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Auchinleck: The Lonely Soldier
Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck was born in India and raised in conditions of near poverty. Yet his talent ensured his career flourished despite his Indian Army background and he was the first Commander of 8th Army in North Africa. Despite great political interference, he stopped Rommel’s Afrika Corps at 1st Alamein only to be sacked by Churchill.
After a spell in the wilderness he became C in C India during the dark period of Partition and, ironically, had to preside over the destruction of his beloved Indian Army.
A private man of great humor and integrity he refused to be drawn into discussing or criticizing his tormentors be they Churchill, Montgomery or Mountbatten. He always argued that history would be his judge.
This is a super piece of military biography by one of the most respected post war military historians.
After a spell in the wilderness he became C in C India during the dark period of Partition and, ironically, had to preside over the destruction of his beloved Indian Army.
A private man of great humor and integrity he refused to be drawn into discussing or criticizing his tormentors be they Churchill, Montgomery or Mountbatten. He always argued that history would be his judge.
This is a super piece of military biography by one of the most respected post war military historians.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1981
About the author
Philip Warner
88 books9 followersPhilip Warner (1914 - 2000) was an outstanding military historian, and for the last 13 years The Daily Telegraph's peerless Army obituarist. Indeed, he played a vital role in setting the standard for the modern Telegraph obituary. He had a relish for the piquant detail and an understanding that a good story should never be overdressed.
He was a master of the laconic, lapidary phrase. Warner's direct, uncluttered and transparent prose, was a reflection of the man. Above all, he felt deep admiration for the lives he celebrated. His own character, always strong, had been tempered by his terrible experiences at the hands of the Japanese during the Second World War.
One of the Allied soldiers rounded up and imprisoned after the fall of Singapore on February 15 1942, he spent some time in the infamous Changi jail, and worked on the Railway of Death. For every sleeper laid on the 1,000 miles of track through Malaya, Burma and Thailand, a prisoner of war was lost. Philip Warner was saved by his tough-mindedness and by his belief in the virtues of loyalty. To help his fellow prisoners forget their troubles, he organised plays, talks and debates.
Afterwards, he never liked to mention his ordeal. He felt he owed his survival to his physical condition (he performed 30 minutes of exercises every day of his life), his scrupulous hygiene (hard to stick to when one is starving), and to his strong sense of belonging to his family back in Britain. At night he would look at the moon, and think of it passing over Warwickshire.
In 1944 Warner and other able-bodied PoWs were stowed under deck in a troopship (he enjoyed the irony of being almost torpedoed by the Americans), and taken to Japan, where he worked in the copper mines, in dark, hot and dangerous conditions.
As the Americans closed in, he and his fellow PoWs had the unnerving experience of being herded into caves, while the Japanese guards set up machine-guns outside. The atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki probably saved the prisoners from massacre.
At the beginning of the war Warner had weighed 14 stone; in 1945 he was 4.5 stone. In 1,100 days of captivity, he only received half a Red Cross parcel. He was never among those inclined to bestow easy forgiveness upon the Japanese. The maltreatment which he had endured increased his natural reticence. Although he set great store by loyalty, he gave his trust warily.
Once certain that he could rely on someone, he would do anything for them; should anyone abuse his trust, he was slow to forgive. "There are six billion people in the world," he was wont to say, "and when this person gets to the top of the pile again, I will give him another chance." After the war Warner taught at Sandhurst and became a prolific writer, turning out more than 50 books.
He would produce two volumes a year, not to mention up to 200 obituaries and many book reviews - all with an absolute minimum of fuss. He worked on the principle that, once he had covered a page with writing, he could always cross it out. He was a firm believer in the virtues of perseverance - "Stick at the wicket and the runs will come" - and in early starts: "One hour in the morning is worth two in the afternoon, is worth three in the evening."
In the 1970s he was seriously ill, but under his colossal labour he throve as never before. Without it, he used to say, he would have had to play golf every day; and, useful player though he was, that was not his idea of a tolerable life.
