, its mission and how it evolved over 3 years. He will examine where the bureau fit into the British Army’s Cairo headquarters and who were the bureau’s key players and what they did and did not do? When/how did Lawrence become involved with the bureau and what roles he played, formally and informally, will be described. And finally he will assess what is the Bureau’s legacy and if there are lessons for us today.

The talk is free to members and the public but you must register for it at:

T. E. Lawrence served at the epicenter of British intelligence in West Asia – the Arab Bureau. Examine his relationship with the Bureau, its origins and its post-war legacy.

08/10/2025

Thanks to all those who attended our AGM weekend in Bridlington. Despite the best efforts of Storm Amy we had a good weekend, with visits to White Cottage at Hornsea and Hornsea Museum on Friday. Friday evenings meal was at Salt on the Harbour, part of the Lawrence Complex and formerly the boathouse for the Marine Craft Unit. On Saturday we visited the Harbour Museum, the sundial dedicated to TEL and the former Ozone Hotel, where we got to visit the room used by TEL. Our AGM was held at Bridlington Spa, where TEL saw a number of theatre performances. Saturday nights dinner was at the Revelstoke Hotel, then on Sunday we made our way to Sledmere House, the home of Sir Mark Sykes, where after a number of talks we visited his grave in the churchyard. It was great to see old friends and make new ones.

26/09/2025

Sold at auction yesterday
https://app.dukes-auctions.com/en/auction/1131-the-graham-snow-collection/184-eric-henri-kennington-1888-1960-portrait-bust-of-t-e-lawrence?fbclid=IwY2xjawNDdKZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA0NWxUcVNma2RsSVU0OWxvAR4YYnI5AvV3r9sWNa3ZUuPeNrbfgpYkTUaC6d_bYoDWArb33MKnh9qIHbAEHg_aem_wei5K1-1ZtGOVjyqlumBwQ

View more auction information about Lot: 184 from The Graham Snow Collection.

24/09/2025

The JAMES McBEY: HIS ART, HIS WORLD exhibition at Newburgh's Udny Arms Hotel in numbers:
✨17 pieces (incl. 16 original artworks) on show.
✨1st time that the McBey showstopper Zorah: Moroccan Girl Sleeping was on public display since 2023 in New York.
✨300+ visitors through the doors between Friday evening (Sept. 19) & 6pm Sunday (Sept. 21).
✨20 copies of SHADOWS & LIGHT: The Extraordinary Life of James McBey on sale. All 20 copies sold.
Watch this space for more initiatives from the Newburgh & Ythan Community Trust-sponsored James McBey Project!
For more information about James McBey please visit https://newburghtrust.co.uk/jamesmcbey/

16/09/2025

Members who remember last years talk at the Symposium at RAF Hendon by Alasdair Soussi may be interested in this exhibition about James McBey, if you are in the area.