Bernard Montgomery was born on 17th November 1887 in St Mark's Vicarage, Kennington, London, England, United Kingdom. He was the third son of Reverend (later Bishop Sir) Henry Montgomery and his wife, Maud Farrar. [1] [2] [3] In 1889, the family voyaged to the Colony of Tasmania (Australia) [4] where Bernard's father held the post of Bishop of Tasmania until 1901. Bernard was educated at St Paul's School and Sandhurst Military Academy.
Montgomery served in India before being sent to France at the beginning of the First World War. He was seriously wounded when he was shot in the chest in October 1914.
After the war, Montgomery remained in the British Army and in 1926 became an instructor at Camberley. In 1927, he met Elizabeth 'Betty' Carver, née Hobart, sister of the future Second World War commander Major General Sir Percy Hobart. The couple married in 1927 in Brentford, London. [5] Betty had two sons in their early teens, John and Dick, from her first marriage to Oswald Carver. Montgomery's son, David, was born in August 1928. While on holiday in Burnham-on-Sea in 1937, Betty suffered an insect bite which became infected, and she died in her husband's arms from septicaemia following amputation of her leg. The loss devastated Montgomery, who was then serving as a Brigadier.
Promoted to the rank of Major General, he was sent to command British forces Palestine in October 1938. As the Second World War began, he was put in charge of the British Expeditionary Force. By 1942 he was in North Africa commanding the South-Eastern Army, fighting against Rommel's Afrika Korps. He was then placed in command of the 8th Army.
Victorious in Africa, Montgomery, led the invasion of Italy on 3rd September 1943. When he landed at Reggio he initially experienced little resistance and later that day British warships landed the 1st Parachute Division at Taranto. Six days later the US 6th Corps arrived at Salerno.
Montgomery felt he was better qualified than Eisenhower to command the invasion of Normandy. However, as the United States provided most of the men, material and logistical support, Prime Minister Winston Churchill was unable to have the decision changed. After the failure of Operation Market Garden, planned by Montgomery, he began to question the overall European Theatre strategy developed by Eisenhower and as a result of comments made at a press conference he gave on 7th January 1945, he was severely rebuked by Churchill. He came close to being sacked, but was allowed to remain in Europe and at the end of the war was appointed Commander in Chief of the British Army of Occupation.
In 1946 Montgomery was granted a peerage as Viscount Montgomery of Alamein.
Aged 88 years, he passed away on 24th March 1976 in Alton, Hampshire, England. He was succeeded as 2nd Viscount Montgomery of Alamein by David.
He was buried in Holy Cross Churchyard, Binsted, East Hampshire District, Hampshire, England
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M > Montgomery > Bernard Law Montgomery
Categories: Featured Military | British Army Generals | Southwick Park | Royal Military Academy Sandhurst | Freemen of Portsmouth | Example Profiles of the Week | Featured Connections Archive 2021 | Viscounts Montgomery of Alamein | England, Notables | Notables
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