Though the last man to preach, Philip Warner set a supreme example of how to tackle old age. While eager to enjoy himself, and, still more, to see that his friends enjoyed themselves, he instinctively understood that pleasure is best courted against a background of disciplined endeavour.
Philip Arthur William Warner was born at Nuneaton on May 19 1914, the last in
He was a master of the laconic, lapidary phrase. Warner's direct, uncluttered and transparent prose, was a reflection of the man. Above all, he felt deep admiration for the lives he celebrated. His own character, always strong, had been tempered by his terrible experiences at the hands of the Japanese during the Second World War.
One of the Allied soldiers rounded up and imprisoned after the fall of Singapore on February 15 1942, he spent some time in the infamous Changi jail, and worked on the Railway of Death. For every sleeper laid on the 1,000 miles of track through Malaya, Burma and Thailand, a prisoner of war was lost. Philip Warner was saved by his tough-mindedness and by his belief in the virtues of loyalty. To help his fellow prisoners forget their troubles, he organised plays, talks and debates.
Afterwards, he never liked to mention his ordeal. He felt he owed his survival to his physical condition (he performed 30 minutes of exercises every day of his life), his scrupulous hygiene (hard to stick to when one is starving), and to his strong sense of belonging to his family back in Britain. At night he would look at the moon, and think of it passing over Warwickshire.
In 1944 Warner and other able-bodied PoWs were stowed under deck in a troopship (he enjoyed the irony of being almost torpedoed by the Americans), and taken to Japan, where he worked in the copper mines, in dark, hot and dangerous conditions.
As the Americans closed in, he and his fellow PoWs had the unnerving experience of being herded into caves, while the Japanese guards set up machine-guns outside. The atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki probably saved the prisoners from massacre.
At the beginning of the war Warner had weighed 14 stone; in 1945 he was 4.5 stone. In 1,100 days of captivity, he only received half a Red Cross parcel. He was never among those inclined to bestow easy forgiveness upon the Japanese. The maltreatment which he had endured increased his natural reticence. Although he set great store by loyalty, he gave his trust warily.
Once certain that he could rely on someone, he would do anything for them; should anyone abuse his trust, he was slow to forgive. "There are six billion people in the world," he was wont to say, "and when this person gets to the top of the pile again, I will give him another chance." After the war Warner taught at Sandhurst and became a prolific writer, turning out more than 50 books.
He would produce two volumes a year, not to mention up to 200 obituaries and many book reviews - all with an absolute minimum of fuss. He worked on the principle that, once he had covered a page with writing, he could always cross it out. He was a firm believer in the virtues of perseverance - "Stick at the wicket and the runs will come" - and in early starts: "One hour in the morning is worth two in the afternoon, is worth three in the evening."
In the 1970s he was seriously ill, but under his colossal labour he throve as never before. Without it, he used to say, he would have had to play golf every day; and, useful player though he was, that was not his idea of a tolerable life.
Though the last man to preach, Philip Warner set a supreme example of how to tackle old age. While eager to enjoy himself, and, still more, to see that his friends enjoyed themselves, he instinctively understood that pleasure is best courted against a background of disciplined endeavour.
Philip Arthur William Warner was born at Nuneaton on May 19 1914, the last in
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 18, 2020
My kind of General.Brave and cool in battle with clear vision of the overall picture in all the confusion. Courageous and incisive in sacking 2 generals during the action despite them being friends.Humane to his men by not treating them as cannon fodder as urged by Churchill. Wily in sparing with Rommel despite having inferior armoury and inferior command structure.Humble in that he shared the hardship with his men and had no truck with privilege and bombast.
The Auk was not destined to be remembered as WW2 greatest general due to his outstanding moral character and distain for fickle politicians. He was also not ruthlessly ambitious like other generals.
If he had been more political he could have put up more of a fight to resist partition and the break up of his beloved Indian Army and avoided millions of deaths and misery.
Throughly enjoyed this book even though it was of its time written by an imperialist.
The Auk was not destined to be remembered as WW2 greatest general due to his outstanding moral character and distain for fickle politicians. He was also not ruthlessly ambitious like other generals.
