January 1922
Lawrence begins secret negotiations to enlist in the ranks of
the RAF under an assumed name.
Late in the month he
begins sending chapters of the newly completed Seven Pillars draft to the
Oxford Times
printing works, where they will be typeset. Eight
sets of pages are printed there on a proofing
press (this method of reproduction was cheaper than
having the manuscript typed). He sends the chapters
to the printer un-numbered and in a random order, to
prevent anyone but himself from assembling the text.
March 1922
On 1 March Lawrence finishes his duties at the Colonial Office
but is entitled to three months' paid leave. During
this, he completes the polished
1922 text of Seven Pillars.
July 1922
On 1 July Lawrence formally leaves the Colonial Office and
begins final negotiations for his secret enlistment.
By 21 July both Churchill and the Secretary of State
for Air have agreed.
August 1922
The binders deliver the first copies of Seven Pillars.
Lawrence sends them to various readers, beginning
with Edward Garnett and Eric Kennington. Garnett,
who had previously abridged Charles Doughty's Travels in Arabia Deserta, offers to make an
abridgement of Seven Pillars for publication. Lawrence accepts the idea.
On 30 August Lawrence presents himself at the RAF recruiting
office at Covent Garden. He fails the medical exam
but is accepted on orders from the Air Ministry. He
is posted to RAF recruits' training depot at
Uxbridge under the pseudonym John Hume Ross, and
begins three months' basic training. While there, he
will make notes for a projected book about life in
the ranks.
October 1922
Edward Garnett finishes the first draft of his abridged Seven
Pillars. After revision, it will be offered for
publication to Jonathan Cape. However, three months
later George Bernard Shaw will persuade Lawrence to
abandon the scheme.
November 1922
On 7 November Lawrence is posted from Uxbridge to the RAF School
of Photography at Farnborough.
December 1922
The press reveals that Lawrence is serving in the ranks of the
RAF under a pseudonym.
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