Claude Auchinleck
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| Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname | The Auk |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1904–1947 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands held | 1st Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment (21 January 1929 - 31 January 1930) Meerut district (1938) 3rd Indian Division (September 1939) IV Corps (January 1940) C in C, Northern Norway (April - June 1940) V Corps (June 1940) Southern Command (July - November 1940) Middle East Command (1941-1942) Commander-in-Chief, India (1941 & 1943-1947) |
| Battles/wars | World War I: - Egypt (1915) - Mesopotamian campaign Mohmand Campaign (1935) World War II: -Norwegian campaign -North African campaign |
| Awards | GCB (January 1945)[1] GCIE (December 1940)[2] CB (July 1934) CSI (May 1936)[3] DSO (June 1917) OBE (June 1919) mentioned in dispatches (1917 & 1936[4]) Legion of Merit, Chief Commander (USA) (23 July 1948)[5] Virtuti Militari 5th class (Poland) (15 May 1942)[6] War Cross (1944) Order of the Star of Nepal, 1st Class (1945) Knight Grand Cross of Order of St Olav (19 March 1948)[7] 1st Class Order of Cloud and Banner (1947) Grand Officer, Légion d'honneur Croix de guerre (1918 and 1949) Military Cross (Czechoslovakia) (1943)[8] |
| Other work | Colonel 1st Bn. 1st Punjab Regiment (January 1933)[9] Colonel Inniskilling Fusiliers (April 1941)[10] Colonel 1st Bn. 4th Bombay Grenadiers (July 1939)[11] Colonel 4th Bombay Grenadiers (May 1944)[12] Colonel 1st Punjab Regiment (1947)[9] |
Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE (21 June 1884 – 23 March 1981), nicknamed "The Auk", was a British army commander during World War II. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he developed a love of the country and a lasting affinity for the soldiers he commanded. In July 1941 he was appointed Commander in Chief of the Middle East theatre; after initial successes the war in North Africa turned against the British, and he was relieved of the post in 1942 during the crucial Alamein campaign. He served thereafter as C-in-C India until his resignation in 1947. He retired to Marrakesh, where he died at age 96.
References[change]
- ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36866, p. 3, 29 December 1944. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35019, p. 7109, 20 December 1940. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 34282, p. 2974, 8 May 1936. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 34282, p. 2979, 8 May 1936. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38359, p. 4189, 20 July 1948. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35559, p. 2113, 12 May 1942. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 38240, p. 1919, 16 March 1948. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 36103, p. 3319, 1943-07-20. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Qureshi, Maj MI. (1958). The First Punjabis: History of the First Punjab Regiment 1759-1956. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
- ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35153, p. 2571, 2 May 1941. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 34649, p. 5218, 28 July 1939. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 36532, p. 2443, 26 May 1944. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
