Claude Auchinleck

Field Marshal
Sir

Claude Auchinleck
Portrait by Cecil Beaton, c. 1945
Nickname(s)The Auk
Born(1884-06-21)21 June 1884
Aldershot, Hampshire, England[1][2][note 1]
Died23 March 1981(1981-03-23) (aged 96)
Marrakech, Morocco
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Indian Army
Indian Army
Pakistan Army
Years of service1904–1947
RankField Marshal
Service number115611
Unit62nd Punjabis
CommandsSupreme Commander India and Pakistan (1947–1948)
Commander-in-Chief, India (1941, 1943–1947)
Middle East Command (1941–1942)
Southern Command (1940)[3]
V Corps (1940)
Commander-in-chief, Northern Norway (1940)
IV Corps (1940)
3rd Indian Infantry Division (1939)
Meerut district (1938)
Peshawar Brigade (1933–1936)
1st Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment (1929–1930)
Battles / wars
Awards
Other work
Colonel 1st Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment (January 1933)[16]

Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck (/ˌɒxɪnˈlɛk/ OKH-in-LEK) GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE (21 June 1884 – 23 March 1981), was a British Indian Army commander who saw active service during the world wars. A career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, he rose to become commander-in-chief of the Indian Army by early 1941 during the Second World War. In July 1941 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Middle East Theatre, but after initial successes, the war in North Africa turned against the British-led forces under his command, and he was relieved of the post in August 1942 during the North African campaign.

In June 1943, he was once again appointed Commander-in-Chief, India, where his support through the organisation of supply, maintenance and training for General William Slim's Fourteenth Army played an important role in its success. He served as Commander-in-Chief, India, until the Partition in 1947, when he assumed the role of Supreme Commander of all British forces in India and Pakistan until late 1948.

  1. ^ FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837–1915. 1884, Q3-Jul–Aug–Sep, A, 9. Auchinleck, Claud John E, Farnham. Vol 2a. Page 95. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 8 September 2011. (Farnham is the district including Aldershot.)
  2. ^ Warner (1991), p. 131
  3. ^ "No. 35559". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 May 1942. p. 744.
  4. ^ "No. 36866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1944. p. 3.
  5. ^ "No. 35019". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 December 1940. p. 7109.
  6. ^ "No. 34282". The London Gazette. 8 May 1936. p. 2974.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference heath30 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "No. 34066". The London Gazette. 3 July 1934. p. 4227.
  9. ^ "No. 34282". The London Gazette. 8 May 1936. p. 2979.
  10. ^ "No. 38359". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 July 1948. p. 4189.
  11. ^ "No. 35559". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 May 1942. p. 2113.
  12. ^ Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (1976). Burke's Irish Family Records. London, U.K.: Burkes Peerage Ltd. p. 331.
  13. ^ "No. 38240". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 March 1948. p. 1919.
  14. ^ "No. 36103". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 July 1943. p. 3319.
  15. ^ Edinburgh Gazette, 4 September 1917[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ a b Qureshi, MI. (1958). The First Punjabis: History of the First Punjab Regiment 1759–1956. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
  17. ^ "No. 35153". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 May 1941. p. 2571.
  18. ^ "No. 34649". The London Gazette. 28 July 1939. p. 5218.
  19. ^ "No. 36532". The London Gazette. 26 May 1944. p. 2443.


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