25 The Precincts, Canterbury CT1 2ES, United Kingdom
The King's School where Bernard Montgomery studied in 1897.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
Lonsdale Rd, Barnes, London SW13 9JT, United Kingdom
St Paul's School where Bernard Montgomery studied from 1901 to 1907.
College/University
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Berkshire, United Kingdom
The Royal Military College where Bernard Montgomery studied from 1907 to 1908.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, United Kingdom
Staff College where Bernard Montgomery studied from 1919 to 1921.
Career
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1915
Major Bernard Law Montgomery on May 17, 1915.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1948
Whitehall, Westminster, London SW1A 2EU, United Kingdom
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery in front of a map in his office at the War Office.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1957
Bernard Law Montgomery
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1967
United Kingdom
British General Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, with a painting of himself on his 80th birthday on November 17, 1967.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
Wartime photograph of General Sir Bernard Montgomery with his Miles Messenger aircraft.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
Bernard Law Montgomery with a fellow officer of 104th Brigade, 35th Division.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1940
Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery standing looking out of a tank.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1944
France
General Montgomery holds an Investiture in Normandy. The picture shows him talking to officers and others who were recipients of medals in July 1944.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1944
United Kingdom
Commander-in-Chief of the British Armies General Bernard Montgomery points the way for the Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight Eisenhower on February 26, 1944.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1944
United Kingdom
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill meeting with General Bernard Law Montgomery at the British Headquarters on July 21, 1944.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1944
France
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery with his puppies 'Hitler' and 'Rommel' in France.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1944
Normandy, France
General Montgomery in conversation with Major General Douglas Graham in Normandy on June 20, 1944.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1944
United Kingdom
Bernard Law Montgomery with Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey and King George VI on June 16, 1944.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1944
Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery, commander in chief of the British Armies, on the western front addresses Canadian troops stationed in Britain on March 9, 1944.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1945
Pariser Platz, 10117 Berlin, Germany
British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, Russian Marshals Konstantin Rokossovsky and Georgy Zhukov at a ceremony at the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin on July 13, 1945.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1945
Champs-Élysées, Paris, France
British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery waves to crowds on the Champs Elysees after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in May 1945.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1946
Jerusalem
Field Marshal Montgomery with General Alan Cunningham (left), the British High Commissioner in Palestine, in Jerusalem on December 1, 1946.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1946
Field Marshall Bernard L. Montgomery soon after taking over as Chief of the Imperial General Staff at the War Office, studying his area of command.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1948
Hammersmith Rd, Hammersmith, London W14 8UX, United Kingdom
Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery and British politician Ernest Bevin, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, at the ceremonial opening luncheon of the Bertram Mills Circus at Olympia on December 17, 1948.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1949
Domaine de, 15 Rue du Château, 91490 Courances, France
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein seated in his suite at the Chateau de Courances near Fontainbleau in December 1949.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1950
20 Deans Yd, Westminster, London SW1P 3PA, United Kingdom
Bernard Law Montgomery at the funeral of General Smuts holding his Marshal's baton in his hand, at Westminster Abbey on September 9, 1950.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1958
Vatican
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery with Pope Pius XII just before their private audience in the Vatican.
Gallery of Bernard Montgomery
1961
The portrait of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery standing in front of a map on February 5, 1961.
Achievements
1944
Bernard Law Montgomery on the cover of Life magazine.
Membership
Awards
Order of the Bath
The Order of the Bath that Bernard Montgomery received in 1945.
Order of the Garter
The Order of the Garter that Bernard Montgomery received in 1946.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order that Bernard Montgomery received in 1914.
Distinguished Service Medal
The Distinguished Service Medal that Bernard Montgomery received in 1947.
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit that Bernard Montgomery received on August 10, 1943.
Order of Victory
The Order of Victory that Bernard Montgomery received on June 21, 1945.
Order of Suvorov
The Order of Suvorov that Bernard Montgomery received on January 16, 1947.
Croix de Guerre
The Croix de Guerre that Bernard Montgomery received in 1919.
Order of George I
The Order of George I that Bernard Montgomery received on June 20, 1944.
War Order of Virtuti Militari
The War Order of Virtuti Militari that Bernard Montgomery received on October 31, 1944.
Military Order of the White Lion
The Military Order of the White Lion that Bernard Montgomery received on 1947.
Order of Leopold II
The Order of Leopold II that Bernard Montgomery received in 1947.
Croix de Guerre
The Croix de Guerre that Bernard Montgomery was awarded.
Order of the Netherlands Lion
The Order of the Netherlands Lion that Bernard Montgomery received on January 16, 1947.
Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav
The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav that Bernard Montgomery received in 1951.
General Bernard Montgomery, Commander of the Eighth Army, sitting outdoors with his son David and major and Mrs. Reynolds, on the grounds of Amesbury School, Hindhead on July 13, 1943.
Commander-in-Chief of the British Armies General Bernard Montgomery points the way for the Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight Eisenhower on February 26, 1944.
Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery, commander in chief of the British Armies, on the western front addresses Canadian troops stationed in Britain on March 9, 1944.
British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, Russian Marshals Konstantin Rokossovsky and Georgy Zhukov at a ceremony at the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin on July 13, 1945.
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery in one of the three caravans he previously used during World War II, in the grounds of Amesbury School in Hindhead on May 7, 1946.
Hammersmith Rd, Hammersmith, London W14 8UX, United Kingdom
Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery and British politician Ernest Bevin, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, at the ceremonial opening luncheon of the Bertram Mills Circus at Olympia on December 17, 1948.
Domaine de, 15 Rue du Château, 91490 Courances, France
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein seated in his suite at the Chateau de Courances near Fontainbleau in December 1949.
Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein hands his new manuscript History of Warfare to book publisher George Rainbird on April 27, 1967.
Bernard Law Montgomery, commander in chief of the British army during World War II, wearing ceremonial garb at a Garter Ceremony in Windsor on June 19, 1967.
British General Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, with a painting of himself on his 80th birthday on November 17, 1967.
(Field Marshal Montgomery commanded the Eighth Army from 1...)
Field Marshal Montgomery commanded the Eighth Army from 13th August 1942 until the 31st December 1943, and the 21st Army Group from 1st January 1944 until the German surrender on the 5th May, 1945. Whilst in command of the British Army of the Rhine, in the occupation of Germany, shortly after the end of the Second World War Montgomery set out to record the exploits and victories of the troops under his command.
(First published in 1958, Montgomery's memoirs cover the f...)
First published in 1958, Montgomery's memoirs cover the full span of his career first as a regimental officer in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and then as a Staff Officer.
(This stimulating book takes its place as a classic commen...)
This stimulating book takes its place as a classic commentary on the history of warfare. It is the fruit of a lifetime spent in the study and tactics of war and it bears the authority of one who will without doubt be numbered among the great commanders.
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, was a senior British Army officer who fought in both World Wars. He served as commander of the Eighth Army and commander of the 21st Army Group. Montgomery also published such books as The Memoirs of Field Marshal Montgomery and Eighth Army: El Alamein To The River Sangro.
Background
Bernard Montgomery was born on November 17, 1887, in Kennington, Surrey, United Kingdom. He was the fourth child of nine, born to an Ulster-Scots Church of Ireland minister, Henry Montgomery, and his wife, Maud Farrar. In 1889, his family moved to Tasmania as his father was made Bishop of Tasmania. Montgomery's father spent as much time as possible in the rural areas of Tasmania and was away for up to six months at the time. His mother took little active interest in the education of her young children and ignored them most of the time as she performed the public duties of the bishop's wife. Montgomery and his family returned to England once for a Lambeth Conference in 1897 and in 1901 they finally moved to London.
Education
Bernard Montgomery attended the King's School in 1897. Later, he studied at St Paul's School from 1901 to 1907. In 1907, he entered the Royal Military College, from which he was almost expelled for rowdiness and violence. During his last year at the college, however, he improved his grades and in 1908 he graduated thirty-sixth in a class of 150. Montgomery also attended the Staff College in Camberley from 1919 to 1921.
Bernard Montgomery was commissioned into the 1st Battalion the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a second lieutenant in 1908. His first overseas service was in late 1908 in India. In 1910, Montgomery was promoted to lieutenant and was made adjutant of the 1st Battalion of his regiment at Shorncliffe Army Camp in 1912. He fought in France during World War I and was mentioned in dispatches for gallantry in action. He was severely wounded in October 1914 when he was shot through the right lung by a sniper. He rejoined duty soon after recovering and became General Staff Officer 1 by the time the war ended. In the years, following World War I, Montgomery attended the Staff College. In 1921, he was appointed Brigade Major in the 17th Infantry Brigade and was promoted to the rank of Major in July 1925. From January 1926 to January 1929, he served as Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at the Staff College.
Bernard Montgomery served in India, Egypt, and Palestine during the 1930s. In 1937, he became commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade and held his post until 1938. He also served as commander of the 8th Infantry Division from 1938 to 1939. By 1939, he was in command of the 3rd Infantry Division. The division moved to France with the British Expeditionary Force in that year for the so-called Phony War. Montgomery participated in the withdrawal to Dunkirk in the spring of 1940. In England, he became head of the V Corps in 1940 and of the XII Corps in 1941. He also served as General Officer Commander-in-Chief of the South-Eastern Command from 1941 to 1942. In 1942, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill appointed Montgomery commander of the British Eighth Army in North Africa, a position that marked the beginning of his rise to fame. When Rommel attacked at Alam Halfa on August 31, Montgomery won a defensive battle. Under his direction, the Battle of El Alamein proved to be a great success, and Montgomery was promoted to full General.
