Harold Rupert Leofric George 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis Alexander

Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis , 1891-1969, British field marshal. His long military career began with service in World War I, followed by a period (1934-38) in the North-West Frontier Province, India. In World War II he directed the retreats at Dunkirk (1940) and in Burma (1942). Then, appointed (Aug., 1942) head of the Middle Eastern Command (see North Africa, campaigns in ), he directed the conquest of Sicily (1943) and the bitter fighting in Italy. In 1944, Alexander was made field marshal and Allied commander in chief in the Mediterranean. In 1946 he was appointed governor-general of Canada (holding the post until 1952) and was created viscount. He became minister of defense under Sir Winston Churchill and was raised (1952) to the rank of earl.

Bibliography: See his Alexander Memoirs: 1940-1945 (1962); biography by N. Nicholson (1973); study by W. G. F. Jackson (1972).

Alexander, Harold Rupert Leofric George, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (b. 10 Dec. 1891, d. 16 June 1969). British field marshal Born in London, and educated at Harrow and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, he served in France in World War I, and later in the Baltic and India. In World War II, he was in command of the British Expeditionary Force's retreat from Dunkirk, and then oversaw the British retreat in Burma. More an executant than a visionary strategist, as Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East from August 1942 he allowed Montgomery to have substantial independence over tactical decisions, which proved successful against Rommel. From February 1943 he deputized for Eisenhower, clearing Tunisia for the Allies, and then led the invasion of Sicily, commanding in the Italian campaign until the end of the war. He was made a viscount in 1946, and was Governor-General of Canada until 1952, when he became Churchill's Minister of Defence. He retired in 1954.

Alexander of Tunis, Harold (Rupert Leofric George), 1st Earl (1891–1969) British Field Marshal and Conservative statesman. In World War II he supervised the evacuation from DUNKIRK, the withdrawal from Burma, and the victorious campaigns in North Africa (1943), Sicily, and Italy (1943–45). After the war he became Governor-General of Canada (1946–52) and British Minister of Defence (1952–54).