APPENDIX 9

Principal Commanders and Staff Officers in the
Mediterranean and Middle East

(The ranks given are in some cases 'acting' ranks)

ROYAL NAVY
Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean: Admiral Sir Andrew B. Cunningham
Chief of Staff:
Rear-Admiral A. U. Willis
Additional Chief of Staff R.N., at Middle East H. Q., Cairo (also represented
        Commander-in-Chief East Indies):
Commodore H. G. Norman (from Sept. 1940)
1V.A. Light Forces and Second-in-Command Mediterranean Fleet: Vice-Admiral
        J. C. Tovey; Vice-Admiral H. D. Pridham-Wippell (from Oct. 1940)
R.A. 1st Battle Squadron: Rear-Admiral H. D. Pridham-Wippell;
        Rear-Admiral H. B. Rawlings (from Oct. 1940)
R.A. Mediterranean Aircraft Carriers: Rear-Admiral A. L. St. G. Lyster
Admiral Commanding 3rd Cruiser Squadron: Rear-Admiral E. de F. Renouf
Vice-Admiral in charge, Malta: Vice-Admiral Sir Wilbraham T. R. Ford
Senior British Naval Officer, Suez Canal Area: Vice-Admiral (retd.) Sir James Pipon
R.A. Alexandria: Rear-Admiral (retd.) F. Elliott
Flag Officer Force H: Vice-Admiral Sir James F. Somerville
Commander-in-Chief, East Indies: Vice-Admiral R. Leatham
Senior Officer, Red Sea Force: Rear-Admiral A. J. L. Murray

THE ARMY
Commander-in-Chief: General Sir Archibald Wavell
Principal Staff Officers
        General Staff branch: Major-General A. F. Smith.
        Quarter-Master-General's branch: Major-General B. O. Hutchison
        Adjutant-General's branch: Brigadier R. M. Scobie (from 13th May 1940)
          Major-General N. W. Napier-Clavering (from 11th Sept. 1940)

British Troops in Egypt

Lieutenant-General Sir H. Maitland Wilson (to 4th Feb. 1941)
Lieutenant-General R. N. O'Connor (from 4th Feb.-Apr. 1941)

Western Desert Force (became 13th Corps on 1st Jan. 1941

Lieutenant-General R. N. O'Connor (to 4th Feb. 1941)

--478--



Cyrenaica Command

Lieutenant-General Sir H. Maitland Wilson (Feb. 1941)
Lieutenant-General P. Neame (Feb.-Apr. 1941)

Palestine, Transjordan and Cyprus

Lieutenant-General M. G. H. Barker
Lieutenant-General P. Neame (Aug. 1940-Feb. 1941)

Sudan

Lieutenant-General W. Platt

East Africa Force

Lieutenant-General D. P. Dickinson
Lieutenant-General A. G. Cunningham (from 1st Nov. 1940)

Formations

7th Armoured Division: Major-General M. O'Moore Creagh
1st Cavalry Division Major-General J. G. W. Clark
4th Indian Division: Major-General P. Neame; Major-General N. M. de la
       P. Beresford-Peirse (from Aug. 1940)
5th Indian Division: Major-General L. M. Heath; Major-General A. G. O. M. Mayne (from Apr. 1941)
1st Australian Corps: Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Blarney
6th Australian Division: Major-General I. G. Mackay
1st South African Division: Major-General G. L. Brink
11th African Division: Major-General H. E. de R. Wetherall
12th African Division: Major-General A. R. Godwin-Austen
New Zealand Division: Major-General B. C. Freyberg
2nd Armoured Division: Major-General J. C. Tilly (to 16th Jan. 1941)

Malta

Governor and Commander-in-Chief: General Sir Charles Bonham-Carter (until Oct. 1940);
       Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie (from 11th Oct. 1940; acting from May-Oct. 1940)

ROYAL AIR FORCE
Command Headquarters

Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief: Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur M. Longmore
Deputy Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief: Air Marshal A. W. Tedder (from 29th Nov. 1940)
Senior Air Staff Officer: Air Vice-Marshal R. M. Drummond
Air Officer-in-Charge of Administration: Air Vice-Marshal A. C. Maund

Egypt and the Western Desert

Air Commodore R. Collishaw     No. 202 Group.
Group Captain H. W. G.J. Penderel     No. 201 Group, Alexandria

--479--



Cyrenaica

Group Captain L. O. Brown   (from 19th Feb. 1941)

Greece

Air Vice-Marshall J. H. D'Albiac (from 5th Nov. 1940)

Palestine and Transjordan

Air Commodore J. H. D'Albiac (until 4th Nov. 1940)
Air Commodore J. W. B. Grigson (from 1st Dec. 1940)

Iraq

Air Vice-Marshal H. G. Smart

Aden

Air Vice-Marshal G. R. M. Reid (also Commander of all British Forces)

East Africa

Air Commodore W. Sowrey

Sudan

Air Commodore L. H. Slatter     No. 203 Group

Malta

Air Commodore F. H. M. Maynard

--480--


Footnotes
1 The title V.A.L.F. replaced that of A.C. 7th Cruiser Squadron and V.A. Destroyers on 20th August 1940.

Contents

Appendix VIII * Appendix X


Transcribed and formatted for HTML by David Shepherd for the HyperWar Foundation