In 1944, Montgomery was appointed General Officer Commander-in-Chief of the 21st Army Group. He also was named the Allied ground forces commander for the invasion of Normandy. On June 6, 1944, he directed the British 2d Army and the United States 1st Army, which crossed the Channel. He aroused controversy after D-Day when his progress in capturing Caen was thought perilously slow. However, he redeemed himself with his excellent command during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. Finally, on May 4, 1945, Montgomery accepted the surrender of the German northern armies on Lüneburg Heath.
After the war, Bernard Montgomery became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine in 1945. In 1946, he was appointed Chief of the Imperial General Staff, a post that he held until 1948. From 1948 to 1951, he served as the Chairman of the Western European Union's commanders-in-chief committee and was then made the deputy commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization under Dwight Eisenhower. He also served as Colonel of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment from 1947 to 1958. Montgomery retired in 1958 and went to live with his son David at Isington Mill in Alton, Hampshire, where he worked on his memoirs. He died on March 24, 1976, in Alton, Hampshire.
(This stimulating book takes its place as a classic commen...)
1972
Politics
Bernard Montgomery criticized the United States military policy in Vietnam. He said that the Americans had no clear-cut objective and allowed local commanders to set military policy.
In 1962, Montgomery visited South Africa and publicly supported apartheid. He also noted that he was impressed by the Chinese leadership.
Views
Bernard Montgomery opposed the legalization of homosexuality in the United Kingdom. He stated that the Sexual Offences Act 1967 was unacceptable and such things might be tolerated by the French but not by the British. Montgomery also criticized many of his wartime comrades in his memoirs.
Quotations:
"I want to impose on everyone that the bad times are over, they are finished! Our mandate from the Prime Minister is to destroy the Axis forces in North Africa. It can be done, and it will be done!"
"Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence."
"The frightful casualties appalled me. The so-called "good fighting generals" of the war appeared to me to be those who had a complete disregard for human life. There were of course exceptions and I suppose one was Plumer; I had only once seen him and I had never spoken to him."
"With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory."
"To us is given the honour of striking a blow for freedom which will live in history; and in the better days that lie ahead men will speak with pride of our doings. We have a great and a righteous cause."
Membership
Bernard Montgomery was a member of the Allied Control Council and an honorary member of the Winkle Club. He also served as President of Portsmouth Football Club between 1944 and 1961.
Portsmouth Football Club
,
United Kingdom
1944 - 1961
Personality
Bernard Montgomery was arrogant, unlikeable, but ultimately successful. He had a forceful personality, with total faith in his own judgment. He took care of soldiers, but he was ruthless to the officers. He made the highest demands to their physical training, exhausting them with training in any inclement weather. There is a known case when during one of the tactical exercises, a subordinate of Montgomery said that if he ran a few more miles, he would simply die. On what Montgomery without smiling, as usual, dryly answered that with such physical weakness, there was no significant difference where exactly he would die, whether during this exercise or on the field of the nearest battle. Montgomery famously lacked diplomacy and tact when dealing with others. But this directness made him a great military leader.
Bernard Montgomery was always fond of collecting birds. When he was in Sicily, he bought some canaries. Writing home, Montgomery explained that the female from one pair of canaries had built her nest, and Montgomery really enjoyed watching her nesting activities.
Physical Characteristics:
Montgomery was physically unprepossessing and small in stature. He also had a rather squeaky voice.
Quotes from others about the person
Dwight D. Eisenhower: "Field Marshal Montgomery, like General Patton, conformed to no type. He deliberately pursued certain eccentricities of behavior, one of which was to separate himself habitually from his staff. He lived in a trailer, surrounded by a few aides. This created difficulties in the staff work that must be performed in timely and effective fashion if any battle is to result in victory. He consistently refused to deal with a staff officer from any headquarters other than his own and, in argument, was persistent up to the point of decision."
Winston Churchill: "In defeat, unbeatable, in victory, unbearable."
Wilhelm von Thoma: "I thought Montgomery was very cautious, considering his immensely superior strength, but he is the only Field-Marshal in this war who won all his battles. In modern mobile warfare the tactics are not the main thing. The decisive factor is the organization of one's resources to maintain the momentum."
Interests
Collecting birds
Connections
Bernard Montgomery married Elizabeth Carver, a widow of Oswald Carver, in 1927. The marriage produced a son. In 1937, Elizabeth Carver died of septicemia following the amputation of her leg.
Montgomery as Military Commander
From Montgomery's days as a junior officer in World War I to the German surrender in 1945, Ronald Lewin examines the life experiences that shaped Montgomery, both as a battlefield tactician and as a trainer and inspirer of troops.
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1887-1976: A Selected Bibliography
Any serious study of World War II military campaigns must confront Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, an individualist with both admirers and detractors. This book provides an extensive historiographical overview of the literature in Part I and a bibliography of significant works in Part II. It is a basic reference and research guide for the student, scholar, and general reader.
Master of the Battlefield: Monty's War Years 1942-1944
This work traces the career of the British Field Marshal from his decisive victory at El Alamein to the Battle of Normandy and describes his relationships with other Allied military leaders.