TE Lawrence letter to be auctioned

A lost letter from Lawrence of Arabia describing his experiences at an RAF base in Lincolnshire is to be sold at auction.

The letter from T E Lawrence to Francis Rennell, later Lord Rennell, was found inside a rare copy of his book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which inspired David Lean's film Lawrence of Arabia.

One of 170 published by the author in 1926, the letter, dated 3 November 1925, talks of the campaign against the Ottoman Turks during the First World War. Lawrence tells of his recent move to the RAF cadet college in Cranwell, Lincolnshire, describing the county as "a picture of dead earth in green and grey".

"The camp is good. Also the fellows, also the life. Mark me down for a further spell of quite happy existence," he wrote.

The author also attempts to persuade his friend not to buy the The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, telling him it is too expensive.

The letter and the book are valued at £28,000 and will be auctioned at Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh, next Wednesday.