INTRODUCTION


COLONEL STEWART FRANCIS NEWCOMBE was already a legend in the deserts of Arabia before he was joined in Cairo during the early months of the First World War by a a remarkable team of Middle Eastern specialists. One member of this group was T.E. Lawrence who went on to achieve worldwide fame. Colonel Newcombe's story, like those of other unsung figures in the Anglo-Arabian narrative, has been eclipsed by the legend of ´Lawrence of Arabia´, and has languished in the dusty recesses of regimental records, government files or in the elliptical words of Lawrence’s book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. However, S.F. Newcombe´s untold story is there to be told. BEYOND ARABIA is a story of extraordinary exploits and courage, coupled with Newcombe's own legendary and inexhaustible supply of energy and of remarkable adventures under the very noses of the Ottoman authorities – full of danger, intrigue and perhaps more surprisingly, of romance during Newcombe's captivity in Turkey. In the years between the two world wars, Palestine became Newcombe’s main preoccupation, especially after his retirement from military service, and he spent many years in helping to achieve a just solution in relation to the promises that were made to the Arabs during the war in return for their active participation in support of the Allied cause. For this untiring effort he will be best remembered. This is his story.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Lawrence Symposium - Update on Speakers

The T.E. Lawrence Society have now published a provisional list of guest speakers for their 14th T.E. Lawrence Society Symposium to be held at St. John's College, Oxford, on 23-25 September 2016.

A special programme of lectures will mark the centenary of the start of the Arab Revolt: The planned line-up of speakers is as follows:

John Alexander - Lawrence as a Proponent of Air Power 
Professor Ali Allawi - Feisal and the Arab Revolt 
Philip Walker - Army Colleagues of Lawrence in the Arab Revolt 
Marilyn Holehouse - Lawrence's Family 
Dr. Neil Faulkner - Archaeology of the Arab Revolt 
John Johnson-Allen - T.E. Lawrence and the Red Sea Patrol 
Dr. David Murphy - Colonel Joyce and Lawrence 
Kerry Webber - Colonel Newcombe and Lawrence 
Roger Holehouse - Diplomatic Background to the Arab Revolt 
Professor Paul Nicholson - Images of Egypt Project

Accommodation for the two day event will be in the rooms of the historic Oxford college. A splendid formal dinner will be held in the Great Hall on the Saturday. To reserve your place - non-members welcome - contact Harriet Coates on hon.secretary@telsociety.org
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