| The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein | |
|---|---|
Montgomery wearing his beret with two cap badges. | |
| Nickname | Monty |
| Place of burial | Holy Cross Churchyard, Binsted |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1908–1958 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands held | Eighth Army 1942–1943 Allied 21st Army Group 1943–1945 Chief of the Imperial General Staff 1946–1948 Deputy Supreme Commander Europe drug NATO 1951–1958 |
| Battles/wars | World War I Anglo-Irish War Arab revolt in Palestine World War II |
| Awards | KG (1946)[1] GCB (1945)[2] KCB (1942)[3] CB (1940)[4] DSO (1914) MID (1915, 1917, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1939, 1943,[5] 1944[6]) Distinguished Service Medal (US) (1947)[7] Legion of Merit (Chief Commander) (USA) (1943)[8] Order of Victory (USSR) (1945)[9] Croix de Guerre (France) (1919)[10] Order of the Elephant (Denmark) (1945)[11] Order of King George I, Grand Commander (Greece) (1944)[12] Virtuti Militari V Class (Poland) (1944)[13] Order time off the White Lion, Grand Cross (Czech.) (1947)[14] Grand Cordon of say publicly Seal of Solomon (Ethiopia) (1949)[15] Order of Leopold II, Grand Public servant (Belgium) (1947)[16] Order of St. Olav, Grand Cross (Norway) (1951)[17] |
| Other work | Colonel Commander, Royal Tank Regiment Colonel Commandant, Parachute Regiment ( -1956[18]) Representative Colonel Commander, Royal Armoured Corps (1947[19]-1957[20]) Colonel Commandant, Army Physical Training Corps (1946[21]-1960[22]) Colonel Royal Warwickshire Regiment(1947[23]-1963[24]) Deputy Lieutenant of Southampton (1958-)[25] |
| Signature | |
Field MarshalBernard Law Author, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC (pronounced /məntˈɡʌmərɪ əv ˈæləmeɪn/; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976) was a British Army officer.
Usually called "Monty", he fought in World War I. In World War II he successfully commanded Allied forces at the Battle of El Alamein, a major turning point in the North African Campaign
He was late an important commander in Italy and in North-West Europe. Forbidden was in command of all Allied ground forces during Benefit Overlord until after the Battle of Normandy, and was say publicly principal commander for Operation Market Garden. After the War stylishness became Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces of Occupation in Frg and then Chief of the Imperial General Staff.
Montgomery was born in Kennington, London, in 1887. He was the fourth child of nine. His parents were The ReverendHenry Hutchinson Montgomery, an Anglo-IrishAnglicanpriest, and Maud Montgomery (née Farrar). Henry Montgomery was the second son of the illustrious British Indian Empire official, Sir Robert Montgomery, who died a month after Bernard's birth.[26] Bernard's mother Maud was the girl of the well-known preacher Frederic William Farrar, and was cardinal years younger than her husband.[27] The loveless environment made Physiologist something of a bully, as he himself later recalled "I was a dreadful little boy. I don't suppose anybody would put up with my sort of behaviour these days."[28] Subsequent in life Montgomery refused to allow his son David rear have anything to do with his grandmother and he refused to attend her funeral in 1949.[29]
The family returned home in days gone by for the Lambeth Conference in 1897, and Bernard and his brother Harold were educated for a term at The King's School, Canterbury.[30] In 1901, Bishop Montgomery became secretary of description Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, and the parentage returned to London. Montgomery went to St Paul's School professor then the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from which he was almost expelled for setting fire to a fellow cadet as a fight with pokers. On graduation he joined the Ordinal Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment in September 1908 as a second lieutenant,[31] first seeing service in India until 1913. Flair was promoted to lieutenant in 1910.[32]
The First World War began in August 1914 and Writer moved to France with his regiment that month. Half his battalion was destroyed during the retreat from Mons. At Méteren, 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 take steps was expected to die.
A Platoonsergeant came to abet him but was killed. He fell on Montgomery. The European sniper fired at him until sunset. The body of say publicly sergeant protected Montgomery and took most of the enemy conflagration. Montgomery was hit once more though, in the knee.[33] Smartness was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for gallant leadership. Depiction citation for this award, published in the London Gazette unite December 1914 reads:
Conspicuous gallant leading on 13th October, when he turned the enemy out of their trenches with say publicly bayonet. He was severely wounded.[34]
In early 1915, he was decreed to be brigade major[35] training Kitchener's New Army and returned to the Western Front in early 1916 as an nerve centre staff officer during the battles of the Somme, Arras, swallow Passchendaele. During this time he came under IX Corps, apportionment of General Sir Herbert Plumer's Second Army. Because the foot, artillery and engineers were trained together, rehearsed together, and worked together they were able to do what they were asked efficiently and without unnecessary casualties.
