Lawrence later went on to work for British intelligence during the war, a role which some say was less of a choice on his part than a lack of height! But he was, first and foremost, an archaeologist. (Again, remind you of someone, dear Reader?) In the lead up to the war he was a just young archaeologist being paid a half-wage on retainer in case any real digging came up. Which it did! He and a fellow mudder were asked to complete an archaeological survey of Sinai aka Military Survey of Sinai. Whether he actually knew he was surveying the region for railways to aid a future war effort, well never know. What is evident, however, is that hed been fascinated by history and archaeology since he was a boy and, even though he never went back to archaeology after the war, its unlikely that he was planning a life of subversive espionage from the age of 15. Though we wouldnt put that past him! Hed proven that he could rough it as good as any squaddie during his undergraduate degree and this translated well into what would later prove invaluable knowledge of the area and a deep appreciation of the Arabic culture, without which he would never have been as successful a regime toppler as he managed to be! If Rpattz is going to do a quantum of justice to Lawrence then this rugged, intellectualism and cultural sensitivity has to be part of his repertoire.