Montgomery was the only child of Field Marshal The 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, a senior military commander in the Second World War, and his wife Elizabeth Carver, ne Hobart. [citation needed] He did not launch the attack until 3 January, by which point the German forces had been able to escape. In World War II he successfully commanded Allied forces at the Battle of El Alamein, a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign. Montgomery was then appointed Chairman of the Western European Union's commanders-in-chief committee. 1 He is the son of David Bernard Montgomery, 2nd Viscount Montgomery of Alamein and Mary Raymond Connell. He fought in France during World War I and was mentioned in dispatches for . He was the fourth child of his father out of nine. "[44] Montgomery spent two months making the 30 miles (48km) long front line at El Alamein stronger. "I've interviewed him several times and he was quite clear he didn't feel there was any molesting going on, but it's a tricky area," Prof Hamilton said. He supported apartheid and Chinese communism under Mao Zedong, and spoke against the legalisation of homosexuality in the United Kingdom, arguing that the Sexual Offences Act 1967 was a "charter for buggery" and that "this sort of thing may be tolerated by the French, but we're British thank God. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, he served on the boards of international companies before launching a consulting firm that was involved in South American business opportunities. Half his battalion was destroyed during the retreat from Mons. He later recalled: "In 1907 entrance to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, was by competitive examination. After a funeral ceremony at St George's Chapel, Windsor, he was interred in the Holy Cross Churchyard, Binsted. Brilliant World War II field marshal. Eisenhower had then wanted Montgomery to go on the offensive on 1 January to meet Patton's army that had started advancing from the south on 19 December and in doing so, trap the Germans. I don't associate myself with anything that is not good. This campaign demonstrated the battle-winning ingredients of morale (sickness and absenteeism were virtually eliminated in the Eighth Army[source? The German commander of the 5th Panzer Army, Hasso von Manteuffel said: The operations of the American 1st Army had developed into a series of individual holding actions. This article was published more than3 years ago, Two fathers fought against each other in World War II, commanding opposing armies across the deserts of North Africa. He asked Alexander to send him two new British divisions (51st Highland and 44th) that were then arriving in Egypt and were scheduled to be deployed in defence of the Nile Delta. Montgomery and Rommel were great adversaries . On his return Montgomery antagonised the War Office with trenchant criticisms of the command of the BEF and was briefly relegated to divisional command. In the same year he was awarded the Order of the Elephant, the highest order in Denmark. An American breakout was achieved with Operation Cobra and the encirclement of German forces in the Falaise pocket at the cost of British sacrifice with the diversionary Operation Goodwood. [43] Taking command on 13 August 1942, he immediately became a whirlwind of activity. A cousin of Montgomery's, Lt Col. Hugh Montgomery, had been assassinated by the IRA in 1920 (see the Cairo Gang). (Churchill sent a telegram to Alexander on 23 September 1942 which began, "We are in your hands and of course a victorious battle makes amends for much delay. Son of War Hero Montgomery & Friend of Manfred Rommel, Dead at 91 News Jan 28, 2020 Ian Harvey, Guest Author David Montgomery inherited his title from his father, the famous Field Marshal, who tackled Erwin 'Desert Fox' Rommel in the deserts of North Africa in World War Two. The body of the sergeant protected Montgomery and took most of the enemy fire. His son, then 15, later deserted his military post and surrendered to French forces. In July 1940, he was appointed acting lieutenant-general,[38] placed in command of V Corps, responsible for the defence of Hampshire and Dorset, and started a long-running feud[39] with the new commander-in-chief, Southern Command, Claude Auchinleck. The Montgomery cocktail is a martini mixed at a ratio of 15:1, facetiously named that because Montgomery supposedly refused to go into battle unless his numerical advantage was at least that high. In the same year he was awarded the Order of the Elephant, the highest order in Denmark. Bernard Law Montgomery (1887-1976) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree He went to St. Paul's School in London and entered the army in 1908. