World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseFrancis Ivan Simms Tuker was born was born in 1894. He was educated at Brighton College, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom before joining the Royal Sussex Regiment of the British Army in 1914. During WW1, he was transferred to 2nd Gurkha Rifles regiment of the British Indian Army, rising to the rank of captain by 1918. Between 1920 and 1921, he served in northwestern Persia. In 1932, he was promoted to the rank of major. In 1937, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel to command 1st Battalion of 2nd Gurkha Rifles. For his participation in Waziristan in British India (now in Pakistan), he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1937. In Oct 1939, Tuker was promoted to the rank of colonel. In 1940, he was placed in charge of military training in India. In 1941, as an acting major general, he was made the commanding officer of Indian 34th Infantry Division. Two months later, in Dec 1941, he was transferred to Indian 4th Infantry Division as the commanding officer. With the 4th Infantry Division, he fought in the Western Desert region of Egypt and in Italy. In 1942, he was given the rank of temporary major general. In May 1943, he was promoted to the rank of major general. In Aug 1943, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. His division was ordered to attack the monastery at Monte Cassino in Italy, for that it was suspected to be occupied by German troops. Having picked up a book, in Naples, Italy, on the monastery's construction centuries prior, he recommended the monastery's destruction by bombers for that it could serve as a formidable fortress, regardless of whether it was currently occupied by the Germans or not. General Sir Harold Alexander, commanding the Allied Armies in Italy, ultimately agreed with Tuker and others, and the monastery was subsequently bombed; German troops would move in to occupy the ruins, which, despite the destruction, proved to be formidable as predicted. In Feb 1944, due to ill health, he was relieved of command of Indian 4th Infantry Division. In Sep 1944, he partially returned to service as the Frontier Commission in India. In Jan 1945, having fully returned to service, he was made the head of the Ceylon Army Command. In Jul 1945, he was promoted to the war-time rank of lieutenant general and was given temporary command of British IV Corps in Burma. After the war, Tuker reverted to his permanent rank of major general. After a brief time of leave, he was made the commander of Lucknow District in British India (now in Pakistan) in late 1945. During the 1946 New Years Honours, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire. Later in Jan 1946, he was made the head of Eastern Command, India at the rank of acting lieutenant general. In Nov 1946, he was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant general. He retired from military service in 1948 and passed away in 1967.

Francis Tuker Timeline

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