What's On

  Winchester's Military Quarter
  • Home
  • About
    • Peninsula Barracks
    • Gallery
    • Newsletter
    • Vacancies
  • The Museums
    • The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum
    • HorsePower, The Museum of The King's Royal Hussars
    • The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum
    • The Rifles Museum
    • The Gurkha Museum
    • The Adjutant General's Corps Museum
    • Joe's Café
  • Visiting
    • Opening Times & Admissions
    • Joint Tickets
  • Education
    • Education Information
    • Themed Tours
    • Education Workshops and Artefacts Alive!
  • What's On
  • Contact

In the Footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia

20/5/2021

2 Comments

 
Picture
An online presentation by Captain Charles Blackmore, hosted by The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum
Date: 20th May 2021 at 6.30pm
Tickets: Free, however donations are greatly appreciated to help support the museum
Venue: Online via Zoom

         In 1985, four Royal Green Jackets – Capt Charles Blackmore (3RGJ), Lieut James Bowden (3RGJ), Riflemen Chris Shelley (1RGJ) and Mark West (2RGJ) – set out on camels from Wadi Rumm, south Jordan, with members of the Howeitat tribe to retrace some 700 miles of the camel journeys made by Lawrence of Arabia during the Arab Revolt in World War 1.  The significance was twofold: such a commemorative venture following the routes described by T E Lawrence and mapped out in Seven Pillars of Wisdom  had not been undertaken before, and it was the 50th anniversary year of Lawrence’s untimely death following a motorbike accident near Bovington, Dorset.

What these riflemen learned about Lawrence, and his role in the Arab Revolt, was second only to what they learned about the desert and living as bedu.  Dressed as Arabs they rode and walked their camels south east to the Saudi border, across the flint desert or as asuwan as General Sir John Glubb (‘Glubb Pasha’, later the founder  of the Arab Legion) described it, before turning north to Syria and returning south via the Dead Sea, Petra, and back to Wadi Rumm.  Beset with difficulties from bedu intrigues, camels with dysentery, getting lost and living as nomads for over a month, these camel-riding Green Jackets developed a bond with their Howeitat camel handlers which matched only the historical importance of the arduous journey they embarked upon.

Charles Blackmore’s talk, illustrated with slides, forms the basis of his book about the expedition In the Footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia.

Charles was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets in 1978 serving with 3RGJ in N Ireland and Cyprus, the Rifle Depot, 1RGJ in Belfast, seconded to 6th Gurkha Rifles, Staff College, followed by command of R Coy 3 RGJ in Gibraltar and South Armough before leaving the Army in 1993 after 2 years in the MoD.  His other 4expeditions include retracing the route of the Retreat to Corunna on the 175th anniversary, and a first crossing of 1000 miles of the Taklamakan Desert, China by camel.  Currently he is CEO of the commercial intelligence and investigations company, Audere International Ltd.

This online presentation will take place on Thursday 20th May 2021 at 6.30pm.  Please email the Museum Curator for joining instructions: curator@rgjmuseum.co.uk 

Donations can be made by visting: ​ uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1008453
2 Comments

    Archives

    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018

    Categories

    All
    Evening Talks
    Events
    FREE
    Lunchtime Talks
    Open Days

    RSS Feed

We Would Love to Have You Visit Soon!


Telephone

01962 877826
  • Home
  • About
    • Peninsula Barracks
    • Gallery
    • Newsletter
    • Vacancies
  • The Museums
    • The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum
    • HorsePower, The Museum of The King's Royal Hussars
    • The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum
    • The Rifles Museum
    • The Gurkha Museum
    • The Adjutant General's Corps Museum
    • Joe's Café
  • Visiting
    • Opening Times & Admissions
    • Joint Tickets
  • Education
    • Education Information
    • Themed Tours
    • Education Workshops and Artefacts Alive!
  • What's On
  • Contact