Audio Transcription Technology

Audio Transcription Technology AUDIO TRANSCRIPTION The aim of this assignment is to outline key areas for Audio Transcription. Audio Transcription, in its simplest form it is the transformation of verbal and audio materials onto a text document.ÂÂ   The typist has the use of Headphones to hear the recording and uses a foot pedal to control the speed and stop/play of the audio and also rewind and fast forward.ÂÂ   The typist has to record the audio as they hear it and follow any instructions given by the speaker. There is a lot of reference material which can be used to ensure accuracy when doing audio transcription. Below is a description of some: Spell Checker:ÂÂ   This is used to check the accuracy of the spelling of an electronic document with the use of a software program that compares words in the document with a list of acceptable spellings.ÂÂ   You can also permanently put a new word into the dictionary if its not already there so spell check wont continuously show it up as incorrect spelling. Thesaurus:ÂÂ   Is a reference work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning (containing synonyms and sometimes antonyms), in contract to a dictionary, which provides definitions for words, and generally lists them in alphabetical order.ÂÂ   The main purpose of such reference works is to help the user to find the word, or words, by which an idea may be most fitly and aptly expressed to quote Peter Mark Roget, architect of the best known thesaurus in the English language. Mims: MIMS or monthly Index of Medical Specialities is an independently edited publication designed as a prescribing guide for the general practitioner.ÂÂ   It is aimed at healthcare professionals, including general practitioners (GPs), pharmacists, nurses and secondary care specialists.ÂÂ   It is considered dangerous practice to refer to old editions.ÂÂ   Concise drug monographs form the core of MIMS; these include key safety information (contraindications, warnings, interactions and adverse effects) and details of the active ingredient, presentations, price, indication, dosage and manufacturer.ÂÂ   Entries are independently compiled by the MIMS editorial team based on the full Summary of Product clinical guidance.ÂÂ   The MIMS website features a predictive search function that allows users to search the drug listings by brand, generic ingredient or drug class.ÂÂ   Online versions of the comparison tables and guideline summaries are supplemented by addi tional web only resources including clinical calculators and patient fact sheets.ÂÂ   Al the content is freely available except the drug listings.ÂÂ   Registrations is free for GPs but other users much subscribe. [ii] [iii] It is very important to ensure accuracy is met at all times when doing Audio Transcription. You are dealing with sensitive information and also you run the risk of e.g. putting the wrong medicine name on a prescription or wrong information on the doctors notes which can have catastrophic results. The main screen of the Olympus Dictation Management System Software which is used for Audio Transcription is shown below: This is the changing of the Layout of the Page/document that is being used through the Page Layout on the Toolbar.ÂÂ   There are many ways to change the Layout and here is a breakdown of a few. Page Layout:To change the Orientation (direction) of the Page/Document, click on the Page Layout icon on the top left hand side of the Toolbar. From there click on Orientation with your mouse Portraitor Landscape will appear then click on the icon that is required and it will change. SPACING:To change the spacing (bigger or smaller) between each line, click into Page Layout on the top right hand corner of the toolbar. The spacing column is in the centre of the Page. The spacing can now be adjusted between each line of the wording. FONT:Changing the Font type and size by manually going into the top right hand side of your toolbar and clicking on the drop down arrow beside the Font style, scroll down the list and click on the chosen one. This can be done for both Font Type and Size.ÂÂ   The shortcut to this is to right click on the mouse and the same toolbar options pop up and the same actions can be completed. BOLD:Changing the font to bold, click on the B on the top right hand corner of the Toolbar by clicking on the B or the shortcut to it is Ctrl and B. Ensure to unclick the letter B on the Toolbar menu or re-click the shortcut Ctrl and B or it will keep writing with Bold. ITALICS:Changing the font to Italics, this can be accessed on the top right hand corner of the toolbar by clicking on the Ior the shortcut to this is Ctrl and the letter I.ÂÂ   Ensure to unclick the letter Ion the toolbar or re-click the shortcut Ctrl and I or it will keep writing in Italics. Shannon Medical Centre Memo To: Melinda McCarthy From: Yvonne Wesley Cc: Alexandra Hughes Date: January 13, 2017 Re: Andrew Williams Personal Please organise the chest x-ray for the above lady at your earliest convenience. You might copy Margaret in on the outcome. The basic business letter format is the same across a range of industries, with few variations for content and style.