logo
Veterans retrace Lawrence of Arabia's epic 700-mile trek across Middle East

Veterans retrace Lawrence of Arabia's epic 700-mile trek across Middle East

Telegraph13-02-2025
It was a journey immortalised by Peter O'Toole in the epic 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia – and now four military veterans have become the first people to recreate T.E. Lawrence's 700-mile (1,126km) trek across the sands of the Middle East.
Howard Leedham, James Calder, Craig Ross and Martin Thompson spent 25 days on camelback crossing the Nafud desert in Saudi Arabia to mark 90 years since Lawrence's death.
The four men, who served in the British Special Forces, endured 37C heat, sandstorms and sheer cliffs on the trek from Al Wajh in Saudi Arabia to the Aqaba in Jordan.
They collected sand from four significant areas on the journey to spread on Lawrence's grave in Moreton, Dorset.
Lawrence was a First World War hero who led the Arab Revolt against German-supporting Turkey. In 1916 he swept across the desert to Jordan and rewrote the map of the Middle East.
His remarkable feat was described in his autobiographical account Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the classic film Lawrence of Arabia.
The Lawrence Tribute Trek last month was the brainchild of former SBS marine Howard.
He put out a 'Shackleton-style' advert on social media for special forces veterans asking for volunteers for the expedition.
He received 40 replies and picked James, Craig and Martin to come with him, none of whom had ridden a camel before.
After a 10-day camel-riding course, the team set out on their expedition on Jan 14.
They completed about 30 miles a day on two single-humped camels each alongside a team of medics, cooks and a Bedouin, who looked after the camels.
They travelled for eight hours a day in intense heat, which dropped to below freezing at night.
Along the way they took sand samples from Fajer, Al Jawari, Bayir and Aqaba – notable stops on Lawrence's journey.
The group were given police camels as a gift upon crossing the Jordanian border, which are much quicker.
On the penultimate day the group, with 40 locals, re-enacted Lawrence's attack on an Ottoman train that was transporting friends and family who had travelled to celebrate the end of their journey.
The staff on the train were aware of the attack, but the tourists were 'somewhat startled'.
Upon arrival in Aqaba on Feb 7, they were honoured by King Abdullah II of Jordan with ceremonial displays, traditional music and a grand parade.
So far the group has raised £430,000 for the Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund and hope to reach their target of 500,000 before a ceremony at Lawrence's grave in May.
The group will meet members of the Lawrence Society to spread the sand on his grave on May 19 – now 90 years after Lawrence died in a motorbike accident.
Howard, from London, said: 'I think a lot of military guys have some sort of admiration or fascination with Lawrence's story. What he achieved was certainly ahead of his time. The tactics he used have been copied ever since.
'I came up with the idea last May with some friends in the pub, probably over a couple of glasses of red.
'Riding a camel is completely different to riding a horse. There are lots of different saddles and [it] requires a lot of core strength.
'We did have to add a bit onto the journey to find the right place to cross the border from Saudi Arabia to Jordan but we quickly linked back up with the route.'
The trek was named the Nasir, Bekri, Tayi and Lawrence Tribute Trek, after the Arab leaders of the original expedition – Sherif Nasir, Auda abu Tayi and Nesib el-Bekri. It took the original group over two months to complete the route.
The Special Forces Club Benevolent Fund gives funding to ex-special forces soldiers who are suffering personal struggles later in life.
Lawrence was killed in a motorcycle accident near his home at Bovington, Dorset in 1935. He is buried in the graveyard of St Nicholas Church in Moreton.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Brit tourists abandon Majorca with restaurants left empty as island rocked by protests
Brit tourists abandon Majorca with restaurants left empty as island rocked by protests

Daily Mirror

time6 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Brit tourists abandon Majorca with restaurants left empty as island rocked by protests

Tourist numbers in Majorca have plummeted, with some restaurants and hotels left half-empty as visitors appear to be abandoning the holiday hotspot amid growing unrest Hotels in Majorca are growing increasingly worried about a decline in tourist arrivals to the holiday destination. Not only are Germans seemingly avoiding the island, but British tourists also appear to be losing interest. ‌ The Balearic island is a favourite amongst European holidaymakers. Last year, an impressive 13.4 million tourists flocked to Majorca, including over two million Brits. ‌ Many are drawn by the island's stunning landscapes - from sandy beaches to towering mountains - and vibrant nightlife. However, the idyllic island has been rocked by a series of protests, with tens of thousands of locals hitting the streets to express their frustration at overtourism. ‌ Tourists are finding themselves more and more in the crosshairs of activists, who are hell-bent on generating negative publicity for the island to discourage visitors. This growing antagonism towards tourists seems to be taking its toll, with visitor numbers dropping in certain parts of the island. The resort areas hit hardest are Capdepera and Soller, says the Majorca Hotel Business Federation (FEHM), reports the Express. ‌ The worrying situation appears to be particularly problematic in the British market, which is showing signs of slow growth, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin. "While we don't have official statistics yet, information from our various associations indicates that Capdepera, which heavily relies on German tourism, and Soller are experiencing the most significant drops in visitor numbers," said María José Aguiló - the vice-president of FEHM. Pubs, cafés and eateries have all felt the impact of this peculiar mid-season slump, with outdoor seating areas sitting half-vacant. Some proprietors have reportedly even permitted employees to take time off during what would typically be amongst the peak trading weeks of the year. "We're seeing two distinct booking patterns emerge: advance reservations and last-minute bookings, making precise forecasting particularly challenging," explained Aguiló. FEHM's figures show that hotel occupancy levels have fallen short of projections since May, sparking concerns about what lies ahead. Nevertheless, the organisation maintains an optimistic outlook, stating it anticipates this season will match last year's performance. During the previous year, 18.7 million holidaymakers flocked to the Balearics, splashing out a staggering €22.38 billion - representing a 12% rise. German visitors continue to be the most valuable economic demographic across the Balearic Islands. They parted with €6 billion whilst holidaying in Majorca - outspending every other nation. British travellers came second, contributing €4.38 billion.