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for gallant leadership. On 6 March 1943, Rommel's attack on the over-extended Eighth Army at Medenine (Operation Capri) with the largest concentration of German armour in North Africa was successfully repulsed. During the autumn of 1943, Montgomery continued to command the Eighth Army during the landings on the mainland of Italy itself. Son of Reverend Henry Hutchinson Montgomery, KCMG and Maud Montgomery [8], The next major Allied attack was the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky). During this time he further developed and rehearsed his ideas and trained his soldiers, culminating in Exercise Tiger in May 1942, a combined forces exercise involving 100,000 troops. They divorced in 1967 after having a son and a daughter:[6], He then married Tessa Browning, daughter of Daphne du Maurier and Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Browning, a close colleague of his father. The German/Italian armoured Corps infantry attack was stopped in very heavy fighting. "[28] He later played a leading role in commanding the Allied landings in Italy and France. Montgomery bitterly resented this change, although it had been agreed before the D-Day invasion. While he was away his wife, still in her mid-twenties, gave her children "constant" beatings, then ignored them most of the time as she performed the public duties of the bishop's wife. When Montgomery's term of office expired, Prime Minister Clement Attlee appointed General (later Field-Marshal) William Slim as his successor; when Montgomery protested that he had already promised the job to his proteg General Crocker, a former corps commander from the 1944-5 campaign, Attlee is said to have given the memorable retort "Untell him". In the absence of her husband, Maud Montgomery took little active interest in the education of her young children other than to have them taught by tutors brought across from England. 1. [64], Montgomery then became Chairman of the Western European Union's commanders-in-chief committee. [1] He saw service during the retreat from Mons, during which half his battalion was destroyed. Born in 1887, Montgomery was married for 10 years from 1927, but the academic described this an "an aberration" in what had otherwise been a life devoted entirely to being with men. Montgomery was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1975 and a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 2000. Another blow was a break-in at his home. In July 1940, he was appointed acting lieutenant-general, placed in command of V Corps, responsible for the defense of Hampshire and Dorset, and started a long-running feud with the new commander-in-chief, Southern Command, Claude Auchinleck. He attended Pleasant Hill school, rural Orchard. In April 1941, he became commander of XII Corps responsible for the defence of Kent. Montgomery correctly predicted both the length of the battle and the number of casualties (13,500). . It was uncharacteristic of Montgomery's battles: the offensive was strategically bold, but poorly planned. Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC (pronounced /mntmr v lmen/; 17 November 1887 - 24 March 1976) was a British Army officer. The family returned home once for the Lambeth Conference in 1897, and Bernard and his brother Harold were educated for a term at The King's School, Canterbury. David Bernard Montgomery was born Aug.18, 1928, in Camberley, England. As with his takeover of the Eighth Army, Montgomery travelled frequently to his units, raising morale and ensuring training was progressing. [citation needed] The 1960 edition of his memoirs contains a publisher's note (opposite page 15) drawing attention to that broadcast, and stating that in the publisher's view the reader might assume from Montgomery's text that Auchinleck had been planning to retreat and pointing out that this was in fact not the case. Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC (pronounced /mntmr v lmen/; 17 November 1887 24 March 1976), often referred to as "Monty", was a British Army officer. David Montgomery, 2nd Viscount of Alamein, and son of WWII British hero Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, passed away on January 8, 2020. He did not have enough men at first, so started a series of battle in which the British, Canadian and American armies trapped and defeated the German forces in Normandy in the Falaise pocket. One of Rommel's Panzer Corps combined infantry, armour and artillery units under one division commander. He was created 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein in 1946. He was ruthless in sacking officers he considered would be unfit for command in action. The black beret had been given to him by a soldier when he climbing into a tank to get a closer look at the front lines. The ultimate renaissance man has long been held to be gay ,and in 1476 he was tried and acquitted of sodomy. Montgomery's initial plan was, most likely, for an immediate breakout toward Caen. [42], Montgomery was very popular with the men of the Eighth Army, and when he took command Army's fighting spirit and abilities got better. Montgomery referred to the school as his "beloved school" and visited on five separate occasions, the last being in 1960. The Museum maintains a permanent exhibition about Montgomery, entitled Monty: Master of the Battlefield. At Mteren, on 13 October 1914, during an Allied counter-offensive, he was shot through the right lung by a sniper and was so badly injured that a grave was dug because he was expected to die. He moved his field HQ to Burg al Arab, close to the Air Force command post in order better to coordinate combined operations. Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery, in full Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, of Hindhead byname Monty, (born Nov. 17, 1887, London, Eng.died March 24, 1976, near Alton, Hampshire), British field marshal and one of the outstanding Allied commanders in World War II. The loveless environment made Bernard something of a bully, as he himself later recalled "I was a dreadful little boy. This campaign demonstrated the battle-winning ingredients of morale (sickness and absenteeism were virtually eliminated in the Eighth Army[citation needed]), co-operation of all arms including the air forces, first-class logistical back-up and clear-cut orders. His increasing frailty, however, raised concerns about his ability to stand for long periods while carrying the heavy weapon. in Whitehall, alongside those of Field Marshal Lord Slim and Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke. They have five children: Samuel Nicholas Stuart-Smith (6 December 1990), Luke David Stuart-Smith (19 January 1993), This page was last edited on 26 June 2023, at 12:54. After the end of the Normandy campaign, General Eisenhower himself took over Ground Forces Command while continuing as Supreme Commander, with Montgomery continuing to command the 21st Army Group, now consisting mainly of British and Canadian units. Montgomery, standing before his officers at headquarters and close to tears, announced that he was forced to call off the pursuit. [2][3] He had two older half brothers from his mother's previous marriage, John and Dick. Nowadays public opinion precludes such methods, the nation would never allow it, and the politicians would lose their jobs if they sanctioned it. The Imperial War Museum holds a variety of material relating to Montgomery in its collections. Rommel attempted to turn the left flank of the Eighth Army at the Battle of Alam Halfa from 31 August 1942. ], During the autumn of 1943, Montgomery continued to command the Eighth Army during the landings on the mainland of Italy itself. 3 World Leaders Who Actually Had Body Doubles - Inverse He ordered the creation of the X Corps, which contained all armoured divisions to fight alongside his XXX Corps which was all infantry divisions. He fell on Montgomery. Due to his eminence, many assumed Montgomery was wealthy and did not need the money. Corelli Barnett has pointed out that the rain also fell on the Germans, and that the weather is therefore an inadequate explanation for the failure to exploit the breakthrough, but nevertheless the Battle of El Alamein had been a great success. Mon 26 Feb 2001 05.40 EST "This sort of thing may be tolerated by the French, but we're British - thank God." So decreed Field Marshal Montgomery as he urged the House of Lords not to legalise. 57 Bernard Montgomery Facts: All About The British Field Marshal Montgomery, Donald Stanley Montgomery, Una Holden (born Montgomery), Maud Winifred Montgomery, Sybil Frances Montgomery, James Henry Mon Nov 17 1887 - Kennington, London, England, UK, Mar 24 1976 - Alton, Hampshire, England, UK, Rt. Montgomery was the nearest commander on the ground and on 20 December, Eisenhower (who was in Versailles) transferred Courtney Hodges' U.S. First Army and William Simpson's U.S. Ninth Army to his 21st Army Group, despite Bradley's vehement objections on national grounds. John Bernard Montgomery, former purchasing agent for Loubat-L. Frank, Delta Queen Steamboat Co. and Metairie Country Club died at East Jefferson General Hospital on Sunday September 5, 2004. The English field marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (1887-1976), was an outstanding commander and hero of the British people during World War II.. Bernard Montgomery was born on Nov. 17, 1887. He was chairman of the governing body of St John's School, Leatherhead, Surrey from 1951 to 1966 and a generous supporter. The conquest of Libya was essential for airfields to support Malta and to threaten the rear of Axis forces opposing Operation Torch. In December 1941 Montgomery was given command of South-Eastern Command overseeing the defence of Kent, Sussex and Surrey. The only common commander for Montgomery's all infantry and all armour corps was the Eighth Army Commander himself. Montgomery's report, based on a two-month . Early life and education Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery with his only son David. Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, was a senior British Army officer who fought in both World Wars. Manfred Rommel had a markedly different path in life. [4], David attended Winchester College from May 1942 onwards, and his father, posted abroad from the middle of the year, arranged for his time in school holidays to be divided between his prep school headmaster and family friends, Major Thomas Reynolds and Mrs. Phyllis Reynolds, and Jocelyn, wife of David's half-brother John Carver, as well as strict instructions that "on no account" was the boy to visit his aged paternal grandmother, whom the then Sir Bernard Law Montgomery detested, in Inishowen, County Donegal, in Ulster. Henry Montgomery, at the time the Vicar of St Mark's, Kennington, was the second son of the noted Indian administrator, Sir Robert Montgomery, who died a month after Bernard's birth. The citation for this award, published in the London Gazette in December 1914 reads: Conspicuous gallant leading on 13th October, when he turned the enemy out of their trenches with the bayonet. [70], Montgomery's memoirs (1958) criticised many of his wartime