Appendix 1: Principal Commanders and Staff Officers in the Mediterranean and Middle East
(The ranks given are in some cases ‘acting’ ranks. Some brief temporary appointments are omitted.)
Royal Navy
Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean: Admiral Sir Andrew B. Cunningham; Admiral Sir H. D. Pridham-Wippell (from 1st April 1942); Admiral Sir Henry H. Harwood (from 20th May 1942)
Chief of Staff: Rear-Admiral J. H. Edelsten; Commodore J. G. L. Dundas (from September 1942)
Additional Chief of Staff, RN, at Middle East HQ Cairo (also represented
Commander-in-Chief, East Indies): Commodore H. G. Norman. VA 1st Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Fleet: Vice-
Admiral Sir H. D. Pridham-Wippell (to 1st April 1942)
RA Mediterranean Aircraft Carriers: Rear-Admiral D. W. Boyd (to 21st January 1942)
RA 7th Cruiser Squadron: Rear-Admiral H. B. Rawlings (to 15th January 1942)
RA 15th Cruiser Squadron: Rear-Admiral Sir Philip L. Vian; Rear-Admiral A. J. Power (from 12th September 1942)
RA Destroyers: Rear-Admiral I. G. Glennie; Commodore P. Todd (from 13th September 1942)
Senior Officer, Force K: Captain W. G. Agnew (to end of March 1942)
Vice-Admiral in Charge, Malta: Vice-Admiral Sir Wilbraham T. R. Ford; Vice-Admiral Sir Ralph Leatham (from 19th January 1942)
Flag Officer attached Middle East: Rear-Admiral H. T. Baillie-Grohman (appointment lapsed July 1942)
Flag Officer Commanding, Red Sea and Canal Area: Vice-Admiral R. H. C. Hallifax
RA Alexandria: Rear-Admiral G. A. Creswell
RA Training Establishments: Rear-Admiral R. J. R. Scott (from February 1942)
Flag Officer Force H: Vice-Admiral Sir James F. Somerville; Vice-Admiral E. N. Syfret (from 10th January 1942)
Commander-in-Chief, East Indies: Vice-Admiral G. S. Arbuthnot (to June 1942)
Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf: Rear-Admiral (retd.) C. M. Graham (serving as Commodore 2nd Class); Commodore C. F. Hammill (from February 1942)
The Army
Commander-in-Chief: General Sir Claude Auchinleck; General the Hon. Sir Harold Alexander (from 15th August 1942)
Deputy Commander-in-Chief: General Sir Thomas Blamey, who was also GOC Australian Imperial Force. This appointment lapsed on General Blarney’s departure in January 1942
Principal Staff Officers
General Staff branch: Lieutenant-General A. F. Smith; Lieutenant-General T. W. Corbett (from 30th March 1942); Lieutenant-General R. L. McCreery (from 23rd August 1942)
Quarter-Master-General’s branch: Major-General B. 0. Hutchinson; Major-General A. R. Selby (from 10th May 1942); Major-General G. Surtees (from 15th September 1942)
Adjutant-General’s branch: Major-General N. W. Napier-Clavering; Major-General R. M. Scobie (from 16th February 1942); Major-General C. D. Moorhead (from 14th August 1942)
Lieutenant-General, Administration: Lieutenant-General T. S. Riddell-Webster;
Lieutenant-General Sir Wilfrid Lindsell (from 1st July 1942)
British Troops, Egypt
Lieutenant-General J. H. Marshall-Cornwall
Lieutenant-General W. G. Holmes (from 13th November 1941) Lieutenant-General R. G. W. H. Stone (from 1st February 1942)
8th Army
Lieutenant-General Sir Alan Cunningham
Lieutenant-General N. M. Ritchie (from 26th November 1941 to 25th
June 1942)
Lieutenant-General B. L. Montgomery (from 13th August 1942)
9th Army
General Sir Maitland Wilson
Lieutenant-General W. G. Holmes (from 21st August 1942)
10th Army
Lieutenant-General E. P. Quinan
Persia and Iraq Command
General Sir Maitland Wilson (from 21st August 1942)
Sudan
Lieutenant-General Sir Noel Beresford-Peirse
Lieutenant-General B. 0. Hutchinson (from 5th May 1942)
Formations
1st Australian Corps: Lieutenant-General J. D. Lavarack
3rd Corps: Lieutenant-General D. F. Anderson
10th Corps: Lieutenant-General W. G. Holmes; Lieutenant-General H. Lumsden (from 10th August 1942)
13th Corps: Lieutenant-General A. R. Godwin-Austen; Lieutenant-General W. H. E. Gott (from 6th February 1942); Lieutenant-General B. G. Horrocks (from 14th August 1942)
30th Corps: Lieutenant-General V. V. Pope; Lieutenant-General C. W. M. Norrie (from 5th October 1941); Lieutenant-General W. H. C. Ramsden (from 8th July 1942); Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese (from 10th September 1942)
4th Indian Corps: Lieutenant-General T. W. Corbett; Lieutenant-General W. J. Slim (from 30th March 1942)
21st Indian Corps: Lieutenant-General A. G. 0. M. Mayne
1st Armoured Division: Major-General H. Lumsden; Major-General F. W. Messervy (temporary); Major-General A. H. Gatehouse (temporary); Major-General A. F. Fisher (temporary); Major-General R. Briggs (from 21st August 1942)