What caused the Concorde Air France crash? 25 years on from the tragedy that set supersonic travel back decades
What caused the Concorde Air France crash? 25 years on from the tragedy that set supersonic travel back decades

The Independent

time11 hours ago

  • The Independent

What caused the Concorde Air France crash? 25 years on from the tragedy that set supersonic travel back decades

The 100 passengers who boarded Air France flight 4590 from Paris Charles de Gaulle to New York JFK on the afternoon of 25 July 2000 believed they were in for the trip of a lifetime. The German cruise line Peter Deillmann had chartered Concorde for a supersonic start to a cruise holiday from New York to Ecuador. While they sipped champagne and waited for departure, three miles west of the airport in the village of Gonesse, the staff of a budget hotel – the Hotelissimo Les Relais Bleus – were at work as normal. For the two pilots and the flight engineer, as well as the six cabin crew, it was a routine mission. While Concorde had never proved a commercial success on its scheduled routes to the US, Brazil or Venezuela, there was plenty of demand for such charter flights. Five minutes before the supersonic jet began its take-off along runway R26, a Continental Airlines DC-10 had lost a titanium strip from one of its engines during take off from the same runway. While that flight was unaffected, this small piece of debris began a sequence of events that would end in tragedy within 90 seconds. Thirty-four seconds after beginning the take-off roll, at a speed of 185mph, Concorde ran over the metal strip. It cut one of the tyres on the left-hand landing gear, sending a 10lb chunk of rubber into the left wing – where some of the 95 tons of fuel for the journey was stored. A tank was ruptured. As the fuel gushed out, it was ignited 'by an electric arc in the landing gear bay or through contact with hot parts of the engine', according to the the official report. At this point the supersonic plane was still on the ground. But had passed 'V1' – the speed beyond which it is not possible safely to reject the take-off . For this flight V1 was calculated to be 173mph. Concorde left the ground. But hindered by drag from the undercarriage – which could not be retracted because of the damage – the aircraft was catastrophically short of power and out of control. Despite the pilots' best efforts, the aircraft stalled and struck the hotel. All 109 passengers and crew on the plane, and four hotel staff, died. 'At first, the details were sketchy,' recalls Kay Burley. She was on air, presenting Sky News. 'A producer was in my ear, calmly feeding me the basics: a Concorde had crashed shortly after take off from Paris, with a group of German tourists on board. 'I started reporting what we knew, conscious that the facts were thin and the story was still unfolding. 'Soon the pictures came in and we began commentating on the shaky camcorder footage from a motorist near the perimeter of Charles de Gaulle airport. Flames were pouring from beneath the delta wing as the aircraft struggled to climb. 'Moments later, it had crashed into a hotel. One hundred and thirteen people were killed in under two minutes. It didn't seem possible. 'To see such a beauty fail so catastrophically was hard to comprehend. I was shocked but remained calm as I processed the images and shared what I knew with Sky News viewers.' One of those viewers was Jock Lowe, flight operations director for British Airways – the only other carrier flying Concorde. 'It was bewilderment at BA. Whilst we had considered what would happen if it did crash, we didn't believe it would happen.' Captain Lowe was the longest serving Concorde pilot, and knows the aircraft better than anyone else. The big question as the reports came in, he says, was: 'What shall we do – do we keep flying BA aircraft? What do we check? My little input was to say: 'As well as the engines, check the wheels and tyres and brakes'.' 'I felt, like everyone else, a bit of disbelief, sadness for the project and sadness for all those poor people.' The senior aviation executive, Jonathan Hinkles, recalls: 'I was working for an airline in Gatwick at the time and wandered into our airline operations room in the afternoon of that day, just to routinely see how things were going on for the day – to be told by our ops team that there'd been a terrible accident involving Concorde outside Paris. 'It was not totally clear at that point just how awful the events had been. But clearly it was traumatic, tragic and a real shock to the system. 'I'd flown my one and only trip on Concorde myself with British Airways the year before, which is a memory that I'll always keep very fondly. And so the fact that another trip had ended in tragedy, such a short time later outside Paris was a shock to everybody in the airline industry, but also one that I felt keenly myself.' As the investigators sifted through the wreckage and eventually reached their conclusions, Kay Burley was covering events for Sky News. 'I remember the details of the tragedy unfolding like it was just yesterday,' she says. 'But the part that stayed with me most came from the black box. The captain said nothing in his final moments. No mayday. No instructions. Just silence. He knew there was nothing to be done. Chilling.' The accident report advised that the airworthiness certificate should be suspended pending modifications. For travel people in the area around Heathrow, the familiar din of the twice-daily departures and arrivals fell silent. Lyn Hughes, founding editor of Wanderlust magazine, says: 'Living in Windsor, like all residents I was very aware of Concorde – we used to regularly hear it and see it in and around the town. Indeed, the skylight in the Wanderlust Windsor office used to sometimes rattle when it went over! 'The sound of it was very distinctive; you always knew what it was. Yet, despite it being noisy, there was a lot of affection towards it. Sixteen months later, Ms Burley was on board as Concorde returned to service for British Airways. 'It was 7 November 2001, and I flew from London to New York. Seated next to Sting, we raised a quiet glass to those who'd been lost. 'Both the British and French Concordes landed at JFK that day, reunited in the city they had flown to so very often before.' Within two years, Concorde flew commercially for the final time. On 10 April 2003, Rod Eddington – the then-British Airways chief executive – announced that supersonic flying would end on 24 October that year. As he spoke, the afternoon flight from New York to Heathrow had only 20 of its 100 seats filled. 'The writing was already on the wall,' says Captain Lowe. 'The crash itself knocked confidence of the passengers, it knocked the confidence of everyone in the aviation industry. 'Undoubtedly Concorde never got back to where it was after the crash. It was only going to be a matter of time after that. In the end it had flown for 27 years, it had been pretty trouble-free.' 'When it did its final flight, a lot of residents – myself included – went out on the street to watch it go over,' says Lyn Hughes. 'I think that affection will be hard to replicate. With its distinctive design, it had personality and it seemed to symbolise the romance of travel but I'm not sure we will ever regain that with flying.'

