Claude Jacob Eyre Auchinleck joined the 62nd Punjabis in 1904 and served in the Indian Army until 1947. Active service in Mesopotamia during the First World War was followed by a series of staff appointments in India. Early in 1940 he was posted to the United Kingdom and led troops in the ill-fated Norwegian campaign. After a brief spell as General Officer Commanding Southern Command, Auchinleck was promoted to full general and returned to India as Commander-in-Chief in 1941. This was followed by 13 months as Commander-in-Chief Middle East, a position from which he was dismissed by Churchill after he refused to be pressured into a premature offensive against Rommel. In June 1943 Auchinleck's second tour as C-in-C India began, which lasted until Partition, after which he became Supreme Commander India and Pakistan until November 1947.