Was Thomas Edward Lawrence lying when he claimed to have been
raped on the 20th of November 1917 by Turkish soldiers while
disguised as an Arab?
The
question that this investigation will explore is Was Thomas Edward Lawrence lying when he claimed to have been raped on
the 20th of November 1917 by Turkish soldiers while disguised as an
Arab? This situation has sparked debate, due to there being no evidence
other than Lawrence’s own claims.[1]
Section 1: Identification
and Evaluation of Sources
SOURCE 1: Seven
Pillars of Wisdom, by Thomas Edward Lawrence, published privately in London in 1922.
This
autobiography includes an account of Lawrence being raped, and was written by
the man who had experienced the tragic event for himself. It involves events only
he experienced without any of those accused allowed to rebut possible
exaggerations or invented “facts”.[2] The
book was written by Lawrence from memory, as his first manuscript was stolen at
Reading Station in November 1919 and his notes previously burnt,[3] thus
important events may have been forgotten or subconsciously changed, in this case
perhaps due to trauma or a desire to forget the specifics, limiting the factual
validity of the source.
The
purpose was, Wilson argues, “no doubt ... to be a true story of real events.”[4] From
the leading authority on Lawrence this
is important, especially since he argues this in regards to the rape incident.[5]
Therefore, Lawrence’s reason behind writing Seven
Pillars of Wisdom is valuable to this investigation, since he hence focused
on the facts of the assault. Content-wise Lawrence dedicated a few pages to his
supposed rape, but the story is vague concerning what actually happened to him and
those involved, limiting the value of the source.[6]
Nevertheless, as the only source written by the man itself, Seven Pillars of Wisdom gives a valuable
insight into Lawrence’s own emotional responses, allowing the reader to
understand the effect the supposed rape had on him.
SOURCE 2: Lawrence
of Arabia: The Authorised Biography of T.E. Lawrence, by the Historian Jeremy
Wilson, first published by Heinemann in London in 1989
This
book was written by the man considered to be the leading authority on Lawrence,
meaning that the author is highly qualified to write about this man and his
potential rape experience.[7] As
the title suggests, this biography was sanctioned by Lawrence’s brother Arnold.[8] Given
a family member known to have been close to his brother gave such consent
suggests the view that Wilson would sincerely represent Lawrence, especially
since Wilson actually used the insights of Arnold to write his biography.[9] Since
the biography was written after the release of the British Government papers in
1975, Wilson had access to key information he used to make the biography an
accurate account of the historical figure’s life.[10] Although
this most likely had had no impact on his exploration, it is unlikely that
Lawrence did not record this event due to its personal nature, the inclusion of
a very strong opinion towards the existence of the rape makes this biography
useful for this investigation.
The
purpose of this biography was to give an accurate account of Lawrence through the
use of public records, British Government papers, and Wilson’s own investment
of £200,000 to actively sought out the most relevant and up to date information
about Lawrence and his experiences.[11]
Therefore, his explorations of Lawrence’s supposed rape is well researched and uses
all available sources to put the event not just in context, but to explore the
effects that it had on Lawrence as well. However, as this book is indeed an
exploration of Lawrence’s entire life, the rape incident is not the focal
point, with only a few pages dedicated to the event and the psychological
impact it had on Lawrence.[12] On
the other hand, these pages are far more focused and realistic than the ones
that Lawrence himself wrote in Seven
Pillars of Wisdom, making the content as well as the purpose valuable.
Section 2: Investigation
The debate
regarding Thomas Edward Lawrence and his alleged rape assault has resulted in
strong evidence for both sides of the argument.[13] This
investigation will explore both.
