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Treasures of our Memorial Library Research Resources for Current Events With the whole sphere of the Middle East seeming to be in peril today, it appeared to your scribe worthwhile to examine the history of the area. So, naturally and gratefully, I turned to the stacks of the West Vancouver Memorial Library. The enmity of the people of Iraq, or at least those in authority, towards the Americans and the Britons is understandable under the current wartime conditions. These emotions are in contrast to what one might expect from a casual review of the region's history and the formation of the nation of Iraq. In the Library I found a book that seemed "a propos", especially when I found in it reference to an old friend of mine, Col Richard Meinertzhagen. He is mentioned repeatedly as one of Winston Churchill's advisors when that statesman was heading the planning for the formation of a new nation shortly after World War I. At the time, the region bore the name "Mesopotamia." A few years later the name changed to Iraq. The treasure I found in the Library is a sizeable hardcover book entitled "COLONEL LAWRENCE". Its author was the well-known historian Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart. It was published in 1934 by Dodd, Mead and Co. of New York. The book is located in the Reference Department. It is a sort of capsule history of T. E. Lawrence, the fabled "Lawrence of Arabia", who had an immense influence on the development of modern day Mesopotamia (Iraq) as a nation. Other titles about T. E. Lawrence and other editions of this book (under the title "T. E. LAWRENCE") that can be checked out are located in the 921 L423 area in the West Wing. During the latter half of World War I, Lawrence organized a successful campaign against the Ottoman Empire's control of the region. Lawrence wrote several books on the subject which the Library owns. See his "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" and "Revolt in the Desert". His high regard for the Arab people, his knowledge of Arab lands and his mastery of their languages and customs were influential in the development of plans for Arab independence promoted by Lloyd George and Winston Churchill. How sad it is to see the turmoil in the region today. It would be well beyond the abilities of this scribe to analyze the reasons for the conflict. Enough said for now! Ted Hill (Continued on page 4)