Part 32
‘Perhaps a dozen men were to have a “go” at cleaning the camp fire-buckets. Taking names (you know why) he happened to be the first on the roll and, asked his name, promptly sprang to attention, giving his particulars. The second and third names were taken before the S.M. snapped at those two for not doing likewise and commented on the fact that S. had shown them his military training, by saying “take an example of Shaw, you are letting yourselves down” and possibly stronger words were used. (His start at once told.) Having occasion to call and view the work in progress (and between you and me to get a good “close-up” of this man nobody could weigh up), there he was with bathbrick, polishing and rubbing as though his life depended on the result (eagerness personified) and laughing his heart out in some crude joke of his work-mate; an aircraftman of, to say the best, poor intellect who stood by while our friend grinned and worked.
CREDIT FROM THE TANK CORPS
‘It soon flashed through the camp that he was in credit to the tune of £50 from the Tank Corps and at “stand easy” when ordering tea and cakes from the canteen, he asked for about four or five extra teas and wads (cakes). Asking a few of the (secretly scrutinising) airmen to “muck in,” at least three “lots” were left in sheer wonder and almost embarrassment; smiles and expressions, “Deep B.” etc., being used.
CHURCH
‘Our camp church he liked—that was all. Always a true soldier preparing for and marching to same, when his turn for it came along. But it was a d—d shame that men of the calibre he went with, should be compelled to listen to the “something rot” that they were attending; for ♦Sermous were not Shaw’s strong point. Generosity itself for a just cause. Apparent stupidity (which was amusing to all who “eyed him”) for any cause concerning his presence in the above-mentioned place of worship. Politics clashed with divinity—Shaw’s view.
♦ “Sermous” replaced with “Sermons”
S. JOINS UP IN R.A.F. SECOND TIME
‘An amusing item was told of his second admission to the R.A.F. All recruits must pass an educational test before admission. S. had to do a paper of a visit to some place or other and accomplished this with such speed, tact and general show of a born author, that the Officer i/C. asked him why he came to join up and yet could turn out his “stuff” with so much apparent ease. His reply was “Chiefly a mental rest.” which took the wind completely out of the officer’s sails, and yet the mask of mildness on his face floated him clear of trouble. A lot of heart-to-heart talk took place about various authors to whom he might apply for a job. Finally he was shown a list of R.A.F. trades and I swear he would tackle the lot in turn and decided to be a full blown Air Craft Hand, which means he does all kinds of fatigues and is treated as though he were a mere nothing in uniform.
“B” FLIGHT, CRANWELL
‘Being posted to “B” Flight and the way he behaved during his stay was worth a guinea a box. Every conceivable kind of job was put before S. as the office “boy” of our flight. (I could give you a real good list of his duties which he was to do.) He had every job well mastered in a week and “taped” for any clerk who might follow. Our Flight Lieutenant took to S. and at once realized the asset he must mean to the flight. What “got him” was that S. had more power for getting things than he had himself. (I’m speaking dead honestly now.) He did not on any occasion ever let anyone think that what was given at all was given through thoughts of what he might do or say. His sheer force of personality got him, as you may say, undreamed of odds and ends necessary for us in our work, which seemed unattainable to any Sergeant to say the most, and never an aircraft hand. To know him was to be drawn by his magnetic personality and the heavens fell through, that alone is what made the airmen scratch their heads and THINK.
A GRAMOPHONE WAS BOUGHT
‘There is a good story on its own. A beautiful machine with Records. At first we held aloof wondering what class of music appealed to S.—Mozart, Beethoven, Tannhauser? (excuse my ignorance of the classical variety). It left us guessing, but we soon woke up to the fact that he pulled our legs by ordering some of the most awful sounding records possible to get, yet his face was a blank. Should we laugh? moan? or what? That broke all the ice barrier of wondering which had built up between the airmen.
HE STARTS
‘No clock was ever made to beat S. for awaking when he wanted, be it any hour. How was it done? Sailors they say do manage it, but at regular intervals. With S. any time was his time. _But_ always before reveille. Baths are his god. He bribed the “civvie” stoker to attend to the fires for his bathing “Saloon” before the others; and to see him enjoy a real Turkish variety, gradually cooling to D. cold, was to know when a man is happy. Duty compelled me to have a week of his routine before 6 a.m. So this is authentic. _Bath_ is S.’s second name.
