Lawrence of Arabia intrigues once more

Lawrence of Arabia, the great romantic hero of the desert war, has thrown up yet another intriguing mystery in one of the most fascinating lives of the 20th century.

Confidential files made public for the first time show that for more than a year he paid out two-thirds of his salary to a woman living in Newark in Nottinghamshire.

The discovery is likely to generate a fresh round of speculation about Lawrence’s private life, which has long been a subject of fierce dispute among historians and his numerous biographers.