Speaker: Steve Roberts

Steve Roberts gives a cradle to premature death account of T.E. Lawrence – his life and achievements and his portrayal in the 1962 film. The talk includes lesser known anecdotes about him, such as the occasion he left his manuscript of Seven Pillars of Wisdom at Reading station, all 250,000 words of it. It was never returned, so he had to start again. There’s an interesting comparison between Lawrence and O’Toole, who played him in the film, and fascinating local connections with Dorset (Wareham, Bovington, Clouds Hill, Moreton, Christchurch) and Hampshire (New Forest, Calshot, Hythe, Southampton, the Isle of Wight). There’ll be quite a few surprises along the way.

Steve Roberts is a history graduate, former history teacher, local historian, public speaker and author who has written over 1800 magazine articles in over 90 different publications.