ÂÂ   The letter should be left-aligned, single-spaced with a one-inch margin and a standard 11-or 12-point type size.ÂÂ   The top line below the letterhead should be the correct date, followed by one line of space followed by Our Ref space and Your Ref (if relevant) and the address of the recipient.ÂÂ   Following this Urgent/For attentions of in bold (if relevant).ÂÂ   Place one line of space after the recipients address and use a simple, professional greeting and another line of space. Each following paragraph should be separated by a line. Insert one line after the last paragraph, followed by a closing. Leave four lines of space for your signature, and type your name and title.ÂÂ   It is important do either use Full Punctuation or Open Punctuation. Ennis Hospital, Ennis, Co Clare. 18 July 2017 Our Ref: VR/CR Dr Raefel Jones, St Johns Hospital, Alberton Road, Dublin 4. Re: Mrs Helen Brindsley DOB 02/10/65 2 The Maltings, Ennis, Co Clare. Dear Dr Raefel, This lady was admitted to this hospital on 29th June last for investigation of early dementia.ÂÂ   As you know she is vague and disorientated and an abnormal behaviour pattern has been noted both at work and by her family.ÂÂ   There were no abnormal signs on examination.ÂÂ   The investigations arranged showed normal Vitamin B12 metabolism but the results of thyroid function studies are meaningless in view of previous therapy with Tabs Thyroxine. The most significant finding was some cortical atrophy demonstrated by an air encephalogram.ÂÂ   The cerebrospinal fluid examined at the time of the radiological procedure showed a raised protein content of 74 mg per 100 million; there were no cells in the fluid and the sugar content was normal. I think the dementia is the pre-senile variety and I fear the condition will deteriorate.ÂÂ   I have interviewed her husband and made him aware of the prognosis but no doubt you will be seeing him to discuss the matter further and to give him all possible support. Yours sincerely, __________________________ Viictor Radetski FRCP DPM Consultant Psychiatrist It is very important to give special attention when dictating numerical figures and units of measurements.ÂÂ   A minor change in numerical values or units of measurements can harm the patient. Its important that dictated numbers are easily understood by the transcriptionist.ÂÂ   The teen numbers can be confused with ty2 numbers, as in 13/30, 14/40, 15/50, 16/60, 17/70, 18/80 and 19/90.ÂÂ   For example, when you dictate 14, say Fourteen, thats one, four, or 50, say Fifty, thats five, zero.[T1] [iv] Full stops, colons, question marks, dashes, semi colons and exclamation marks are usually dictated. The start of a new paragraph is indicated by the word paragraph. Words to be underscored are dictated and then followed by the instructions underscore; e.g., Please send me details of your personal (underscore personal) computers. Initial capitals are not usually indicated, but if there is a doubt, the following method is used: initial capital/initial capitals e.g., I have a current account with the (initial capital) National Irish Bank. The 24-hour clock is dictated as spoken; e.g., thirteen hundred hours (typed without a full stop) 1300 hours. If you are using open punctuation, there are no full stops in abbreviations.ÂÂ   Even with full punctuation, certain abbreviations do not have full stops.ÂÂ   If for some particular reason the dictator wants stops inserted, he would say, capital letters N stop U stop R stop N.U.R. Bullets are normally used when ranking and order are not important and will not be referenced later.ÂÂ   For example: Application Form Proof of address Numbering is usually used when you need to reference them.ÂÂ   For example: All applicants must provide the following documents: a) Application form b) Proof of address Item b) can be any utility bills, bank statements or letters from government agencies. And if ranking or order (e.g. steps to bake a cake) is important, then it makes sense to use numbering. You can access the Bullet/Numbering key on the Toolbar on the main screen of your Microsoft Word document as show below. [v] Tables are used to lay out information in individual columns and rows within a Word Document.ÂÂ   The point where the column intersects with the row is known as a cell.