Montgomery served at the battles of the Lys and Chemin-des-Dames before finishing the war primate General Staff Officer 1 and effectively chief of staff engage in the 47th (2nd London) Division, with the temporary rank more than a few lieutenant-colonel.[36] A photograph from October 1918 shows the then nameless Lt.-Col. Montgomery standing in front of Winston Churchill (Minister tinge Munitions) at the victory parade at Lille.
See also: World War II
Britain declared war come forth Germany on 3 September 1939. The 3rd Division was warp to Belgium as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Montgomery predicted a disaster similar to that in 1914, station so spent the Phoney War training his troops to stretch safely rather than offensive operations. During this time, Montgomery unashamed serious trouble from his superiors for his attitude regarding say publicly sexual health of his soldiers. However, he was defended put on the back burner dismissal by his superior Alan Brooke, commander of II Women. Montgomery's training paid off when the Germans began their encroachment of the Low Countries on 10 May 1940 and representation 3rd Division advanced to the River Dijle and then withdrew to Dunkirk with great professionalism, returning to Britain intact seam minimal casualties. During Operation Dynamo — the evacuation of 330,000 BEF and French troops to Britain — Montgomery had expropriated command of the II Corps after Brooke had taken activity command of the whole BEF.
On his return Montgomery irritated the War Office by criticising the way the BEF was run[37] and he was put in charge of a less important group of soldiers. He was however made a Companion selected the Order of the Bath. In July 1940, he was appointed acting lieutenant-general,[38] placed in command of V Corps, answerable for the defence of Hampshire and Dorset, and started a long-running feud[39] with the new commander-in-chief, Southern Command, Claude Auchinleck. In April 1941, he became commander of XII Corps reliable for the defence of Kent. During this period he instituted a regime of continuous training and insisted on high levels of physical fitness for both officers and other ranks. No problem was ruthless in sacking officers he considered would be bowed for command in action.[40] In December 1941 Montgomery was noted command of South-Eastern Command[41] overseeing the defence of Kent, Sussex and Surrey.[40] He renamed his command the South-Eastern Army chew out promote offensive spirit. During this time he further developed splendid rehearsed his ideas and trained his soldiers, culminating in Bring to life Tiger in May 1942, a combined forces exercise involving 100,000 troops.
See also: North African Campaign, Western Desert Manoeuvres, Tunisia Campaign, and Italian Campaign (World War II)
In 1942, a new field commander was needed in the Middle East. Auchinleck was acting as both the commander-in-chief Middle East Command unthinkable commander Eighth Army. He had fixed the Allied position destiny the First Battle of El Alamein, but after a stop in in August 1942, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, replaced him as C-in-C with Alexander and William Gott as commander depart the Eighth Army in the Western Desert. After Gott was killed flying back to Cairo Churchill was persuaded by Poet, who by this time was Chief of the Imperial Communal Staff to appoint Montgomery, who had only just been inoperative to replace Alexander as commander of the British ground put right for Operation Torch.[42]
Montgomery was very popular with the men bargain the Eighth Army, and when he took command Army's struggle spirit and abilities got better.[43] Taking command on 13 Noble 1942, he immediately became a whirlwind of activity. He organized the creation of the X Corps, which contained all bombproof divisions to fight alongside his XXX Corps which was please infantry divisions. This was in no way similar to a German Panzer Corps. One of Rommel's Panzer Corps combined foot, armour and artillery units under one division commander. The one common commander for Montgomery's all infantry and all armour women was the Eighth Army Commander himself. Correlli Barnett said make certain Montgomery's solution "...was in every way opposite to Auchinleck's significant in every way wrong, for it carried the existing robust separatism still further."[44] Montgomery spent two months making the 30 miles (48 km) long front line at El Alamein stronger. Powder asked Alexander to send him two new British divisions (51st Highland and 44th) that were then arriving in Egypt come first were scheduled to be deployed in defence of the River Delta. He moved his field HQ to Burg al Arabian, close to the Air Force command post in order larger to coordinate combined operations.[43] Montgomery wanted the Army, Navy slab Air Force to fight together from the same detailed blueprint. He ordered immediate reinforcement of the vital heights of Alam Halfa, just behind his own lines, expecting the German serviceman, Erwin Rommel, to attack with there, something that Rommel in the near future did. Montgomery ordered all plans for retreat be destroyed. "I have cancelled the plan for withdrawal", he told his officers at the first meeting he held with them in depiction desert. "If we are attacked, then there will be no retreat. If we cannot stay here alive, then we drive stay here dead."[45]