The
rape, if it had occurred, happened between November 15-21, 1917 when Lawrence
claims to have been at the Syrian fortress town at Deraa, having been captured
by Turkish Governor Hajim Bey and then whipped and raped by guards.[14] However,
historians cannot confirm his actual whereabouts during this time, as the pages
of his diary from this period were removed.[15]
Evidence
now suggests the assault was a story Lawrence invented based on historian James
Barr’s submission of Lawrence’s diary to electrostatic data analysis and one of
Lawrence’s letters to make its claim. Barr’s analysis revealed an ‘A’ as an
imprint from one of the missing pages, which is assumed to be Azrak, the castle
Lawrence was staying at prior to being ‘raped’.[16] Possibly
the ‘A’ could have been from any word and thus cannot be seen as conclusive, yet
this evidence does question the validity of Lawrence’s claims, since it is
unlikely that he would have written about Azrak if he was not at that location
on the day he was writing. Supporting this is the letter Lawrence sent to his
mother only days prior to the alleged assault, on November 14, 1917.[17] Given
the recipient, a person he cared about to a higher degree than most,[18] would
Lawrence have been less likely to lie? The line “I am staying here a few days;
resting my camels, and then will have another fling” supports the idea that
Lawrence stayed in Azrak instead of being raped in Deraa.[19] There
is further evidence to suggest that the rape, if attempted at all, was
unsuccessful. Writing to the Deputy Chief Political Officer, Lawrence states
“Hajim was an ardent paederast and took a fancy to me. So he kept me under
guard till night, and then tried to have me. I was unwilling, and prevailed
after some difficulty. Hajim sent me to the hospital, and I escaped before
dawn, being not as hurt as he thought.”[20]
This letter indicates that Lawrence was impassive towards what he calls an
attempted sexual assault, which would make his autobiography The Pillars of Wisdom an exaggeration of
the event; strong evidence the assault never happened.
However,
to understand where the rape claim originated, one must turn to the only primary
source available: Seven Pillars of Wisdom.[21] Here,
Lawrence writes in particularly emotional fashion, describing everything he saw
and felt in explicit detail. “I was obdurate, so he changed his tone, and
sharply ordered me to take off my drawers. When I hesitated, he snatched at me…”[22] Wilson
argues that since this particular section of his book contains the emotions of
fear and horror, evidenced in the language used, it shows how traumatic this
experience was for him and therefore makes it justifiable as a historic source,
since emotions are difficult to fake when concerned with an experience such as
this.[23] “Something happened in Deraa,” and it is
not surprising “that someone enduring such a trauma might wish to adorn its
memory with staggering violence, the kind of violence that offers an absolution
of guilt by making all questions of will or resistance moot.”[24] Of
course, many can indeed fake such emotions, from actors to authors. However, supporting
Wilson, Korda argues that Lawrence had always hated any kind of physical contact
from a pat on the back to a handshake; to have been assaulted in a physical
sense may indeed have traumatised him to a degree that made it impossible for
him to lie about it.[25] Written
by the man involved and valuable as the only documentation of this event, it
provides major historical significance through the insight about the man
himself. The same testimony can be said about the highly awarded movie Lawrence of Arabia. Released in 1964
which has a scene that graphically depicts Lawrence’s stripped, prodded and
beaten. whilst leaving open the possibility of him being raped to the viewer,
as this occurred off-screen.[26] The
screenwriter Robert Bolt used Seven
Pillars of Wisdom as his main source, believing it to be essentially true.[27] The
use of Lawrence’s account is not necessarily a limitation, as Bolt made sure to
focus on Lawrence’s story and use the source that was at the time the most
detailed account of the Arab revolt up to the release of the British Official
Archives in the late 1970s.[28]
However, rather than being a rehash of the autobiography, the movie provides
insights into the way that the rape incident was perceived by people in the
1960s when it was more culturally acceptable to imply it in a movie at the
time, showing the changing societal views about Lawrence. This is therefore true
for the rape scene as well, using Lawrence’s own account to create an accurate
portrayal.[29]
Therefore, the movie Lawrence of Arabia
is another source that proves that Lawrence was indeed raped.
Perhaps
one of the most interesting sources that supports of the veracity of the assault
is actually Barr himself who, whilst never mentioning the actual event, has
written two paragraphs concerning homosexuality.[30] Here
Barr hints towards Lawrence as being “repelled by sexual activity in general”
and that in his later life “Lawrence admitted that the only sensation which the
thought of sex aroused was dread”, hinting towards a traumatic experience
earlier in Lawrence’s life that lead to his dislike for sexual activities.[31] Possibly
even rape.[32]
That Barr published this book in 2009, two years after the article where he
argued against the rape ever happening, shows a change in opinion altering the
significance of his earlier argument. [33] And
yet, all proof that can be found one way or the other becomes fruitless when
one considers the hostility towards homosexuality that existed back then. People
believed that only homosexuals were victims of sex rape, that that if desired
they could have stopped it happening. A man claiming to have been raped would
risk being labelled homosexual, the victim being blamed for having desired it rather
than the perpetrator. Being homosexual in those times meant that you were
oppressed, arrested or even killed, as it was illegal and seen as inhuman.[34] Therefore,
rape stories such as Lawrence's were never publicised or even recorded for fear
of persecution.[35]
Also, it was common knowledge back then that the Turkish were brutal to their
prisoners of war, and had been known to rape those they took a liking to.