7th Armoured Division: Major-General W. H. E. Gott; Major-General F. W. Messervy (from 6th February 1942); Major-General J. M. L. Renton (from 19th June 1942); Major-General A. F. Harding (from 17th September 1942)
8th Armoured Division: Major-General C. W. Norman; Major-General C. H. Gairdner (from 23rd August 1942)
10th Armoured Division: Major-General J. G. W. Clark; Major-General A. H. Gatehouse (from 9th April 1942); Major-General E. C. N. Custance (temporary)
31st Indian Armoured Division: Major-General R. H. Wordsworth 5th Division: Major-General H. P. M. Berney-Ficklin
6th Division (later 70th): Major-General R. M. Scobie
44th Division: Major-General I. T. P. Hughes
50th Division: Major-General W. H. C. Ramsden; Major-General J. S. Nichols (from 12th July 1942)
51st Division: Major-General D. N. Wimberley
56th Division: Major-General E. G. Miles
70th Division: Major-General R. M. Scobie; Major-General G. W. Symes (from 18th February 1942)
6th Australian Division: Major-General E. F. Herring
7th Australian Division: Major-General A. S. Allen
9th Australian Division: Major-General Sir Leslie Morshead
New Zealand Division: Lieutenant-General B. C. Freyberg, VC who was also GOC 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force; Major-General L. M. Inglis (from 27th June 1942 to 16th August 1942)
1st South African Division: Major-General G. L. Brink; Major-General D. H. Pienaar (from 10th March 1942)
2nd South African Division: Major-General I. P. de Villiers; Major-General H. B. Klopper (from 14th May 1942)
4th Indian Division: Major-General F. W. Messervy; Major-General F. I. S. Tuker (from 2nd January 1942)
5th Indian Division: Major-General A. G. 0. M. Mayne; Major-General H. R. Briggs (from 12th May 1942)
6th Indian Division: Major-General J. N. Thomson
8th Indian Division: Major-General C. 0. Harvey
10th Indian Division: Major-General W. J. Slim; Major-General T. W. Rees (from 30th March 1942); Major-General J. S. Nichols (from 22nd June 1942); Major-General A. B. Blaxland (from 22nd July 1942)
Malta
Governor and Commander-in-Chief: Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie
Governor (from 7th May 1942) and Supreme Commander (from 15th May): General the Viscount Gort, VC
General Officer Commanding: Major-General D. M. W. Beak, VC; Major-General R. M. Scobie (from 6th August 1942)
Royal Air Force
Command Headquarters
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief: Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur W. Tedder Deputy Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief: Air Marshal R. M. Drummond
Senior Air Staff Officer: Air Vice-Marshal H. E. P. Wigglesworth
Air Officer-in-Charge of Administration: Air Vice-Marshal G. C. Pirie
Chief Maintenance and Supply Officer: Air Vice-Marshal G. G. Dawson
Egypt
No. 201 Group: Air Vice-Marshal L. H. Slatter
No. 202 Group (became Air Headquarters, Egypt on 1st December 1941) Air Commodore T. W. Elmhirst; Air Vice-Marshal K. R. Park (from 11th January 1942); Air Vice-Marshal W. A. McClaughry (from 8th July 1942)
No. 205 Group: Air Commodore L. L. Maclean; Air Commodore A. P. Ritchie (from 1st May 1942)
No. 206 Group: Air Commodore C. B. Cooke; Air Commodore C. F. Smylie (from 12th July 1942)
No. 216 Group (formed on 21st May as a Ferry Group and re-formed on 9th September 1942 as an Air Transport and Ferry Group): Group Captain B. H. C. Russell; Air Commodore W. W. Straight (from 10th September 1942)
Western Desert
Air Headquarters, Western Desert: Air Vice-Marshal A. Coningham
No. 211 Group (formed on 15th January, disbanded on 3rd February and reformed on 12th March 1942): Air Commodore H. B. Russell; Group Captain K. B. B. Cross (from 12 March 1942); Group Captain G. L. Carter (from 5th April 1942)
Palestine and Transjordan (became Air Headquarters, Levant on 1st December 1941)
Air Headquarters: Air Commodore L. 0. Brown
No. 213 Group (formed on 1st December as Advanced A. H. Q. Levant and became No. 213 Group on 15th December 194.1): Group Captain S. D. MacDonald; Group Captain R. A. R. Mangles (from 2nd October 1942)
Iraq
Air Headquarters: Air Vice-Marshal J. H. D’Albiac; Air Vice-Marshal H. V. Champion de Crespigny (from 9th March 1942)
No. 214 Group (formed on 1st January 1942): Group Captain R. M. Foster No. 215 Group (formed on 1st May 1942): Air Commodore H. B. Russell
Aden
Air Vice-Marshal F. G. D. Hards
East Africa (became No. 207 Group on 15th December 1941)
Air Commodore W. Sowrey
Air Commodore M. L. Taylor (from 11th June 1942)
Sudan (No. 203 Group)
Air Commodore C. B. S. Spackman
Air Commodore R. G. Parry (from 11th February 1942)
Malta
Air Vice-Marshal H. P. Lloyd
Air Vice-Marshal K. R. Park (from 15th July 1942)