Chief of Staff
Appointed Chief of Staff of XX Corps
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Archibald Wavell Biography and Timeline
Follow Archibald Wavell through 39 dated historical records for Great Britain.
Archibald Wavell, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
39Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1918–1943Years on this page
1918
Chief of Staff
Appointed Chief of Staff of XX Corps
Role range: 1914-1918
Siege of Jerusalem
Present at Allenbys entry into Jerusalem
Role range: 1914-1918
1933
Major General
Appointed Major General
1937
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander in Chief in Palestine
1938
Lieutenant General
Appointed Lieutenant General
1939
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander in Chief of the Middle East
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander in Chief of the Middle East
Role range: 1939-1945
Commander in Chief
Establishes his HQ in Cairo
Role range: 1939-1945
1940
Battle of Halfaya Pass
Rommel orders his Panzers to remove the British from Halfaya. 200 of the Western Desert Force tanks are destroyed
Role range: 1939-1945
Invasion of Egypt
Plans to attack the Italians now he has superior forces. Mussolini calls off the invasion
Role range: 1939-1945
Invasion of Egypt
The Italians invade Egypt
Role range: 1939-1945
Defence of Egypt
Directs British Middle East forces defending Egypt, the Nile Delta and the Suez Canal against Italian pressure from Libya.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1939-1941
Invasion of Egypt
The Italians are driven out of Egypt in the 1st major british offensive of the War
Role range: 1939-1945
North Africa
Opens a counter-offensive threatening Tripoli, the fascist capital in north Africa
Role range: 1939-1945
Siege of Tobruk
Opens a counter-offensive threatening Tripoli, captital of fascist north Africa
Role range: 1939-1945
General
Appointed General
General
Appointed General
Role range: 1939-1945
1941
Invasion of Italian East Africa
British forces in the Sudan led by General Platt attack Italian forces, marks the beginning of Wavells campaign against Italian East Africa
Role range: 1939-1945
Battle of Tobruk
The British capture the port of Tobruk in Libya from the Italians
Role range: 1939-1945
Capture of Tobruk
The British capture the port of Tobruk in Libya from the Italians
Role range: 1939-1945
Siege of Tobruk
The British capture the port of Tobruk in Libya from the Italians
Role range: 1939-1945
Battle of Western Desert
Wavells 30,000 men have counterattacj the Italians, advance 500 miles & take 130,000
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1938-1941
Battleaxe
The operation is a failure & Wavell is replaced by Auchinleck. Launched to relieve Tobruk & break the Axis defenses on the Egypt border
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1938-1941
Battleaxe
A German counterattack forces the Allies the retreat
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1938-1941
Battle of Halfaya Pass
Wavell is later replaced by General Claude Auchinleck. Wavell attempts a counter-attack but his troops are stopped
Role range: 1939-1945
Siege of Tobruk
Wavell attempts a counter-attack but his troops are stopped
Role range: 1939-1945
Convention
The Vichy French forces in Syria surrender to the Allied forces
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1938-1941
Vichy Government
The Vichy French forces in Syria surrender to the Allied forces
Role range: 1939-1944 – 1938-1941
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander in Chief
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander in Chief
Role range: 1939-1945
1942
Supreme Commander
Appointed Supreme Commander of Allied forces in India & Burma
Supreme Commander
Appointed Supreme Commander of Allied forces in India & Burma
Role range: 1939-1945
Supreme Commander
Appointed Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific
Supreme Commander
Appointed Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific
Role range: 1939-1945
1943
Viceroy
Appointed Viceroy of India, officially installed
Role range: 1940-1945 – 1943-1947
Field Marshal
Appointed Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Appointed Field Marshal
Role range: 1939-1945
Peerage
Created Earl Wavell, 1st
Role range: 1939-1945
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.