Home > William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim

At the outbreak of World War I, Slim was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment . He was badly wounded at Gallipoli, and later served in France and Mesopotamia.

In 1919 Slim was given the rank of captain in the British Indian Army, in which he served with Gurkha regiments until 1934. He taught at Camberley Military College from 1934 to 1937Events January January 1 Anastasio Somoza becomes President of Nicaragua January 11 The first issue of Look magazine goes on sale in the United States. January 19 Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours,. In 1939Events January-June January 2 End of term for Frank Finley Merriam, 28th Governor of California. He is succeeded by Culbert Levy Olson. January 24 Earthquake kills 30. 000 in Chile about 50. 000 sq mi razed January 26 Falangists take Barcelona January 26 he was promoted to brigadier and became head of the Senior Officers' School at BelgaumBelgaum is a town and district of India, in north western Karnataka. The town is situated nearly 2500 ft (762 m) above sea-level; The population of the district, by the 2001 Census of India, is approximately 4. The district of Belgaum has an area of 12,00, IndiaThe Republic of India is a large multicultural country in South Asia, with a population of over one billion. The Indian economy is the fourth largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, and is the world's second-fastest growing economy..

On the outbreak of the World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough Slim was given command of the 10th Indian Brigade and sent to SudanAs distinct from the African region of the same name (usually shortened to the Sudan the Republic of the Sudan (or just Sudan is the largest country in Africa, situated in the northeast part of the continent. The capital is Khartoum. It borders Egypt to t, from where he took part in the liberation of EthiopiaThe Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Ityop'iya Amharic ) is a country of northeastern Africa. It has one of the most extensive known histories as an independent nation in the continent. Unique among African countries, the Ethiopian monarchy maintai from the ItaliansThe Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Italia is a country in the south of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the north, where it borders France, Switzer. He was wounded again in Eritrea. He then joined the staff of General Archibald Wavell in the Middle East. Promoted to Major-General, he commanded British forces in Syria and Iran.

In March 1942, Slim was given command of all Allied troops in Burma, which was being attacked by the Japanese. Heavily outnumbered, he was soon forced to withdraw to India. In 1943 Slim attempted a counter-offensive but was rebuffed. After Lord Louis Mountbatten arrived to become head of the Southeast Asia Command, Slim became commander of the Fourteenth Army.

In 1944 Slim successfully defended Assam against the last major Japanese offensive of the war. Later that year he launched his own offensive into Burma, and captured Mandalay in March. The Japanese then retreated, and Slim entered Rangoon on 3 May 1945.

After the war Slim became commander of Allied Ground Forces in Southeast Asia. In 1948 he returned to England where he became head of the Imperial Defence College and then Chief of the Imperial Staff. In 1953 he was promoted to Field Marshal, and accepted the post of Governor-General of Australia, without retiring from the Army. His correct title while Governor-General was therefore Field Marshal Sir William Slim.

Although public opinion in Australia was not as keen on British Governors-General as it had been before the war, Slim was a popular choice since he was an authentic war hero who had risen from the ranks, and because he had fought alongside Australians at Gallipoli and in the Middle East. In 1954 he was able to welcome Queen Elizabeth II on the first visit by a reigning monarch to Australia.

Slim's duties as Governor-General were entirely ceremonial and there were no controversies during his term. The Liberal leader Robert Menzies held office throughout Slim's time in Australia. In 1959 he retired and returned to Britain, where he published his highly acclaimed memoirs, Unofficial History and Defeat Into Victory. In 1960 he became 1st Viscount Slim. He died in London in December 1970.