ÂÂ   To create a table first click onto the Toolbar menu at the top of the page, click on Insert. Below is an example of when at table can be used in Audio Transcription Medical Term Meaning 1 Blood Pressure (BP) The pressure of the blood in the Circulatory System 2 Complete Blood Count (CBC) A blood test used to evaluate overall health and detect any health issues 3 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Lung disease characterized by chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and is not fully reversible 4 Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) Blood clot in large vein 5 Fracture (FX) Complete or incomplete break in a bone resulting from the application of excessive force 6 Pulse (P) The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart 7 Rebound (REB) Rebound tenderness of the abdomen when pushed in and then released. 8 Three times daily (TID) As in taking medicine three times daily 9 Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) Any number of viral or bacterial infection 10 Vital Signs are stable (VSS) From the standpoint of the temperature, blood pressure, and pulse, the patient is doing well. To create a table first click onto the Toolbar menu at the top of the page, click on Insert. Next Click on Tables. i Pull the mouse over the box and it will show up as many columns as needed, when there is enough of the box highlighted just click on the left hand side of the mouse and it will insert a table as below. Now all data can be filled into each column or row as required. Columns are used in a Word Document to change the layout of the page into sections or columns across the page.ÂÂ   This is beneficial if you want to save space on a page and fit more text in.ÂÂ   To set up the columns you go to the page Layout on the Screen and click into it. Click into columns From here select as many columns as you need. Medical Term Meaning 1 Blood Pressure (BP) The pressure of the blood in the Circulatory System 2 Complete Blood Count (CBC) A blood test used to evaluate overall health and detect any health issues 3 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Lung disease characterized by chronic obstruction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and is not fully reversible 4 Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) Blood clot in large vein 5 Fracture (FX) Complete or incomplete break in a bone resulting from the application of excessive force 6 Pulse (P) The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart 7 Rebound (REB) Rebound tenderness of the abdomen when pushed in and then released. 8 Three times daily (TID) As in taking medicine three times daily 9 Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) Any number of viral or bacterial infection 10 Vital Signs are stable (VSS) From the standpoint of the temperature, blood pressure, and pulse, the patient is doing well. [vi] [i] http://www.nthdegreeservices.co.uk/audio-transcription-in-newcastle.html [ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monthly_Index_of_Medical_Specialities [iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thesaurus [iv] https://www.2ascribe.com/articles/dictation-tips/dictating-numbers-and-dates [v] http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/16246/in-formal-writing-when-to-use-bullets-and-when-the-numbers [vi] http://www.medicinenet.com/list_of_common_medical_abbreviations_and_terminology-page6/views.htm [T0]The spacing in this letter is too big keep example on one page [T1]This is irrelevant you are writing about the transcriptionist [T2]This is not about word processing you need to describe what tables and columns might be used for in audio transcription

Huckleberry Finn Analysis Essay

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been regarded as one of the greatest novels in American regionalism. So many Americans have read it, and many have enjoyed it and many believe that it is worthy of the highest praise, and deserves to be included in the canon of Great American literature. As a piece of regionalist literature, the novel shines out amongst other novels. Twain vividly describes the Mississippi river and surrounding area of Missouri with detail unrivaled. His characters’ dialogue accurately depicts the dialogue of the area, and their attitudes, especially towards African Americans, are also historically accurate. However, as Huck and Jim move farther south down the river, Twain loses touch with his style of writing. The regionalist aspect suddenly crumbles, and his plot line gets outrageously unbelievable. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not deserving of inclusion in the canon of Great American literature. As Jane Smiley said in her essay Say It Ain’t So, Huck, â€Å"There is more to be learned about the American character from its canonization than through its canonization(Smiley 61). If Twain had kept the story line in his territory of familiarity the outcome may be different, but as his setting moves south, his writing moves right along with it. To clearly see how Twain’s writing deteriorates as the novel progresses one must compare quotes from when the novel is set in Missouri to when the novel is set farther south. Here is a quote from the beginning of the novel, describing the area around Jackson Island, â€Å"†¦but mostly it was big trees all about, and gloomy