If he had been more political he could have put up more of a fight to resist partition and the break up of his beloved Indian Army and avoided millions of deaths and misery.
Throughly enjoyed this book even though it was of its time written by an imperialist.
January 4, 2023
The Forgotten hero
A really comprehensive book about a soldier often considered a failure...This book shows The Auk to have been a leader of courage and conviction...treated awfully by those who should have been grateful to him....well written I highly recommend it..
A really comprehensive book about a soldier often considered a failure...This book shows The Auk to have been a leader of courage and conviction...treated awfully by those who should have been grateful to him....well written I highly recommend it..
July 10, 2023
A good book who became a scapegoat for Churchill because of losses in the North African Campaign. He was promoted (i.e. Transferred out) to make room for Montgomery, while it worked out very well. Auckinleck was still tainted by the "promotion" and Montgomery's comments in his memoirs about him.
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April 5, 2022Lessons in soldering from Auchinleck's life: To be a good patriot one does not have to become the enemy of the rest of mankind. Wish his legacy is imbibed by armies on both sides.
October 13, 2025
Probably the BEST biography about "The Auk" that I've ever read.
Did he make mistakes? YES, but not as presented in other books and newer material is provided to show that he wasn't about to give up. He did have some poor Generals to work with, but he learned how to deal with them. Often enough though, what took place in and around the Middle Eastern theater, especially during the Gazala Gallop period, also created even more situations.
The final proof is that he wasn't thrown onto the Trash Heap, as is usually alluded to, but provided excellent service to the very end of his career, even going so far as to regain Churchills confidence and friendship.
The only situation that didn't sit well with me is that the author sited Dorman Smith as one of the problem players, despite doing Yeoman service during the 1st Alamein period. By the same token, it was Smith's opinion that he should not take the Secondary Middle Eastern theater command that probably lead other authors to disparage "The Auk's" ability.
Did he make mistakes? YES, but not as presented in other books and newer material is provided to show that he wasn't about to give up. He did have some poor Generals to work with, but he learned how to deal with them. Often enough though, what took place in and around the Middle Eastern theater, especially during the Gazala Gallop period, also created even more situations.
The final proof is that he wasn't thrown onto the Trash Heap, as is usually alluded to, but provided excellent service to the very end of his career, even going so far as to regain Churchills confidence and friendship.
The only situation that didn't sit well with me is that the author sited Dorman Smith as one of the problem players, despite doing Yeoman service during the 1st Alamein period. By the same token, it was Smith's opinion that he should not take the Secondary Middle Eastern theater command that probably lead other authors to disparage "The Auk's" ability.
April 13, 2020
An interesting and well-written book about one of World War II's lesser-known top commanders. If there is one criticism, apart from rather more typos than I would like, it is that perhaps rather than "The Lonely Soldier", and you can see why the author called it this, it might have been called "A Military Biography" as it is rather skimpy on other details. For example, "the Auk's" wife left him for another man but we are told little about her and not even the name of the person she left her husband for until the summing up chapter rather than as a part of the biography itself..
I also wish Goodreads would allow members to add photo covers to entries where there are none rather than the mysterious and cumbersome system of having to request this from a librarian and waiting for ages to see if this is done or not, even though you've gone to the trouble of finding a photo from an "accepted" site.
I also wish Goodreads would allow members to add photo covers to entries where there are none rather than the mysterious and cumbersome system of having to request this from a librarian and waiting for ages to see if this is done or not, even though you've gone to the trouble of finding a photo from an "accepted" site.
June 3, 2023
Some time in the early 70s my dad asked me if I wanted to ride round with him on his round as an agricultural salesman. He spotted a very old man working in his garden, bent over a rake. "That," he told me is Monty, our greatest ever general. Then at university I remember out tutor telling us how Montgomery could never resist belittling his predecessor in North Africa. As my dad also told me, all great men are bad men. Well not quite. The Auk never publicly criticised Churchill, so impatient for a victory. For that alone he deserves immense credit. Still even this exemplary soldier had his oddities. Which other Field Marshall ever complained his half pay salary was not enough to keep body and soul together- and decamped to Marrakesh?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews