Meeting
Churchill visits Auchinleck at the Eighth Army HQ in the Egyptian desert
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1942 in Great Britain — Page 3
Explore 306 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1942.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1942
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 306 unique records.
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August
Mobilization
Advises the War Cabinet to split-off Persia & Irak from the Middle East Command. Advises the War Cabinet to replace Auchinleck by Alexander. Advises the War Cabinet to appoint Gott as the Commander of the Eighth Army
Commander of Eighth Army
Appointed Commander of the Eighth Army
Commander of Eighth Army
Appointed Commander of the Eighth Army
Death of Edward William Gott
Death of Edward William Gott, plane shot down. Aircraft shot down the day after Churchill advises appointing him Eighth Army Commander
Lieutenant General
Appointed Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Appointed Lieutenant General
Dismissal
Advised that he is being relieved of his command of the Eighth Army
Mobilization
Leaves Britain to take command of the Eighth Army
Commander of Eighth Army
Arrives at Cairo to take command of the Eighth Army
Commander of Eighth Army
Arrives at Cairo to take command of the Eighth Army
Middle East Command
Takes over Middle East Command and works with Montgomery to rebuild the Eighth Army before the El Alamein battles.
Suez Canal
Takes command of the Eighth Army and prepares the defence of Egypt against any renewed Axis push toward Suez.
Commander of Eighth Army
Takes over active command of the Eighth Army
Commander of Eighth Army
Takes over active command of the Eighth Army
Visit to Moscow
Churchill visits Moscow to discuss second front issues with Stalin, Soviets suspicious over Allied strategy in Mediterranean, demand action in NW Europe
Siege of Dieppe
New weapons & methods of amphibious assault are tested which are used during D-Day. Much is learnt for Normandy landings in 1944. Ends in disaster with over 3,000 killed & 2,000 captured out of 6,000
Armoured Reserve Held for Alam Halfa
Keeps British armour concentrated rather than allowing it to be drawn into Rommel's preferred mobile battle.
Battle of Alam Halfa
Auchinleck foresees Axis intentions and his defensive preparations help frustrate Rommel at Alam Halfa.
Battle of Alam Halfa
Commands XIII Corps on the southern flank during the Battle of Alam Halfa.
Battle of Alam Halfa
Defeats Rommel's attack at Alam Halfa, protecting the approaches to Cairo and the Suez Canal.
Battle of Alam Halfa
Rommel attacks the Alam Halfa Ridge
Alam Halfa Defensive Ground Selected
Strengthens the Alam Halfa position and prepares a defence designed to absorb Rommel's armoured attack.
Eighth Army Command Change
Visits the Eighth Army in north Africa. Auchenlick is dismissed & replaced by Montgomery
Eighth Army Morale Restoration Begins
Begins rebuilding Eighth Army morale and confidence immediately after arriving in Egypt.
Meeting with Stalin at the Kremlin
Churchill meets Stalin at the Kremlin
Promotion to Lieutenant Colonel
Is promoted to lieutenant colonel during his service in Middle East military intelligence.
Retreat Plans Cancelled at Alamein
Rejects preparations for further retreat and orders Eighth Army to hold the Alamein position.
Suez Canal
Assumes Middle East command and oversees the defence of Egypt and the Suez Canal before the El Alamein offensive.
September
Battle of Alam Halfa
Helps defeat Rommels attack on Alam Halfa Ridge
Battle of Alam Halfa
Rommels attack is turned back, Cairo & Alexandra are safeguarded
Commander of XXX Corps
Appointed Commander of XXX Corps in the Eighth Army by Montgomery
Commander of XXX Corps
Appointed Commander of XXX Corps in the Eighth Army by Montgomery
Axis Alam Halfa Offensive Repulsed
Eighth Army stops the Axis attack and preserves the defensive position protecting Egypt.
Alliance Great Britain and Soviet Union
Churchill agrees to send Stalin Arctic convoys
Commander of 10 Corps
Appointed Commander of 10 Corps of the Eighth Army by Montgomery
Commander of 10 Corps
Appointed Commander of 10 Corps of the Eighth Army by Montgomery
Eighth Army Re-Equipment Programme
Builds up tanks, artillery, ammunition and transport before the planned offensive at El Alamein.
Premature Alamein Attack Rejected
Refuses pressure for an early offensive while Eighth Army is still training and accumulating supplies.
October
Battle of Alamein, 2nd
Montgomery issues final plans for the Eighth Army's offensive before the Second Battle of El Alamein.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.