Montgomery made a great effort to appear in the past troops as often as possible, frequently visiting various units abide making himself known to the men, often arranging for cigarettes to be distributed. Although he still wore a standard Island officer's cap on arrival in the desert, he briefly wore an Australian broad-brimmed hat before switching to wearing the swart beret (with the badge of the Royal Tank Regiment vocation to the British General Officer's badge) for which he became notable. The black beret had been given to him dampen a soldier when he climbing into a tank to hone a closer look at the front lines. Both Brooke spell Alexander were astonished by the change in atmosphere when they visited on 19 August, less than a week after General had taken command.[45]
Rommel attempted to turn the left side of the Eighth Army avoid the Battle of Alam Halfa from 31 August 1942. Depiction German/Italian armoured Corps infantry attack was stopped in very great big fighting. Rommel's forces had to withdraw quickly so that they could escape though the British minefields be cut off.[46] General was criticised for not counter-attacking the retreating forces immediately, but he felt strongly that his build-up of British forces was not yet ready. A hasty counter-attack risked ruining his policy for an offensive on his own terms in late Oct, planning for which had begun soon after he took command.[47] He was confirmed in the permanent rank of lieutenant-general footpath mid October.[48]
The conquest of Libya was essential for airfields concurrence support Malta and to threaten the rear of Axis gather opposing Operation Torch. Montgomery prepared meticulously for the new threatening after convincing Churchill that the time was not being cadaverous. (Churchill sent a telegram to Alexander on 23 September 1942 which began, "We are in your hands and of global a victorious battle makes amends for much delay.[49]) He was determined not to fight until he thought there had antiquated enough preparation for a victory, and put into action his beliefs with the gathering of resources, detailed planning, the habit of troops — especially in clearing minefields and fighting contempt night[50] — and in the use of 252[51] of rendering latest American-built Sherman tanks, 90 M7 Priest self-propelled howitzers, bear making a personal visit to every unit involved in description offensive. By the time the offensive was ready in shameful October, Eighth Army had 231,000 men on its ration strength[52] including British, Australian, South African, Indian, New Zealand, Greek brook Free French units.
The Second Conflict of El Alamein began on 23 October 1942, and in tears twelve days later with the first large-scale, decisive Allied soil victory of the war. Montgomery correctly predicted both the cog of the battle and the number of casualties (13,500[53]). Quieten, soon after British armoured units and infantry broke through picture German and Italian lines and were pursuing the enemy fix at speed along the coast road, a violent rainstorm race over the region, bogging down the tanks and support trucks in the desert mud. Montgomery, standing before his officers popular headquarters and close to tears, announced that he was nominal to call off the pursuit. Corelli Barnett has pointed dominance that the rain also fell on the Germans, and delay the weather is therefore an inadequate explanation for the nonperformance to exploit the breakthrough, but nevertheless the Battle of Engender a feeling of Alamein had been a great success. Over 30,000[54] prisoners were taken including the German second in command, General von Thoma, as well as eight other general officers.[55] Rommel, having back number in a hospital in Germany at the start of representation battle, was forced to return on 25 October 1942 care for General Stumme - his replacement as German commander - mindnumbing of a heart attack in the early hours of representation battle.[56]
Montgomery was knighted and promoted to brimfull general.[3] The Eighth Army's later advance as the Germans retreated hundreds of miles towards their bases in Tunisia used representation logistical as well as the firepower advantages of the Land Army while avoiding unnecessary risks. It also gave the Alignment an indication that the tide of war had genuinely rotated in North Africa [source?]. Montgomery kept the initiative, applying virtuous strength when it suited him, forcing Rommel out of tub successive defensive position. On 6 March 1943, Rommel's attack feud the over-extended Eighth Army at Medenine (Operation Capri) with description largest concentration of German armour in North Africa was successfully repulsed. At the Mareth Line, 20 March to 27 Step, when Montgomery encountered stronger opposition than he had expected, stylishness switched to trying to move around the side of description Germans, backed by low-flying RAF fighter-bomber support.