‘To show there is no ill feeling he starts one of the most appalling records on the market and to hear the various good humoured grumblings of the flight will send S. in fits of laughter. “Onward Christian Soldiers” was his weak or _strong_ point. National Anthem he reserved for medical inspection in the huts on Mondays. _Rude but true._ A rather sleepy (at the night time) sailor, whom S. loved to tease was presented by him, S., to a most glorious hand-knitted pair of pink woollen bed socks. He had them specially made in our _Town_.
BROUGHS
‘S. had a Brough-Superior 1926 model. You might call that machine his house. To see him ride was enough. To see that baby on a machine like that at speed made the population gasp. Brough junior says that he is the opposite number to his “bus”—“Two Superiors.” An insight concerning both is in the following:
‘Out riding one summer evening, he came across a smash-up between a car (driven by an oldish man) and a pedestrian. When the unconscious pedestrian had been safely disposed of,—stowed in the back of the car for carriage to hospital—S. was asked to swing the car for the old boy. Nervousness and excitement caused the driver to leave the ignition fully advanced and on S. swinging the starting handle flew back and broke S.’s right arm. Without so much as a sign to show what had taken place S. asked if he would mind retarding the offending lever, and swung the car with his left hand. After the car was at a safe distance S. got an A.A. Scout to “kick over” his Brough, and with his right arm dangling and changing gear with his foot S. got his bus home and parked without a word to a soul of the pain he was suffering. Through some unknown reason the M.O. was away and it was next morning before his arm could be “done.” That is a man—S., I mean.
‘S. had intended doing a “pull off” from an aeroplane with me and descending by parachute. Unfortunately his arm spoiled it for the pair of us. (Personally I was relying on his personality to get permission for the “drop”), so you see how everyone “fell” for him through his ways. Have served a little while in the R.A.F. but never before have I seen a man refuse to go in Hospital with a broken arm. Yet S. did and “got away with it.” Having after 10 days got into the style of writing with his left hand, the good work went on. His skill and supervision in his position astounded one and all. He will want to cancel this but let me tell you as his friend that his broken arm was the 33rd broken bone he has had at various times, including 11 ribs. This last sentence must be known whether he approves or not. In his book _Seven Pillars of Wisdom_ he mentions a fact about his capture by a Turkish officer and his treatment under his captor’s hands. A bayonet had been forced after two attempts between his ribs,—those scars are on his body still and are very noticeable at once when he is stripped.
“OFFICE BOY”
‘As previously stated S. carried out every duty, job or any mortal thing that came his way with amazing speed and accuracy that often we wondered at his reserve power which pointed him out as differently as though he was miles above our standard at anything we tackled. His letters were the joke of the flight, because at every post something or other turned up. Am convinced that had he been given more spare time, the load of letters would not have been littered all over the trays, tables and pigeon-holes—in fact they were everywhere. Mind you his kit was kit, but correspondence he could not keep in check. To see him sign a cheque on his book-account (_Seven Pillars_) for a large amount, with his left hand after his accident made me wonder what proof the bank held of the genuineness of the signature. They used to get through without a line or word of doubt.
FIRES
‘S.’s job during cold weather would be to light the fires in the offices. Coal was usually difficult to obtain, but nothing would prevent the fires from being lighted. One day he pulled down a dead tree actually in the Air Officer Commanding’s private plantation, walking past flights and offices till he reached the “B” Flight, perspiring like a bull and all smiles. Anyone would think he walked about invisible. He invented a “Shaw mixture” of old oil from aero engines, sawdust and coaldust and mixed it like mortar. So with his trees and mixture fires were kept roaring all day long.
