Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
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| The Rt Hon. The Earl Wavell | |
|---|---|
| May 5, 1883 – May 24, 1950 | |
 Sir Archibald Wavell in Field Marshal's uniform |
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| Place of birth | Colchester, England |
| Place of death | London, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1900 - 1943 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands held | Middle East Command American-British-Dutch-Australian Command |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of India Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Indian Empire Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Military Cross |
| Other work | Viceroy of India (1943 - 1947) |
Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell GCB, GCSI, GCIE, CMG, MC, PC (May 5, 1883 – May 24, 1950) was a British field marshal and the commander of British Army forces in the Middle East during World War II. He led British forces to victory over the Italians, only to be defeated by the German army. He was the penultimate Viceroy of India from 1943-47.
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[edit] Early Life
Wavell was born in Colchester but spent much of his childhood in India. Wavell's father was a major-general in the British Army and Wavell followed his father's career choice.
Wavell attended the preparatory boarding school Summer Fields, near Oxford, Winchester College, where he was a scholar, seventh on the roll, and Sandhurst.
[edit] Early Career
He joined the Black Watch in 1900 and fought in the second Boer War. In 1903, he was transferred to India and fought in the Bazar Valley campaign of 1908. In 1911, Wavell spent a year as a military observer with the Russian Army.
Wavell was working as a staff officer when World War I began. He was transferred to a combat unit and was wounded in the Battle of Ypres in 1915, losing an eye. Following his recovery, he was assigned as a liaison-officer to the Russian Army in 1916, this time in the field in Turkey. In 1918, he was transferred to Sir Edmund Allenby's staff in Palestine.
[edit] Between the Wars
Wavell was given a number of assignments between the wars. In 1937, he was transferred back to Palestine, where there was a growing uprising. In August 1939, he was named as the head of Middle East Command and was in that post when World War II began.
[edit] World War II
The Middle Eastern theatre was quiet for the first few months of the war until Italy's declaration of war in June 1940. The Italian forces in North Africa greatly outnumbered the British. Wavell however was able to not only defend against the Italian attacks but to defeat the Italians and occupy their colonies in Ethiopia and Somaliland. By February 1941, the British appeared to be on the verge of overrunning the last Italian forces in Libya, which would have ended all Axis control in Africa.
But at this same time the Germans and Italians were attacking Greece. Wavell was ordered to halt his advance into Libya and send troops to Greece. He disagreed with this decision but followed his orders. The result was a disaster. The Germans had an opportunity to reinforce the Italians in North Africa, the British were unable to set up an adequate defense on the Greek mainland and were forced to withdraw to Crete with heavy losses, and a pro-Axis faction took over the government of Iraq leading to the brief Anglo-Iraqi War.
Wavell was replaced as Commander of British forces in the Middle East by Sir Claude Auchinleck in July 1941. He was then transferred to India, where he served as Commander-in-Chief. He once again had the misfortune of being placed in charge of an undermanned theatre which became a warzone when the Japanese declared war on the United Kingdom in December 1941. He was made Commander-in-Chief of ABDA (American-British-Dutch-Australian) Command, but was forced to evacuate his headquarters from Java following the break-up of ABDA.
Wavell, despite his abilities, did not have the resources to defend the territory he was responsible for and was unable to prevent the Japanese from capturing Singapore, Malaya, and Burma.
[edit] Viceroy of India
Wavell was again replaced in his military post by Auchinleck, who by this point had also experienced setbacks in North Africa. In 1943, Wavell was created a viscount and was named Viceroy of India. His mandate there was to maintain the political status quo in India during the war.
One of his first actions in office was to address the Bengal famine of 1943 by feeding the starving rural Bengalis. He attempted with mixed success to increase the supplies of rice to reduce the prices and make it more affordable.
He remained as Viceroy until he was replaced by Lord Mountbatten of Burma in 1947.
[edit] Later Life
Wavell returned to England and was made High Steward of Colchester in 1947. In the same year, he was created Earl Wavell, a title he passed to his son Archibald upon his death in 1950. The younger Wavell, also educated at Winchester, did not long survive his father before being killed whilst serving with the Black Watch in Kenya.
Wavell was well-known to be a great lover of poetry. He made the selections for an anthology of great poetry, Other Men's Flowers, which was published in 1944; the last poem in the anthology he wrote himself. He had a great memory for poetry and often quoted it at length. He is depicted in Evelyn Waugh's novel "Officers and Gentlemen", part of the Sword of Honour trilogy, reciting poetry in public. Like many Englishmen, he was a member of the Church of England.
Wavell is buried in the old mediaeval cloister at Winchester College, next to the Chantry Chapel. His tombstone simply bears the inscription "Wavell".
Wavell Heights, a suburb in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, was named after him in 1941, after a request by the Brisbane City Council to rename an area previously known as West Nundah. Wavell Avenue in Colchester, Essex is also named after him.
[edit] Quotes
- "I think he (Benito Mussolini) must do something, if he cannot make a graceful dive he will at least have to jump in somehow; he can hardly put on his dressing-gown and walk down the stairs again."
- "After the 'war to end war' they seem to have been pretty successful in Paris at making a 'Peace to end Peace.'" (commenting on the treaties ending World War I; this quote was the basis for the title of Fromkin, David (1989), A Peace to End All Peace, New York: Henry Holt, ISBN 0-8050-6884-8)
[edit] References
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008) |
[edit] External links
- A Modern Pilgrim In Mecca (1912) by A. J. B. Wavell, F.R.G.S. at archive.org
- Allenby A Study In Greatness The Biography Of Field-Marshal Viscount Allenby Of Megiddo And Felixstowe by Sir Archibald Wavell at archive.org
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title | Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in the Middle East 1939–1941 |
Succeeded by Sir Claude Auchinleck |
| Preceded by Sir Claude Auchinleck |
Commander-in-Chief, India 1941–1942 |
Succeeded by Sir Alan Hartley |
| New title | Commander of ABDACOM 1942 |
Office abolished |
| Preceded by Sir Alan Hartley |
Commander-in-Chief, India 1942–1943 |
Succeeded by Sir Claude Auchinleck |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by The Marquess of Linlithgow |
Viceroy of India 1943–1947 |
Succeeded by The Viscount Mountbatten of Burma |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Lord Chetwode |
Constable of the Tower of London 1948 – 1950 |
Succeeded by The Viscount Alanbrooke |
| Preceded by The Duke of Wellington |
Lord Lieutenant of the County of London 1949–1950 |
Succeeded by The Viscount Alanbrooke |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by New Creation |
Earl Wavell 1947–1950 |
Succeeded by Archibald Wavell |
| Viscount Wavell 1943–1950 |
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