Therefore, it is highly likely that if Lawrence was considered a prisoner this
horrific event could have occurred to him.[36] Anderson
actively discredits Lawrence’s writings on the rape in Seven Pillars of Wisdom as unlikely and inconsistent, questioning
his ability to escape after such an intense flogging, nevertheless accepting
that something happened to Lawrence in Deraa, citing the two differing accounts
of Lawrence following the publishing of his autobiography. In the second, Lawrence writes “for fear of being hurt… I gave
away the only possession we are born in this world with: our body integrity” which
Anderson argues demonstrates the intense physiological impact the ‘rape’ and
‘torture’ had on Lawrence, considering his lifelong stoicism and possible suppressed homosexuality as reasons as to why the event possibly did occur.[37] Therefore,
the physiological changes that Lawrence underwent following that day in Deraa
and the negative view of society towards homosexuality suggest that he was
indeed raped. That Lawrence had the courage to write about it is remarkable
making it more likely that records of this assault were not simply invented,
especially since he displayed some of the post traumatic symptoms of rape
assault: depression, anger and vulnerability.[38]
In
conclusion, the evidence and social opinion of homosexuality mean that there is
a higher chance that Thomas Edward Lawrence was indeed raped and brutally
assaulted on the 20th of November while disguised as an Arab in the
Fortress of Deraa by the guards of the Turkish Governor Hajim Bey, traumatising
him throughout the rest of his life and causing him to bravely add the event in
his book Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
Section 3: Reflection
This investigation
allowed me to understand the struggle of historians in acquiring appropriate
evidence both factually correct and relevant to the inquired topic. The main
issues faced were the lack of resources available concerning the rape of
Lawrence and the language used in the sources, influenced by the changing views
of society.
Gaining
access to information about the rape is difficult as Barr found when writing his
book, eventually crossing the desert to get first-hand evidence to stick to the
facts provided from both British and Arab perspectives on Lawrence.[39] This
difficulty is partly due to the lack of validity of sources found. Thus ‘The Daily
Telegraph’ article may derive from a reliable newspaper citing an acclaimed historian,
but the facts themselves may have been exaggerated or invented. Indeed, the amount
of sensationalism in this newspaper led no less an authority than Roy Greenslade
to denounce it as “ nasty, inappropriate
spin and just the kind of tabloid-style sensationalism that the Telegraph, in
its former pomp, would have criticised.”[40] Even
the more reliable sources were limited as they barely referred to the event
itself. [41]
Eventually I found this lack of reliability advantageous since it allowed me to
argue against the source being factually correct, offering a different
perspective.
Language
used in the sources also presented a challenge. When researching conformational
evidence surrounding a topic as controversial as this, language would either be
graphic or overly emotional.[42] “While…
reports that describe the details of rape… can offer a human dimension… it is
important to use such accounts… to achieve much more than emotional responses…”[43] Neither
language type focuses on the facts concerning Lawrence’s alleged rape, once
again impacting on the validity of sources. Thus sources used by Wilson consist
of Lawrence's personal letters and writings and are emotional, making it
difficult for him to deduce the facts.[44] However,
after some consideration I realised that having emotion and graphic details were
useful, as the former provides insight into the terribleness of the situation
and emotion hinted that the rape did actually occur. Once again I was faced
with a dilemma that historians face, and was able to find a way to use it to my
advantage.
Finally,
when researching about such a controversial topic, the changing views of
society are crucial. Hostility towards homosexuality- legal and social- was a major
theme. As society slowly began to become
more accepting, the focus shifted from feelings of revulsion to sympathetic
acceptance. This is what I found with Lawrence’s historians: the more recent
the biography the stronger the focus is on Lawrence and his rape experience. Liddell
Hart writing in 1934 did not mention the rape whatsoever; Korda by 2010
extensively exploring both the rape itself and the effects it had on Lawrence. [45]
Therefore, there was a large change evident on the opinion of historians on
rape as the years progressed. Such a change not only allowed me to find recent
sources that explored the debated existence of the rape, but supported my
argument regarding the lack of evidence towards the rape due to the persecution
of homosexuals.[46]
Therefore, the changing views of society was something that I had to consider
with a topic as controversial as rape.
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[2].
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[3].
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[8].
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[11].
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[12].
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[13].
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[17].
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[22].
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