comrades in harsh terms, including Eisenhower, whom he accused, among other things, of prolonging the war by a year through poor leadership allegations which ended their friendship, not least as Eisenhower was still US President at the time. The Eighth Army's subsequent advance as the Germans retreated hundreds of miles towards their bases in Tunisia used the logistical as well as the firepower advantages of the British Army while avoiding unnecessary risks. Bernard Law Montgomery was born on 17 November 1887 in London. Montgomery kept the initiative, applying superior strength when it suited him, forcing Rommel out of each successive defensive position. Death: March 14, 1814 (53-54) WASHINGTON CO, KY. My own view is that to win a war of this sort, you must be ruthless. "I myself have more than 100 very loving letters from him. On 4 May 1945 he took the German surrender at Lneburg Heath in northern Germany. I don't suppose anybody would put up with my sort of behaviour these days." In 1927, he met and married Elizabeth Carver, widow of Oswald Carver, Olympic rowing medalist who was killed in the First World War. He supported apartheid and Chinese communism under Mao Zedong, and spoke against the legalisation of homosexuality in the United Kingdom, arguing that the Sexual Offences Act 1967 was a "charter for buggery" and that "this sort of thing may be tolerated by the French, but we're British thank God." He ordered immediate reinforcement of the vital heights of Alam Halfa, just behind his own lines, expecting the German commander, Erwin Rommel, to attack with the heights as his objective, something that Rommel soon did. The general sometimes sent gifts of oranges and chocolate scarce commodities in wartime England to his son at school. [citation needed] For example, he set up a battalion brothel in Tripoli, Libya during World War II, regularly inspected by the medical officer, for the 'horizontal refreshment' of his soldiers rather than forcing them to take chances in unregulated establishments. Montgomery was able to persuade Eisenhower to adopt his strategy of a single thrust to the Ruhr with Operation Market Garden in September 1944. Montgomery's mother died in 1937 while on holiday in Burnham-on-Sea after suffering from an infected insect bite which caused septicaemia following amputation of her leg. Lord. When the surprise attack on the Ardennes took place on 16 December 1944, starting the Battle of the Bulge, the front of the U.S. 12th Army Group was split, with the bulk of the U.S. First Army being on the northern shoulder of the German 'bulge'. He was extremely worried by it, and psychologically that suggests the law had been an essential crutch in his struggle with his own homosexual feelings.". For more than thirty years he attended commemorative events with Manfred Rommel, who was also the only son of a World War Two Field Marshall. The Army Group commander, General Omar Bradley, was located south of the penetration at Luxembourg and command of the U.S. First Army became problematic. During this time, Montgomery faced serious trouble from his superiors for his attitude regarding the sexual health of his soldiers. During this time he came under IX Corps, part of General Sir Herbert Plumer's Second Army. 304-265-1570 Bernard Montgomery age 80 of 726 Upper Beech St., Grafton passed away June 5, 2016 at Rosewood Health Care Center. David Montgomery, son of British military leader who forged unlikely Preliminary planning for the invasion had been taking place for two years, most recently by COSSAC staff (Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander). Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Tapped to take command of the Eighth Live TV Shows This Day In History. The campaign that Montgomery fought was essentially attritional until the middle of July with the occupation of the Cotentin Peninsula and a series of offensives in the east, which secured Caen and attracted the bulk of German armour there. When it appeared unlikely that the British Second Army would break out, Montgomery's contingency was designed to attract German forces to the British sector to ease the passing of United States Army through German defences to the west, during Operation Cobra. After the death of Sir Robert Montgomery, Henry inherited the Montgomery ancestral estate of New Park at Moville, a town on the Inishowen Peninsula of north County Donegal in the west of Ulster. During this time he came under IX Corps, part of General Sir Herbert Plumer's Second Army. He held local government positions in London before entering the House of Lords, where he served off and on from the 1970s until 2015. Montgomery, Donald Stanley Montgomery, Una Holden (born Montgomery), Maud Winifred Holderness (born Montgomery), Desmond Montgomery, Coli Elizabeth Adah N Montgomery (born Hobart), British Army Officer, Commander Of Allied Forces At The Battle Of El Alamein, Reverend Henry Hutchinson Montgomery, Bishop Kcmg, Montgomery, Bishop Kcmg, Sybil Frances Montgomery, Harold Robert Montgomery, Donald Montgomery, Una Montgomery, Kensington, London, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom, Alton, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, Holy Cross Churchyard, Binsted, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, To enable the proper functioning