The active role A.W. Lawrence played after T.E. Lawrence's death is reflected in the division of the collection into two series: the correspondence and papers of T.E. Lawrence with some related papers, c.1894-1970 and the correspondence and papers of A.W. Lawrence, relating to T.E. Lawrence, 1917-85. It is important to note that much of T.E. Lawrence's correspondence in this collection is not original but copies.
The general correspondence material includes a long series of typescript and handwritten transcripts of Lawrence letters, which were prepared and bound by the Lawrence Trustees as part of a project to collect and record Lawrence letters. The originals were lent by their owners, transcribed either by A.W. Lawrence, M.R. Lawrence or the author David Garnett, and the original letter or letters returned to the owner. The resultant typescripts were arranged alphabetically and bound together (see MSS. Eng. d. 3327-41). Occasionally, the original letter may also survive, in MS. Eng. c. 6738, as well as the copy in the typescript volumes.
The family correspondence material is arranged chronologically. Lawrence was a particularly enthusiastic correspondent with his family, writing very descriptive letters of his activities and surroundings and less frequently about personal matters. Many extracts from these letters have been published, in The Home Letters of T.E. Lawrence and his Brothers (Oxford, 1954) and The Letters of T.E. Lawrence selected and edited by Malcolm Brown (London, 1988).
There follows a section of Lawrence's personal papers, which mainly consist of material relating to his time spent in the RAF. The RAF papers have been listed first, and include three bound volumes of transcripts of Air Ministry correspondence with and about T.E. Lawrence, created by the Trustees after Lawrence's death. The RAF papers and the remainder of the miscellaneous personal papers are arranged chronologically.
Lawrence's literary papers and manuscripts are arranged chronologically according to the order in which he wrote them. These papers cover most of the major works completed by Lawrence and provide examples of a few of the essays and contributions he made to various magazines and journals. (For a comprehensive list of the works of T.E. Lawrence see Lawrence of Arabia, the authorized biography of T.E. Lawrence by Jeremy Wilson (London, 1989), pp.966-75.)
The main part of the papers relating to the estate of T.E. Lawrence consist of the administration papers of the executors of Lawrence's will, and is by and large arranged chronologically. They also include documents relating to Clouds Hill both in Lawrence's lifetime and after his death.
The remainder of T.E. Lawrence's papers consist of an extensive photographic collection, covering most periods of Lawrence's life, but mainly the First World War. It is believed that Lawrence himself took a large quantity of these pictures, and after the War was keen to acquire the prints of others in an attempt to chart the Arab revolt. Many of the pictures remain unidentified and undated.
The rest of the collection consists of the papers of A.W. Lawrence and include his own correspondence with those interested in T.E. Lawrence and an assortment of material he collected about him. They include documents concerning the impostor and forger E.H.T. Robinson, who claimed to have served with Lawrence during the First World War (see MS. Eng. c. 6753, fols. 20-97). Within this section are papers relating to biographies of T.E. Lawrence, including some particularly interesting replies to the letters of Robert Graves asking for information on Lawrence in 1927. There are also press cuttings and other printed material, which reflect to some extent the large audience reached by the exploits of Lawrence of Arabia.