in there amongst them. There was freckled Boyer 2 freckled places on the ground where the light sifted down through the leaves, and the freckled places swapped about a little, showing there was a little breeze up there†(Twain, 51). The way he describes nature in this excerpt shows his true talent. The personification of the ground and the light, giving it the human-like characteristics of freckles gives the passage a personal touch. His diction and prose make the reader feel like they are watching the golden beams of light dance before their eyes. This is why Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are recognized across America. However, in Chapter 31, when Jim ends up on the Phelps’ plantation, and the Phelps end up being Tom Sawyer’s family, and the Phelps mistake Huck for Tom and Tom for Sid, Twain is really pushing the believability of his novel, and from this excerpt we can see that the beauty of his prose is gone, as though he’s lost touch with the regionalist touch that makes his writing great, â€Å"‘Phelps’s was one of these little one-horse cotton plantations, and they all look alike. A rail fence round a two-acre yard; a stile made out of logs sawed off and up-ended in steps, like barrels of different length†¦(Twain, 273)† and on and on about the buildings of the plantation. There is nothing here that even remotely sounds like it came from someone who knows the area. Twain even says, â€Å"†¦and they all look alike† in the passage. He really lost his essence and creativity. He wrote out of his sphere of knowledge, and his novel suffers for it. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a wonderful piece of literature. Twain captures the true essence of being a teenage boy on a big adventure on the lazy Mississippi river. However, the end of his novel switches settings from Missouri, to further south, on a plantation coincidentally owned by Tow Sawyer’s family, and the reader can clearly see that Twain was out of his element, and he lost the wonderful sense of regionalism that made his Boyer 3 his works, and his era, influential in American literature, mainly because he wasn’t writing about the region he knew, grew up in, and loved. This is why Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not deserving of inclusion into the great canon of American literature.

Development of Evolution Concept

It is a matter of fact that history of evolution is very long and contradictive. The concept of evolution has existed even since ancient times and is being developing nowadays. Modern theory of evolutionary thought was established in 18th-19th centuries. Many outstanding and famous scientists contributed the evolutionary thought and interpreted it in their own way. As it was mentioned above, the concept of evolution appeared and was strongly supported in ancient time by Anaximander, Democritus, Epicurus and Empedocles.Those Greek philosophers made the first attempt to explain the concept of evolution suggesting that humans, sun, earth life and civilization emerged from â€Å"aeons without divine intervention†. (Bowler 2003, 23) The Roman philosopher Lucretius described life development in stages starting from atoms collisions and ending with succession of animals and less brutish humans. Nevertheless, evolutionary thoughts died in Europe after the Roman Empire had fallen; howe ver, the ideas were developed in Islamic countries.It is known that Al-Jahiz claimed that environment affected the animals’ survivals and it had to affect humans as well. Ibn al-Haitham argued even about the explicitly for evolutionism. (Bowler 2003) Matthew Hale in 1677 used the term â€Å"evolution† t attack the atomism of Epicurus and Democritus. He argued that their atomist theory and suggested that collisions and vibrations of atoms had formed not humans and animals, but semina that were â€Å"immediate, primitive, productive principles of men, animals, birds and fishes†. (Riddle 1954, 89) Hale called that mechanism absurdity.The concept of evolution was contributed also by German scientists including Schelling and Hegel. According to them evolution appears to be a fundamentally spiritual process involving both natural and divine interventions. They argued that evolution was â€Å"a self- disclosing revelation of the absolute†. (Riddle 1954, 89) In t he early 18th century German scientist Leibniz suggested that the objects are caused by internal forces. He supported the idea of that evolution involved divine principles. He mentioned that universe couldn’t be formed without God’s works.  (Riddle 1954)In 1745 Pierre Maupertius suggested rather interesting concept considering that all the modern species are the smallest parts produced by the blind destiny. According to him â€Å"chance† has produced innumerable individuals; however only few individuals are able to satisfy their needs, whereas others perish. Therefore he presented the idea of natural selection further contributed by Charles Darwin. One more scientist Buffon suggested the mutability of species and underlined that organisms are influenced strongly by natural processes.In 1755 Kant, German philosopher and scientist predicted the theory that unformed matter develops into the highest types of plants and animals. Kant believed that modifications and variations were the response to â€Å"mechanical laws of the organisms themselves rather than to the influence of their surroundings†. (Bowler 2003, 120) Herder, for example, agreed with the concept of natural selection stating that struggle foe survival and existence played the major role in organic world, although the theme remained undeveloped and rather vague.In the early 19th century Wells assumed that evolution of humans is the principle of natural selection. It is known that Darwin was unaware of Wells’ suggestions and later he acknowledged that Wells was the first to promote the idea of natural selection in the evolutionary thought. In 1833 Charles Lyell emphasized the gradual variation of evolution, where each specie had â€Å"centre of creation and was diagnosed for habitat, but would go extinct when the habitat changed†. (Bowler 2003, 126) The concept was supported by Herschel outlined that natural laws played the most important role in species formi ng.Nevertheless, the most important contribution into development of evolutionary though was actually made by Charles Darwin. Darwin criticized the previous ideas about natural selection assuming they failed to propone the coherent philosophy and to suggest the proper mechanism of species variations. Darwin, in his turn, stated that species had arisen from the â€Å"selective actions of external conditions upon the variations from their specific type which individuals present and which is called spontaneous†. (West 1938, 147) The Darwin’s theory proved to be successful providing the useful statistical models of evolution.In the late 19th century evolutionary though was considerably contributed by the works of Gregor Mendel. He carried out series of experiments and in result provided models for inheritance based on the unit of gene. However, Mendel’s works remained unappreciated for many years and even ignored by biologists. Mendel’s works were â€Å"disc overed† in 1990 and caused a conflict between Mendelians. (Riddle 1954) In 1970s the neutral theory of molecular evolution was presented by famous scientist Motoo Kimura who the first to establish the genetic drift and considered it a mechanism of evolution.One more interesting idea was generated by Lynn Margilus. He presented the theory of symboigenesis arguing that genetic drift and mutations are not enough to explain the concepts of evolution. In the theory Margulis stated that species emerged through the process of symbiosis. (Riddle 1954) In 1972 Stephen Gould suggested the theory of punctuated equilibrium. All the theories were followed by renewal of structuaralist themes in evolutionary ideology. For example, Brian Goodwin incorporated in his researches the ideas of systems theory along with cybernetics and thus emphasized the important role of natural selection.In 1995 Daniel Dennett argued that Darwin’s natural selection is â€Å"algorithmic process applicable to many circumstances besides biological evolution†. (Bowler 2003, 225) Such concept of evolution was called â€Å"universal Darwinism†. It is necessary to outline that the development of evolutionary thought was vivid, though contradictive. Lots of theories and concepts were developed to explain the evolution of human beings, but scientists failed to find the only satisfactory explanation. Nowadays some theories are disapproved, others are improved and followed. (Henderson 2000)

Biography of Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander

Born December 10, 1891, Harold Alexander was the third son of Earl of Caledon and Lady Elizabeth Graham Toler. Initially educated at Hawtreys Preparatory School, he entered Harrow in 1904. Departing four years later, Alexander sought to pursue a military career and gained admission to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. Completing his studies in 1911, he received a commission as a second lieutenant in the Irish Guards that September. Alexander was with the regiment in 1914 when World War I began and deployed to the Continent with Field Marshal Sir John Frenchs British Expeditionary Force. In late August, he took part in the retreat from Mons and in September fought at the First Battle of the Marne. Wounded at the First Battle of Ypres that fall, Alexander was invalided to Britain. World War I Promoted to captain on February 7, 1915, Alexander returned to the Western Front. That fall, he took part in the Battle of Loos where he briefly led the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards as an acting major. For his service in the fighting, Alexander was awarded the Military Cross. The following year, Alexander saw action during the