Leclerc arrived in London on 25 July 1940, and met with de Gaulle, who announced that he was promoting him to "Chef d'escadrons" (major). He also encountered his cousin Pierre de Hauteclocque, Xavier's brother, who was serving with the "13e Demi-Brigade de Légion Étrangère" (13e DBLE, an infantry regiment of the French Foreign Legion). This was the largest unit that had joined the Free French Forces. After participating in the Battles of Narvik, it had found itself in Britain when France surrendered. Formed after the war began, it contained many men who had fought for the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War, and many refugees from Nazi and Fascist countries. Leclerc then offered his own services to the unit, but its commander, "Colonel" Raoul Magrin-Vernerey, rejected his offer on the grounds that he was high-born, over-qualified and a cavalryman.