36 replies to this topic

[theunready]

Spoiler for Aha! Now 99.95% sure, you sly dog. It's...

TE Lawrence (of Arabia)

[d3k3]

Spoiler for Aha! Now 99.95% sure, you sly dog. It's...

TE Lawrence (of Arabia)

I'm 0.05% more certain than you. Well done.

[MacAttack57]

Sir Lancelot

[K.K.]

Well done theunready; you certainly got it!

[Grayven]

So Shakee, did you think this one would lead in so many different directions? Lots of good answers, some even satisfied most of the riddle.

*applause*theunready*applause*

[Shakeepuddn]

Spoiler for Answer and Explication

T. E. Lawrence was the illegitimate son of Sir Thomas Chapman and his daughter’s nanny. He spent many years in the Middle East doing archeological work prior his military campaigns there, the latter for which he was offered a knighthood. Lawrence turned it down. During his campaign against the Turks, he heroically rescued one soldier, Gassim, who had gotten lost in or near the Nefud Desert. At a later date, Gassim killed an Arab from another tribe, which nearly led to a blood feud, a situation that would have torn the rag-tag army apart. So Lawrence personally executed Gassim to defuse the situation. Lawrence was a serious scholar of the Crusades and medieval castles and loved Arthurian legend, one of the few books he always kept during his campaigns being Mallory’s Le Morte D’Arthur. As an intelligence specialist and soldier in Arabia, Lawrence served King George, while also being liaison to and confidant of Prince Faisal (prince of a different look). He united the disparate bands of Arabs and led them against the critical seaport of Aqaba, held by the Turks. Lawrence was very shy of the limelight and generally refused to have any pictures taken of him (quite unlike the very inaccurate movie). Of his military exploits, which were crucial in leading to the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East, Lawrence wrote “Seven Pillars of Wisdom.” Lawrence died back home when he was motor biking on his Brough Superior 100 and intentionally veered off-road to avoid hitting two young boys on bicycles. What a guy!

Good job Unready. Ready for another?

[theunready]

*bows modestly*

Bring it on, Shakee. But maybe leave it a day or so, so I can catch up on all the work I missed while trying to figure out this one ...