Battle of the Somme. Engaged in heavy combat that September, he received the Distinguished Service Order and the French LÃ ©gion dhonneur. Elevated to the permanent rank of major on August 1, 1917, Alexander was made an acting lieutenant colonel shortly thereafter and led the 2nd Battalion, Irish Guards at the Battle of Passchendaele that fall. Wounded in the fighting, he quickly returned to command his men at the Battle of Cambrai in November. In March 1918, Alexander found himself in command of the 4th Guards Brigade as British troops fell back during the German Spring Offensives. Returning to his battalion in April, he led it at Hazebrouck where it sustained heavy casualties. Interwar Years Shortly thereafter, Alexanders battalion was withdrawn from the front and in October he assumed command of an infantry school. With the end of the war, he received an appointment to the Allied Control Commission in Poland. Given command of a force of German Landeswehr, Alexander aided the Latvians against the Red Army in 1919 and 1920. Returning to Britain later that year, he resumed service with the Irish Guards and in May 1922 received a promotion to lieutenant colonel. The next several years saw Alexander move through postings in Turkey and Britain as well as attend the Staff College. Promoted to colonel in 1928 (backdated to 1926), he took command of the Irish Guards Regimental District before attending the Imperial Defense College two years later. After moving through various staff assignment, Alexander returned to the field in 1934 when he received a temporary promotion to brigadier and assumed command of the Nowshera Brigade in India. In 1935, Alexander was made a Companion of the Order of the Star of India and was mentioned in despatches for his operations against the Pathans in Malakand. A commander who led from the front, he continued to perform well and in March 1937 received an appointment as an aide-de-camp to King George VI. After taking part in the Kings coronation, he briefly returned to India before being promoted to major general that October. The youngest (age 45) to hold the rank in the British Army, he assumed command of the 1st Infantry Division in February 1938. With the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Alexander prepared his men for combat and soon deployed to France as part of General Lord Gorts British Expeditionary Force. A Rapid Ascent With the rapid defeat of Allied forces during the Battle of France in May 1940, Gort tasked Alexander with overseeing the BEFs rearguard as it withdrew toward Dunkirk. Reaching the port, he played a key role in holding off the Germans while British troops were evacuated. Assigned to lead I Corps during the fighting, Alexander was one of the last to leave French soil. Arriving back in Britain, I Corps assumed a position to defend the Yorkshire coast. Elevated to acting lieutenant general in July, Alexander took over Southern Command as the Battle of Britain raged in the skies above. Confirmed in his rank in December, he remained with Southern Command through 1941. In January 1942, Alexander was knighted and the following month was dispatched to India with the rank of general. Tasked with halting the Japanese invasion of Burma, he spent the first half of the year conducting a fighting withdrawal back to India. To the Mediterranean Returning to Britain, Alexander initially received orders to lead the First Army during the Operation Torch landings in North Africa. This assignment was changed in August when he instead replaced General Claude Auchinleck as Commander-in-Chief, Middle East Command in Cairo. His appointment coincided with Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery taking command of the Eighth Army in Egypt. In his new role, Alexander oversaw Montgomerys victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein that fall. Driving across Egypt and Libya, Eighth Army converged with Anglo-American troops from the Torch landings in early 1943. In a reorganization of Allied forces, Alexander assumed control of all troops in North Africa under the umbrella of the 18th Army Group in February. This new command reported to General Dwight D. Eisenhower who served as Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean at the Allied Forces Headquarters. In this new role, Alexander oversaw the Tunisia Campaign which ended in May 1943 with the surrender of over 230,000 Axis soldiers. With victory in North Africa, Eisenhower began planning the invasion of Sicily. For the operation, Alexander was given command of the 15th Army Group consisting of Montgomerys Eighth Army and Lieutenant General George S. Pattons US Seventh Army. Landing on the night of July 9/10, Allied forces secured the island after five weeks of fighting. With the fall of Sicily, Eisenhower and Alexander rapidly began planning for the invasion of Italy. Dubbed Operation Avalanche, it saw Pattons US Seventh Army headquarters replaced with