NIGHTS OUT
‘Asked his idea of a good night out, he told me that to take a man on his Brough to a decent town and give him a good feed and general good time was O.K. to a limit. That limit was that his companion on those rides must be mildly a ruffian, for preference, and his pleasure was derived in studying the man’s peculiarities unseen to the man himself.[7] “There are too many honest men in this world and a few more rogues would make the world a very interesting place.” Never sly, he would weigh up a cute scoundrel and gently smile at the result of his observation.
[7] Shaw has told me himself that he took out nearly all ‘B’ Flight at one time or another: all very decent fellows, he said, whom he admired very much.—Sergeant Pugh has made a joke read too seriously, I think.—R. G.
PROMOTION
At the beginning of each quarter a return is to be submitted stating the particulars of men recommended for promotion. Talking it over with the Flight Commander, he asked for S. to see if he had any views on the matter. S. emphatically refused to hear of any advance, a thing which made the Flight Commander nearly curl up, laughing.
NIGHT RIDING
‘It sometimes took place that S. felt like a blind into the night, summer or winter, and would cover as many miles as safety permitted, arriving in camp dog-tired and dirty yet cheery and stroll to the canteen for a couple of packets of “Smith’s Crisps”—chipped potatoes. That would invariably mean his supper. Yet he would be loaded up with good things for his room-mates. Fruit he loved, and would go a long way for a good apple. Other fruits he liked, but the best was the apple.
OFFER OF AIR OFFICER COMMANDING
‘The Air Commodore at Cranwell offered S. his house for the purpose of spending Christmas, but no! He was an Aircraft hand and as I’ve said before he kept his place as such, never allowing anything to break him from his position in the R.A.F.
‘It seemed his sole purpose was to be an airman of the lowest grade and rank and to be left alone with his Brough at “B” Flight, Cranwell. He was hero-worshipped by all the flight for his never failing cheery disposition, ability to get all he could for their benefit, never complaining, and his generosity to all concerned till at times it appeared that he was doing too much for everyone and all were out to do their best for him. Quarrels ceased and the flight had to pull together for the sheer joy of remaining in his company and being with him for his companionship, help, habits, fun and teaching one and all to play straight. He fathered us and left us a sorrowful crowd awaiting letters or his return.
FLYING AND SCRUBBING
‘When opportunity permitted he made a point of flying with all the officers in the flight so that each knew him well and in my opinion were proud of the fact, the way they used to smile when he climbed in with them. Flying is a very old hobby of his but although he has crashed 7 times, still goes on. He even used to leave the office at times, shove overalls on, and away out into the hangar, scrubbing and washing machines down although there was never any need to do so. Just to feel that he could do any job that came along. The number of times he has corrected mistakes and styles of mine are innumerable but I’m afraid I’ve slipped back during his absence. His languages got us beat, although he would not shoot out anything out of place unless asked, in that respect.
SCROUNGING
‘The hut table could be improved upon, so forthwith S. and a party went away with it to exchange it for a lovely one in the mess-deck. He made his only mistake by taking one that was marked by birds, and was “rumbled,” but as usual got away with it. The Quartermaster was a good sort. S. said so.
‘S. has been known to lift all manner of articles for our use, sometimes going so far as to speak to the victim and walk away with anything he fancied would be of use to us. Never for himself.
COAL
‘A good incident took place when the strike was on; all coal issues were stopped and “B” Flight had only a lot of coal dust and slack.
‘S.’s sheer cheek got to work, and calmly filling a huge bucket with dust he inquired the name of a Big officer who had stopped the issue. Walking point blank to his office, he found that the officer had not stopped his own coal ration, so he exchanged his load for some wonderful pieces of coal as big as himself. No one has found out who changed the dust yet. His comments were a broad grin and silence.
CIVIL POLICE
‘He was held up on three separate occasions by the same “copper” on point duty in a traffic muddle in _Town_ (Sleaford) and reported the matter to the Superintendent. He pointed out that police were the servants of the public, paid by the public, and he did not think that the “copper” on point duty knew his job, that he was decidedly inefficient and a “_Swede_” (Airman’s term for villager). The Super, and S. had a grand argument, but S.’s eloquence floored the Super, and left him wondering what the R.A.F. had enlisted. That “copper” is now permanently excused traffic-control.[8]
[8] The point of this story may be lost on most of my readers who are unaware of the cavalier treatment that men in uniform usually get at the hands of jacks-in-office. The Cranwell fellows were astonished that Shaw was not arrested for making a protest against the inefficiency of a police-constable.—R. G.
