Evening star., 1941-02-16
Bible-Quoting Desert Soldier
Gen. Wave Invader of Lbya Represents Piety in Action

redlly great commander, ShOuld call
it the spirit of adventure"
Like Nelson, who also lost an eye in
battle, Gen. Wavell often finds his blind
optic more serviceable than the sound
one. He turns the blank glare of his
monocle on demands and entreaties of
politicians which appear to him unwise
from strategic point of view. During
the long months following the Italian
thrust into Egypt, his army lay notion
less at the advance base of Mersa Ma
truh, despite outcries in Parliament and
press that an African victory was nee
eSSary to offset the influence of night
bombing on British morale.
According to report, pressure to re-
lieve him of his command grew to such
point that he was saved only by the
interceSSion Of Anthony Eden, then and
always a believer in Wavell's sagacity.
Throughout this crisis the general re-
manned what he habitually is as soldier
-taciturn, unhurried, imperturbable and
unmoved by praise or blame. He could
not be induced to bulge until he was
ready to the last hair.
commands IN Ihree continents.
His military dominion, extending to
three continents, is probably the most
spacious ever ruled by British COM
mander. 1t embraces Malta and Crete
in Europe; Palestine, TransjOrdania and
Alden in Asia, and in Africa, Egypt, eyre
naica, Kenya and Northern Rhodesia
Soon it may include all of Libya, Fri
trea and the former British Somalland,
plus vigorous cooperation with Abys-
sinia. Under his leadership are English
men, Scotsmen, Canadians, Australians,
New Zealanders, South Africans French
men, Czechs, Poles, Indians, Bedouins
and Ethiopians.
Unheard of outside his profession until
the last few weeks, Wavell was born in
May, 1888, and will soon be So years old.
He comes of a Scots family which in
three generations has contributed as
many generals to the British Army. The
surname is pronounced to rhyme with
naval" His father was Maj. Gen. A.
G. Waven, C.. B. The son was educated
at winchester College, the courses Of
which surpass those of Eton and Har-
row in academic rigor, and which always
has served as a path to the highest po-
sitions in the civil service. Instead. he
followed the family tradition by pro-
ceeding to the Royal Military College at
Sandhurst, and then the Staff College.
He was appointed to the famous BLACK
Watch" regiment Royal HighlanderS
and began his career by winning the
Queens Medal with four clasps in the
South African War.
Learned to Speak Russian.
After service on India's Northwest
| frontier he went to Russia in 1911 on
a years leave and lived with a pro-
fessor's family in Moscow in order to
| learn the language junior captain,
he was assigned to attend maneuvers.
| His instructions were written in Rus
sian. Jealous police officials who searched
| him and found the document accused
| him of appropriating secret papers and
clapped him into a cell, where he spent
night. Apologize officials released him
and for consolation gave him a gold
watch, which he still treasures.
His service in France began in 1914
The next year he returned home to
marry Eugene Marie, daughter Of the
late Col Owen Quirk, C. B., D. S. o.
They have had one son and three daugh-
ters. In 1916, Wavell was wounded. From
october of that year to the following
June, he acted as military attache with
the Russian Army of the Caucasus Then
came three years of service with the
Egyptian Expeditionary Force, from
which he emerged as brigadier general
in Lord Chetwodes corps and with two
nicknames bestowed by Turkish enemies.
Because of his skill on the Near East
terrain, they called him "the desert fox"
Because of the relentless pursuit he
waged against the foe, they also dubbed
him "the greatest bloodhound" He had
attracted the attention of German Of
icer attached to the Turkish staff, who
is today Marshal Wilhelm Won Keitel,
Hitler's commander in chief Keitel is
said to have declared recently that wa
veil is England's best general"
He wears the Military Cross and is a
Companion of the Bath, Companion of
Saint Michael and Saint George and a
commander of the Legion of Honor, the
Order of the Nile and the Order of Ell
Mazda. As a hater of pomp and cir
cumstance, he strips off his bemedaled
coat when he settles down to work in a
f1oWer-filled house in the middle of
Cairos Botanical Gardens on an island
in the Nile. Here he mapped out the
British offensive with 1t. Gen. Henry
Maitland Wilson, commander in chief in
Egypt.
1t has just become known that the at
tack on Gen. Graziani's forces was re-
hearsed secretly in England, on a full
dress scale, before it was put into opera
tion. During a recent speech in the
House of Commons, Prime Minister
Churchill harked back to a few weeks
past when our critics were crying out
about our inaction against Italy and
wondering whose was the hidden hand
that was shielding Mussolini from British
wrath"
"At the time" said Churchill, 'I en-
dured these taunts in silence, because 1
knew the large and daring measures
which had already been taken by which
it has since been rendered possible to
gain the splendid victories in Libya"
The Prime Minister'S added statement
that important developments were taking
rl,co ~, tho froptiare of Ttbio,,ia opd