Field Marshal the Earl Wavell was one of Britain’s greatest military leaders of the Second World War and, as Viceroy of India, a remarkable statesman. With extraordinary resilience he faced triumph and disaster in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Wavell’s appointment as Viceroy of India was even more challenging, as he began its arduous move to Independence. Yet behind such distinction lay an enigmatic man also celebrated for his unexpected silences, his prolific memory and his love of poetry.

Victoria Schofield has written extensively on South Asia. In this book she combines a lifelong interest in military history with her detailed knowledge of the subcontinent.

A worthy tribute to a great man—The Times Literary Supplement

Well written and based on detailed research—BBC History Magazine

Like its subject, this biography is not interested in superficial flamboyance but its solid virtues of wide-ranging research and intellectual rigour soon become apparent.—The Sunday Times, 30 January 2007