and security of the website, we collect information via cookies as specified in our, Bernhardt Line (December 1943 - January 1944), Reverend Henry Hutchinson Montgomery, KCMG, David Bernard Montgomery, 2nd Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Bernard Law Montgomery 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Bernard Law, 1st Viscount Montgomery Of Alamein Montgomery, Kg, Gcb, Dso, Pc, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Field Marshal Bernard Law 1st Viscount of Alamein Montgomery, Bernard Law Montgomery 1st Viscount Montgomery Of Alamein, England & Wales Deaths, GRO Indexes, 1969 - 2007. He ordered immediate reinforcement of the vital heights of Alam Halfa, just behind his own lines, expecting the German commander, Erwin Rommel, to attack with there, something that Rommel soon did. lmen /; 17 November 1887 - 24 March 1976), nicknamed " Monty ", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and the Second World War . An official task he insisted on performing in his later years was bearing the Sword of State during the State Opening of Parliament. He was confirmed in the permanent rank of lieutenant-general in mid October. In a statement made in 1945, Manfred Rommel described what happened next: About three quarters of an hour after that I met Father just coming out of my Mothers room. Bernard Montgomery (1760 - 1814) - Genealogy - Geni.com A favourite pastime of the British press during these years was to photograph Montgomery cashing his old age pension cheque at the local social security office. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, after the end of the war, said of the campaign, Before Alamein we never had a victory. 517 Marshal Bernard Montgomery Stock Photos & High-Res Pictures He had stabilised the Allied position at the First Battle of El Alamein, but after a visit in August 1942, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, replaced him as C-in-C with Alexander and William Gott as commander of the Eighth Army in the Western Desert. After the war he became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in Germany and then Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Her book "Bernard Montgomery's Art of War" won a Silver Medal from the Military Writers Society of America. Bernard's mother Maud was the daughter of the well-known preacher Frederic William Farrar, and was eighteen years younger than her husband. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1910. Rev. In 1992 his biographer Lawrence James described it as a "homoerotic fantasy", but said Lawrence was homosexual in his later years. He attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Rommel's forces had to withdraw urgently lest their retreat through the British minefields be cut off. Erwin Rommel was a German Field Marshal during that same era. A carefully-planned Rhine crossing occurred on 24 March. He rarely spoke with his fellow commanders-in-chiefs, and sent his deputy to their meetings. The son of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery has opened a new building at Aldershot Garrison, the historical home of the British Army. General Bernard Montgomery and his double, M. E. Clifton James. "[45], Montgomery made a great effort to appear before troops as often as possible, frequently visiting various units and making himself known to the men, often arranging for cigarettes to be distributed. In 1942, a new field commander was required in the Middle East, where Auchinleck was fulfilling both the role of commander-in-chief Middle East Command and commander Eighth Army. He saw action in World War I, and during World War II he successfully commanded Allied forces at the Battle of El Alamein, a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign. Professor Hamilton, whose official life of Montgomery was in 1981 awarded the Whitbread prize for biography, has drawn on hundreds of letters to and from Montgomery. Montgomery ordered all contingency plans for retreat to be destroyed. Montgomery came to the conclusion that the conflict could not be won without harsh measures, and that self-government was the only feasible solution; in 1923, after the establishment of the Irish Free State and during the Irish Civil War, Montgomery wrote to Colonel Arthur Percival of the Essex Regiment: "Personally, my whole attention was given to defeating the rebels but it never bothered me a bit how many houses were burnt. In April 1941, he became commander of XII Corps responsible for the defence of Kent. After the War he became Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces of Occupation in Germany and then Chief of the Imperial General Staff. After the war he became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in Germany and then Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Manfred Rommel spent almost 22 years as the mayor of Stuttgart, Germany, charting a progressive path marked by reconciliation and support for the citys Jewish and immigrant communities. Early life. He was severely wounded. Henry David Montgomery, 3rd Viscount Montgomery of Alamein was born on 2 April 1954. After Alamein we never had a defeat., Despite losing the battle and giving up the foot hold in North Africa, Erwin Rommel was full of praise for the way the troops under his command had defended themselves.