GENERAL BERNARD MONTGOMERY ‘MONTY’
Bernard Montgomery was born in Kennington, London, on 17 November 1887. The son of a clergyman he spent much time in Tasmania before returning to Britain. He attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned into the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1908. In the Great War he was badly wounded during the preliminaries to the First Battle of Ypres on 13 October 1914, but would return to the Western Front as a staff officer and rising to become Chief of Staff with 47th Division by November 1918. His career continued to prosper, attending Staff College, and, in 1939, rising to Major-General commanding 8th Division in Palestine. Returning to England, he would lead 3rd Division on the outbreak of war.
The division performed well during the advance to into Belgium and subsequent retreat to Dunkirk and ‘Monty’ was attracting favourable attention as a competent professional, but his trenchant criticisms of higher command also created antipathy. In July 1940, Montgomery was promoted to acting Lieutenant-General commanding V Corps, charged with defending Hampshire and Dorset in the event of invasion. His relationship with C-in-C Southern Command – one General …