AIR DISPLAY
‘He took all the flight and wives to Hendon by charabanc although I personally know that his ambition was to charter an Imperial Airways machine and “do” it by air, but he was let down for a “Kite” at the last minute.
‘Both going and coming he did not sit down for more than an hour, continually watching traffic and direction, and never turned a hair while the remainder slept or curled up, tired.
JOBS
‘On the summer holidays coming round he told us he had got the offer of a job as a Steward aboard a liner going to U.S.A., but finally turned it down owing to work on his book. (Wish this had come off.)
A VISIT
‘He used to Brough down to “Smoke” (London) most Saturdays to look after his book being printed, sleeping at the Union Jack Club. One night it was full, but they shoved him in somewhere. He came back and gave us his views. He said what with sleeping in a dormitory with a drunken sailor one side and a “blind” marine on the other there was nothing to do but swear.’
Here ends Sergeant Pugh’s account.
* * * * *
So far as I know Lawrence has only once filled in a confession album; for a comrade in the Royal Air Force. His statements are slight but amusing, and may be taken entirely seriously:
Favourite colour: Scarlet.
„ dish: Bread and water.
„ musician: Mozart.
„ author: Wm. Morris
„ character in history: Nil.
„ place: London.
Greatest pleasure: Sleep.
„ pain: Noise.
„ fear: Animal spirits.
„ wish: To be forgotten of my friends.
His future plans are simply to stay out his full time in the Royal Air Force, and afterwards to settle down quietly in some room in London, ‘the only possible place to live in permanently,’ with a country cottage somewhere for his occasional retreat, and a pair of mechanically driven wheels to tie the two bedrooms together. But whether he will succeed in settling down quietly is another question. Mr. Winston Churchill’s short summary of Lawrence is a very penetrating one: ‘A rare beast; will not breed in captivity.’ It has suggested the text from the Vulgate, which I have made the motto to the book.
APPENDIX A
OPERATIONS BY BRITISH MOBILE COLUMN AGAINST HEJAZ RAILWAY
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
(1) Two companies, Imperial Camel Corps (Commander, Major R. V. Buxton; strength 16 officers, 300 other ranks, 400 camels, with 6 Lewis guns) have been placed temporarily at the disposal of Hejaz Operations, for the purpose of carrying out the following operations on the Hejaz Railway:
(_a_) To seize Mudawra,[9] with the primary object of destroying the enemy’s valuable water supply at that place.
[9] The spelling of this report is not consistent with the spelling I have used: but it does not matter. There is no accurate English spelling of Arabic names.
(_b_) To destroy the main railway bridge and tunnel at Kissela, 5 miles south of Amman,
or
should circumstances arise rendering (_b_) impracticable—
(_c_) The demolition of the railway bridge immediately north of Jurf Ed Derwish, and the destruction of the enemy’s supply dumps and wells at Jurf Station.
(2) The following instructions and attached march programme are based on the assumption that objectives (_a_) and (_b_) will be carried out.
Should it prove necessary, as the second phase of the operations, to substitute (_c_) for (_b_), which will be decided solely at the discretion of the O.C., Imperial Camel Corps, these instructions will be amended, and a revised plan prepared by the officer responsible for its execution.
(3) MARCHES.
The column will march, subject to such modifications as may be imposed by circumstances at present unforeseen, in accordance with the march programme and time table attached marked ‘A.’
(4) OPERATIONS.
(_a_) The operations, both at Mudawra and at Kissela (or Jurf Ed Derwish), will be carried out as night attacks, under cover of darkness. In each case, the precise plan of attack will be decided, after personal reconnaissance of the positions to be assaulted by the O.C., I.C.C. In this connection, stress is laid upon the value to be obtained by the element of surprise, the Turks in the Hejaz area being, hitherto, unaccustomed to attack by night, and therefore, probably ill-prepared to resist an operation of this nature.
