Historical Figures Codexery

Bernard Montgomery

The victor of El Alamein who led Allied ground forces from D-Day to the German surrender.

He is best remembered for his World War Two victory at El Alamein.[1] Montgomery's father became Bishop of Tasmania in 1889, and Bernard spent his formative years there.[2]

Quick Facts

Nickname
"Monty"
Born
17 November 1887
Birthplace
Kennington, Surrey, England, UK
Died
24 March 1976
Place of death
Alton, Hampshire, England, UK
Burial place
Holy Cross Churchyard, Binsted, Hampshire
Allegiance
United Kingdom
Branch
British Army

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

In October 1889, his parents arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, with five young children including two-year-old Bernard.[3] During the First World War, he was shot through the right lung by a sniper and later hit once more in the knee, but survived.[4][5] The IRA commander gave Montgomery an ultimatum to leave the town in 10 minutes, and Montgomery led his troops out after realizing his precarious position.[1][6] Montgomery's training paid off when the Germans invaded the Low Countries in May 1940, and his 3rd Division advanced to its planned position near Leuven.[7]

Bernard later described himself as "a dreadful little boy" and acknowledged that the affectionless upbringing turned him into a bully.[8]

What the cited sources add

Montgomery initially wore a broad-brimmed Australian hat which blew off whenever he looked out to observe his troops, according to a 2013 obituary of his driver Jim Fraser.[9] The school in Hobart was founded on October 3, 1892, with an initial enrolment of six girls and six boys, one being the mischievous Bernard.[3] Montgomery's superiors had specifically prohibited launching an attack on the IRA.[1] According to an obituary, Jim Fraser offered Montgomery the black beret while driving him on an inspection tour.[10]

References

  1. Bielenberg, "The story behind Monty's Macroom Castle standoff with the IRA", 5 May 2022. facts only, no text reused. rte.ie
  2. Wikipedia, "Bernard Montgomery" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hamilton 1981, p. 3, 12 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. "The Suffolk nun charged with teaching one of the world's most controversial military leaders", The Great British Life, 11 March 2020. facts only, no text reused. greatbritishlife.co.uk
  4. Wikipedia, "Bernard Montgomery" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; ; ; ; Doherty 2004, p. 19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Bernard Montgomery" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Doherty 2004, p. 19 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Bernard Montgomery" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bielenberg, "The story behind Monty's Macroom Castle standoff with the IRA", 5 May 2022 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Bernard Montgomery" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bond, "Britain, France, and Belgium, 1939–1940", Brassey's (UK), 1990, p. 44; Mead 2015, p. 39; Mead 2015, p. 39 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Bernard Montgomery" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hamilton 1981, p. 3, 12; "The Suffolk nun charged with teaching one of the world's most controversial military leaders", The Great British Life, 11 March 2020 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "Jim Fraser obituary", The Guardian, 27 May 2013. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
  10. Wikipedia, "Bernard Montgomery" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Jim Fraser obituary", The Guardian, 27 May 2013; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Bernard Montgomery (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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