The Nicolas Kuhn Celtic transfer question I got answer to the minute I set eyes on George Clooney's favourite escape
The Nicolas Kuhn Celtic transfer question I got answer to the minute I set eyes on George Clooney's favourite escape

Daily Record

time2 days ago

  • Daily Record

The Nicolas Kuhn Celtic transfer question I got answer to the minute I set eyes on George Clooney's favourite escape

Our man Michael Gannon is with the Hoops in a specular spot in Northern Italy and they ramp up their pre-season preparations 'So Nicolas Kuhn, what was it that attracted you to a move to Como?' ‌ After just a few hours in these parts, there's no need for the now ex- Celtic star to answer. ‌ Yeah, the German probably has some football and financial reasons, the chance to make a few quid and play in Serie A sounds good enough. ‌ But one look at this town and it's easy to see why he jumped at the chance. Listen, Glasgow's great and all that, it's home sweet home to plenty of us, but not Kuhn. And when he clapped eyes on this Italian oasis, no one could blame him for giving it a bash. Como is absolutely sensational. George Clooney has a gaff up the road from here and the big man has the right idea. It's like a movie set and a postcard at the same time. Celtic have been to some nice pre-season spots over the years, but it's hard to top this one for scenery. There's also a real football flavour in the town. This Como Cup might be a friendly tournament but the area has gone to town on it. ‌ There are posters everywhere, a fan zone down by Lake Como which must have the most spectacular five-a-side pitch in the world. Not far from there is the Studio Guiseppe Sinigaglia – which is a goal kick away from the water. ‌ It's a bit like Gayfield in Arbroath – without the 50mph freezing wind – and rather than a fun fare next door, it's a millionaires' playground. There can't be many more stunning stadiums in the entire world. There can't be many better preseason trips for fans either. A fair few are starting to filter into the area ahead of Thursday night's clash with Ajax. ‌ There are always tell tale signs. The local funicular – the wee tram that takes folk up the hill to see some of the best views on the planet – was shuffling on its way up and right at the front there was an away shirt with 'McGregor' on the back. It was a young fan rather than the actual Hoops captain but it wasn't long before plenty of other supporters were spotted wandering around town with their jaws open at the sights. They'd love to see a few new signings as well, mind you… perhaps Clooney can do a job on the wing. ‌ In the meantime they might feel right at home. This place was run by the original Celts until the Romans marched in, like they do. Julius Caesar eventually named it and the rest is history. This has always been on of Europe's top tourist traps but the local team has struggled through the years, mainly due to being just up the road from the Milan giants. ‌ But it's certainly in business these days, with a rise to the top from Serie D thanks to new investment and now with a glamour boss in Cesc Fabregas. No wonder Kuhn found all this appealing. Unlike old Benito Mussolini. The Italian dictator met his end in these parts, arrested around Lake Como in Dongo, he was eventually executed the next day down the road in Tremezzina. It's a touchy subject these days, so Celtic fans might need to tread carefully with the transfer chat – given the Hoops are looking for a right winger…

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store