Slim, General Sir William

Slim, General Sir William (1891–1970),British Army officer who commanded the Fourteenth Army in the Burma campaign.

Having fought with the British Army during the First World War, Slim transferred to the Indian Army in 1919 and by September 1939 held the rank of brigadier. In 1940 he was given command of 10th Indian Infantry Brigade in the East African campaign and later of 10th Indian Division, which successfully fought Vichy French forces during the Syrian campaign in June 1941. In March 1942 Slim was sent to Burma with the rank of lt-general to command Burcorps retreating from Rangoon. When this was disbanded he led 15th Indian Corps during the fighting in Arakan before being given command, in October 1943, of the newly formed Fourteenth Army. The following year this soundly defeated the Japanese diversionary attack in the Arakan (see Admin box) and then their Imphal offensive, and in the retreat that followed the Japanese suffered 50,000 casualties and an overwhelming defeat. The battles earned Slim world-wide renown and a knighthood, but after his reconquest of Burma a disagreement over a new appointment for him ended in his requesting retirement. There was general consternation and Brooke intervened personally. As a result, Leese, the Allied Land Forces commander for South-East Asia Command, was dismissed and Slim was promoted general and took over Leese's post.

Slim's physical presence, with his bulldog jaw, inspired tremendous confidence. ‘He has a hell of a face,’ Churchill remarked, but he was also extremely experienced, mentally robust, and equable. He gained and held the affection and admiration of his men with whom he could converse in their own language, be it English, Urdu, or Gurkhali: they called him ‘Uncle Bill’. He once said ‘I must have been the most defeated general in our history’, but he also produced some notable victories. After the war he was appointed Chief of the Imperial General Staff and promoted field marshal. He served as governor-general of Australia from 1953 to 1960 and was created a viscount in 1960.

Bibliography

Lewin, R. , Slim: the Standardbearer (London, 1976).
Slim, W. , Defeat into Victory (London, 1956).