Lieutenant General Mark Clarks US Fifth Army. Moving forward in September, Montgomerys forces began landing in Calabria on the 3rd while Clarks troops fought their way ashore at Salerno on the 9th. In Italy Consolidating their position ashore, Allied forces commenced advancing up the Peninsula. Due to the Apennine Mountains, which run the length of Italy, Alexanders forces pushed forward on two fronts with Clark in the east and Montgomery in the west. Allied efforts were slowed by poor weather, rough terrain, and a tenacious German defense. Slowly falling back through the fall, the Germans sought to buy time to complete the Winter Line south of Rome. Though the British succeeded in penetrating the line and capturing Ortona in late December, heavy snows prevented them from pushing east along Route 5 to reach Rome. On Clarks front, the advance bogged down in the Liri Valley near the town of Cassino. In early 1944, Eisenhower departed to oversee planning of the invasion of Normandy. Arriving in Britain, Eisenhower initially requested that Alexander serve as the ground forces commander for the operation as he had been easy to work with during earlier campaigns and had promoted cooperation a mong Allied forces. This assignment was blocked by Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, who felt that Alexander was unintelligent. He was supported in this opposition by Prime Minister Winston Churchill who thought the Allied cause to be best served by having Alexander continue to direct operations in Italy. Thwarted, Eisenhower gave the post to Montgomery who had turned Eighth Army over to Lieutenant General Oliver Leese in December 1943. Leading the newly re-named Allied Armies in Italy, Alexander continued to seek a way to break the Winter Line. Checked at Cassino, Alexander, at Churchills suggestion, launched an amphibious landing at Anzio on January 22, 1944. This operation was quickly contained by the Germans and the situation along the Winter Line did not change. On February 15, Alexander controversially ordered the bombing of the historic Monte Cassino abbey which some Allied leaders believe was being used as an observation post by the Germans. Finally breaking through at Cassino in mid-May, Allied forces surged forward and pushed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring and the German Tenth Army back to the Hitler Line. Breaking through the Hitler Line days later, Alexander sought to trap the 10th Army by using forces advancing from the Anzio beachhead. Both assaults proved successful and his plan was coming together when Clark shockingly ordered the Anzio forces to turn northwest for Rome. As a result, the German Tenth Army was able to escape north. Though Rome fell on June 4, Alexander was furious that the opportunity to crush the enemy had been lost. As Allied forces landed in Normandy two days later, the Italian front quickly became of secondary importance. Despite this, Alexander continued pushing up the peninsula during the summer of 1944 and breached the Trasimene Line before capturing Florence. Reaching the Gothic Line, Alexander commenced Operation Olive on August 25. Though both Fifth and Eighth Armies were able to break through, their efforts were soon contained by the Germans. Fighting continued during the fall as Churchill hoped for a breakthrough which would allow for a drive towards Vienna with the goal of halting Soviet advances in Eastern Europe. On December 12, Alexander was promoted to field marshal (backdated to June 4) and elevated to Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces Headquarters with responsibility for all operations in the Mediterranean. He was replaced Clark as leader of the Allied Armies in Italy. In the spring of 1945, Alexander directed Clark as Allied forces launched their final offensives in the theater. By the end of April, Axis forces in Italy had been shattered. Left with little choice, they surrendered to Alexander on April 29. Postwar With the end of the conflict, King George VI elevated Alexander to the peerage, as Viscount Alexander of Tunis, in recognition of his wartime contributions. Though considered for the post of Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Alexander received an invitation from Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to become Governor-General of Canada. Accepting, he assumed the post on April 12, 1946. Remaining in the position for five years, he proved popular with Canadians who appreciated his military and communication skills. Returning to Britain in 1952, Alexander accepted the post of Minister of Defense under Churchill and was elevated to Earl Alexander of Tunis. Serving for two years, he retired in 1954. Frequently visiting Canada during his retirement, Alexander died on June 16, 1969. Following a funeral at Windsor Castle, he was buried at Ridge, Hertfordshire. Selected Sources History of War: Harold AlexanderWorld War II Database: Harold Alexander