mr geoffrey dawson persuaded all souls college to give me leisure, in 1919-1920, to write about the arab revolt. sir herbert baker let me live and work in his westminster houses.
the book so written passed in 1921 into proof; where it was fortunate in the friends who criticized it. particularly it owes its thanks to mr. and mrs. bernard shaw for countless suggestions of great value and diversity: and for all the present semicolons.
it does not pretend to be impartial. i was fighting for my hand, upon my own midden. please take it as a personal narrative piece out of memory. i could not make proper notes: indeed it would have been a breach of my duty to the arabs if i had picked such flowers while they fought. my superior officers, wilson, joyce, dawnay, newcombe and davenport could each tell a like tale. the same is true of stirling, young, lloyd and maynard: of buxton and winterton: of ross, stent and siddons: of peake, homby, scott-higgins and garland: of wordie, bennett and macindoe: of bassett, scott, goslett, wood and gray: of hinde, spence and bright: of brodie and pascoe, gilman and grisenthwaite, greenhill, dowsett and wade: of henderson, leeson, makins and nunan.
and there were many other leaders or lonely fighters to whom this self-regardant picture is not fair. it is still less fair, of course, like all war-stories, to the un-named rank and file: who miss their share of credit, as they must do, until they can write the despatches.
t. e. s.
cranwell, 15.8.26