(_b_) To provide artillery support during the operation against Mudawra, the Hejaz ten-pounder section will be placed by the O.C. Troops, Northern Hejaz, temporarily at the disposal of the O.C., I.C.C. On the completion of this operation, the section will not proceed east of the Railway, but will return independently to Guweira or elsewhere, under the orders of the O.C. Troops, Northern Hejaz.
(_c_) For the operation against Kissela, the O.C. Troops, Northern Hejaz, should arrange for the co-operation of a detachment of armoured cars, to be held in readiness at a suitable point east of the Railway to cover the retirement of the column to Bair in the event of pursuit by hostile cavalry from Amman.
(5) SUPPLIES.
The column will march from Akaba, carrying three days’ supplies and water for men, and forage for animals. In addition, each man will carry one day’s emergency iron ration, to be consumed only by direct order of the O.C. Column.
Dumps for the replenishment of supplies and forage will be established, in advance, under arrangements to be made by the O.C. Troops, Northern Hejaz, as under:
(_a_) At Rum, 5 days’ rations for men and forage for animals.
(_b_) At El Jefer, 4 days’ rations for men and forage for animals.
(_c_) At Bair, 14 days’ rations for men and forage for animals.
(6) WATER.
Plentiful drinking water for men and animals will be found in the following localities:
Rum, Mudawra, El Jefer, Bair, Wadi Dakhl (vide attached march tables).
(7) MEDICAL.
A casualty hamla, with capacity for dealing with 24 cases (12 sitting and 12 lying) will be organized at Akaba, to accompany the column, by Major Marshall, M.C., R.A.M.C., under instructions to be issued by the O.C. Troops, Northern Hejaz.
A general scheme for the evacuation of casualties during the operations will be prepared by Major Marshall and forwarded through O.C. Troops, Northern Hejaz, to this office for information as early as possible.
(8) AMMUNITION.
260 rounds S.A.A. per man, and 2,000 rounds per Lewis gun will be carried.
(9) EXPLOSIVES.
(_a_) Under arrangements to be made by the O.C. Troops, Northern Hejaz, an explosive hamla, carrying 2,500 lb. of gun-cotton, will accompany the column from Akaba to Mudawra. Empty camels and drivers should return from Mudawra to Akaba on the conclusion of that phase of the operations.
(_b_) For the operation at Kissela, arrangements should be made for an explosive hamla carrying 6,000 lb. of gun-cotton to meet the column on the arrival of the latter at Bair, whence it will accompany the column to Kissela.
(10) GUIDES.
(_a_) For the first phase of the operations (from Akaba to El Jefer, inclusive), the following arrangements should be made by the O.C. Troops, Northern Hejaz, through Sherif Feisal.
(_a_) Guides (Amran Howeitat) to meet the column at Akaba and to conduct it thence to Rum.
(_b_) A suitable Sherif selected by Sherif Feisal, together with the requisite party of guides (Abu Tayi), to join the column at Rum, and to conduct it thence to Mudawra, and subsequently from Mudawra to El Jefer.
Provision of food for Arab guides, and of forage for their camels, whilst employed with the column, should be included in the arrangements to be made in accordance with para. 5 above (Supplies).
(_b_) The provision of guides required for the march of the column north from El Jefer to Kissela, will be arranged on his arrival, by Lieut.-Col. Lawrence.
(11) COMMUNICATIONS.
The O.C. Troops, Northern Hejaz, should arrange for the closest possible touch to be kept with the column whilst operating east of the Railway, as far north as El Jefer (inclusive), by aeroplanes of the Hejaz Flight.
If possible, similar arrangements will be made direct with G.H.Q. for the maintenance of communication by aeroplane from the Palestine Brigade during the second phase of the operations, north of Bair.
(12) ATTACHED OFFICERS.
The following officers should be detailed by the O.C. Troops, Northern Hejaz, to accompany the column from Akaba:
Political Officer for Major Marshall, M.C., R.A.M.C. liaison with Arabs: (In addition to duties as M.O.)
Demolition Officer: (_Either_) Capt. Scott-Higgins, (_or_) Bimbashi Peake, E.A.