S. F. Newcombe

Lt Col. Stewart Francis Newcombe (1878–1956) was a British army officer and associate of T. E. Lawrence.

He was commissioned in the Royal Engineers in 1898 and fought in the Second Boer War. He served with the Egyptian army from May 1901 until 1911. In 1913 and 1914 he was engaged in strategic survey work in the Sinai Peninsula, where he worked with and became a friend of Lawrence.

At the end of 1916, he was appointed Chief of the British Military Mission in the Hejaz where he again worked with Lawrence and played a key role in the Arab Revolt. In November 1917 Newcombe was captured by the Turks but escaped and went into hiding in Istanbul.

Newcombe gave his name to the Paulet-Newcombe Agreement, which represents most of the modern border between today's Syria, Lebanon, and Israel

S. F. Newcombe was born in Brecon, Wales, the son of Edward Newcombe, and educated at Christ's Hospital and Felsted. He entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich where he was awarded the Sword of Honour. Commissioned in the Royal Engineers in 1898, he served in the Second Boer War. He served with the Egyptian army from May 1901 until 1911.

In 1913 and the early part of 1914, following short spells at the War Office, he carried out a survey across the Sinai Peninsula to Beersheba, under the auspices of the Palestine Exploration Fund. He was joined by Leonard Woolley and T. E. Lawrence who had been appointed as archaeological experts. The Negev Desert was of strategic importance, as it would have to be crossed by any Ottoman army attacking Egypt in the event of war and the survey updated mapping of the area, showing features of military relevance such as water sources. This began a lifelong friendship and collaboration with Lawrence who would become famous as Lawrence of Arabia.

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