The Warwickshire Regiment


Field Marshal The Viscount Slim KG GCB GCMG GCVO GBE DSO MC


William Joseph Slim was born on 6th Aug 1891 in Bristol and educated at King Edward's School in Birmingham. He was commissioned into the Royal Warwickshires in 1914 and fought with the 9th Battalion at Anzac where he was severely wounded. When he was fit to return, the battalion was in Mesopotamia. He was wounded again and won the MC.

He was so impressed with the Gurkhas in Gallipoli that he transferred to the 6th Gurkhas in 1919 and later commanded the 2nd Battalion 7th Gurkhas. In 1941 he was in command of the 10th Indian Brigade in the Sudan where he was wounded again, and led the 10th Indian Division in the Middle East. His greatest achievements were against the Japanese in Burma where he was put in command of 1st Burma Corps in March 1942. At first he was organising the retreat, but after assuming command of the 14th Army in India he defeated the Japanese in Assam and forced them back into Burma. He launched a great offensive across the Chindwin and Irrawaddy and by early 1945 Mandalay and Rangoon were in Allied hands.

After the war he was promoted to Field Marshal and made Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1948. In May 1953 he was appointed Governor General of Australia which post he held until 1960. In that year he was created Viscount Slim of Yarralumla and Bishopston. He died on 14th Dec 1970.


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