ONE of the great mysteries of the inter-war years is the death of TE Lawrence – Lawrence of Arabia – in a motorcycle accident not far from his Dorset home at Clouds Hill near Wareham. On Saturday 18th January, Bridport’s Electric Palace has a screening of a fascinating documentary, Who Killed Lawrence of Arabia? is a feature length documentary which provides an in-depth investigation into the crash.
The film uncovers compelling evidence that proves Lawrence’s crash was no accident but an assassination. Expert input is provided by historians and investigators Andrew Gough, the Rev Lionel Fanthorpe, Niall Cooper, motorcycle expert Julian Amos, probability expert Paul Swift, writers and TE Lawrence experts Jan Woolf and Mark JT Griffin and senior lecturer in Arab studies Feras Alkabani. The documentary is narrated by Russell Biles.
Based on the non-fiction book, Who Killed Lawrence of Arabia, published in August 2022, the documentary delves deeply into the crash, approaching the death as a murder, and asking who would benefit and who had the means, motive and opportunity to remove Lawrence. The documentary follows the same approach as the book, investigating Lawrence’s fatal crash and the aftermath. It reveals a plethora of evidence for an assassination but none for an accident – challenging the official story.
The documentary also strikes a contemporary note, directly connecting Lawrence’s military campaign a century ago in the Middle East to the current ongoing conflicts.