He was tasked by Lieutenant General Henry Maitland Wilson, commander of the British troops in Egypt, to push the Italian force out of Egypt, to protect the Suez Canal and British interests from attack.
Han fik af generalløjtnant Maitland Wilson, lederen af de britiske styrker i Ægypten, til opgave at drive de italienske styrker ud af Ægypten for at beskytte Suezkanalen og britiske interesser fra angreb.