According to Howard Hiddlestone’s daughter Eunice, his one big claim to fame from his service in Egypt during WWI was that he met Colonel T.E. Lawrence, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.
The story goes that Howard encountered Lawrence coming out of the desert on a camel while Howard was in the process of delivering a message as a motor-bike dispatch rider. Lawrence hailed Howard and asked if he could escort him to the battalion HQ, which Howard, not knowing who he was, did as instructed by his superior officer.
As a thank you, Lawrence then invited Howard to join him for a drink and took him into the Officer’s Mess. Being an ordinary rank soldier, Howard declined, saying that he would get into trouble. Colonel Lawrence apparently didn’t stand on ceremony and said to Howard, “They wouldn’t
dare do anything to you. Not when you are drinking with Lawrence of Arabia.”
Pictured: Father & son in AIF uniform, WWI (Albert Hiddlestone, left & son Howard, right)
Excerpt from our book: ‘100 Not Out’ by Ross Addison
#lestweforget
