Don't forget about Gertrude Bell. Who's that? you say. She's an Englishwoman who spent much of the decade prior to the onset of WWI mounted on a horse or camel traveling the deserts of Syria and Arabia before heading to Mesopotamia. She kept extensive records of the numerous tribes and sheikhs that she encountered, thoroughly absorbed the local cultural nuances of effective communication, made maps, took photos etc. Her connections back home were sufficient to position her as a high level adjunct in intelligence for the British military/political enterprise in Middle East during the war. She never engaged in battle as Lawrence did but her contribution to the unfolding of events in this arena was of major significance. I hope Professor Cole might have more to say about this.
Don't forget about Gertrude Bell. Who's that? you say. She's an Englishwoman who spent much of the decade prior to the onset of WWI mounted on a horse or camel traveling the deserts of Syria and Arabia before heading to Mesopotamia. She kept extensive records of the numerous tribes and sheikhs that she encountered, thoroughly absorbed the local cultural nuances of effective communication, made maps, took photos etc. Her connections back home were sufficient to position her as a high level adjunct in intelligence for the British military/political enterprise in Middle East during the war. She never engaged in battle as Lawrence did but her contribution to the unfolding of events in this arena was of major significance. I hope Professor Cole might have more to say about this.