The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-04-20


through any OF their territory.
Turkey won't have me-"
He paused, smiled, then point
ing q, finger at himself:
Look at me-" he said, II am q
dangerous man. p
He laughed at his own sarcastic
reference to his small stature.
t. t. II
"THEY say 7 entered the r.
/ A. F. because of bad healtal
Some say I was 'riddled with
bullets. Others say I was verg-
ing a nervous breakdown. follow
ing my experiences in the desert.
"You can't become a member Of
the r. A. F. if you are physically
or mentally unfit. I joined the r.
A. F. simply because I was sick
and tired of politics.
II wanted a job at which I could
work with my hands, as used to
when ! conducted excavations.
Traditions in England made my
desire difficult to fulfill. Wher-
esseE I rent was expected to be-
come the head or one of the heads
Of the firm. Nothing, you see,
could be good enough for Colonel
Lawrence.
Once colonel, always colonel.
That a colonel should want to do
work generally considered to be
beneath what a colonel should
do is Intl1inkable.
TIN England rank counts for
l. much. There are certain things
which are just not done when
you have rank here.
For one thing, you do not. as a
rule, repair machines when you
are in a position to order some
one else to repair them for you.
Il like repairing machines. en-
joy tinkering with machinery. If
can't do this as a colonel, then
I want to do it as q private. So
I am privatel"
Being waited upon hand and
foot as he was during his war in
the desert, he explained, was
nlonotonous after time. Having
rank and responsibility entailing
obedience to politicians, he said,
was odious to him.
'You don't have to agree with
the policy Of government when
you are a private in the air force"
he contended.
THAT is one reason why I re-
l. fused decorations and other
honors offered me-" hes continued.
Had I accepted them at the time
they would have shut my mouthl
By refusing them I was able to
speak my mind"
After a long struggle with
cabinet ministers and others, I got
the government, thanks to Win
ston Churchill, to fulfill as many
promises made to the Arabs dur
ing the war as it was humanity
possible and practicable to fulfill.
Then it was I decided to give
up all Of which I was sick and
tired and chose to enter the R.
A. F.
There is no mystery about my
life there. I live as public a life
as it is possible to live. I am in
barracks with other men. I sleep
under the same roof with nine
teen of them. I eat with them
I perform my duties daily, as
they do.
81 can be seen any time by
anybody who takes the trouble to
look at me. I am known to hun
dreds in the air force. In my hut
We all know each other well.
ITO begin with we all take our
L shirts of in the same place
every morning. We soon find out
all about one another. We soon
know to whom we can lend a
shilling and be sure to get it
back.
1.-The life I lead, I shohld say,
is 50. public that one hardly can
suggest that I am in some distant
part of the world stirring UP
trouble. That Is one reason why
I chose such a life.
"Yet, from newspaper clip
pings sent to me understand
that TO this very day I am ac-
cused Of being the soul Of re-
bellions which break out from
time to time in far distant lands.
But I have no such power.
While they say these things about
me I am doing far less romantic
things"
Every morning sweep the
office in which I work daily with