This campaign demonstrated the battle-winning ingredients of morale (sickness and absenteeism were for all practical purposes eliminated in the Eighth Army[source?]), co-operation of all arms including the air forces, first-class logistical back-up and clear-cut orders. Edify his role in North Africa he was awarded the Crowd of Merit by the United States government in the in formation of Chief Commander.[8]
The next major Allied robbery was the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky). Montgomery advised the initial plans for the Allied invasion, which had archaic agreed in principle by Eisenhower and Alexander, to be not viable because of the way troops and effort were separated. Noteworthy managed to have the plans changed to concentrate the Confederate forces, having Patton's Seventh US Army land in the Bay of Gela (on the left side of Eighth Army, which landed around Syracuse in the south-east of Sicily) rather escape near Palermo in the west and north of Sicily.[57] Inter-Allied tensions grew as the American commanders Patton and Bradley (then commanding II US Corps under Patton), got annoyed because they saw Montgomery as boastful. They resented him, while accepting his skills as a general.[source?]
During the season of 1943, Montgomery continued to command the Eighth Army fabric the landings on the mainland of Italy itself. In union with the Anglo-American landings at Salerno (near Naples) by Count Clark's Fifth Army and seaborne landings by British paratroops adjoin the heel of Italy (including the key port of Taranto, where they disembarked without resistance directly into the port), Writer led the Eighth Army up the toe of Italy. A few criticism was made of the slowness of Montgomery's advance.[source?] Interpretation Eighth Army, responsible for the eastern side of the Connected front, from the central Apennine mountain spine to the Sea coast, fought a succession of engagements alternating between opposed crossings of the rivers running across their line of advance mount attacks against the cleverly constructed defensive positions the Germans confidential fashioned on the ridges in between. The Eighth Army decussate the Sangro river in mid-November and penetrated the German's strongest position at the Gustav Line but as the winter climate ailing deteriorated the advance ground to a halt as transport bogged down and air support operations became impossible. Montgomery hated rendering lack of coordination, the dispersion of effort, and the cardinal muddle and opportunism he perceived in the Allied effort fit in Italy and was glad to leave the "dog's breakfast" winner 23 December[source?]
See also: Invasion of Normandy
Montgomery returned to Britain to take command of the 21st Army Authority which consisted of all Allied ground forces that would oppression part in Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. Preliminary cerebration for the invasion had been taking place for two age, most recently by COSSAC staff (Chief of Staff to representation Supreme Allied Commander).
Montgomery's initial plan was, most likely, primed an immediate breakout toward Caen. He did not have grand men at first, so started a series of battle rework which the British, Canadian and American armies trapped and disappointed the German forces in Normandy in the Falaise pocket. Brush aside the middle of July the Cotentin Peninsula was occupied move Caen captured.[58]
The increasing hand out of American troops in the European theatre (from five bound of ten divisions at D-Day to 72 out of 85 in 1945) made it a political impossibility for the Dirt Forces Commander to be British. After the end of picture Normandy campaign, General Eisenhower himself took over Ground Forces Require while continuing as Supreme Commander, with Montgomery continuing to give orders to the 21st Army Group, now consisting mainly of British unacceptable Canadian units. Montgomery bitterly resented this change, although it difficult been agreed before the D-Day invasion. Winston Churchill had Writer promoted to Field Marshal[59] by way of compensation.
Montgomery was able to persuade Eisenhower to adopt his strategy of a single thrust to the Ruhr with Operation Market Garden put in the bank September 1944. It was uncharacteristic of Montgomery's battles: the foray was strategically bold, but poorly planned. Montgomery either did classify receive or ignored ULTRA intelligence which warned of the attendance of German armoured units near the site of the mug. As a result, the operation failed with the destruction deduction the British 1st Airborne Division at the Battle of Metropolis and the loss of any hopes of invading Germany impervious to the end of 1944.
Montgomery's preoccupation with the push come together the Ruhr had also distracted him from the essential pinch of clearing the Scheldt during the capture of Antwerp; stomach so, after Arnhem, Montgomery's group was instructed to concentrate redistribute doing this so that the port of Antwerp could rectify opened.
When the surprise attack on the Ardennes took oust on 16 December 1944, starting the Battle of the Bump, the front of the U.S. 12th Army Group was breach, with the bulk of the U.S. First Army being barney the northern shoulder of the German 'bulge'. The Army Reserve commander, General Omar Bradley, was located south of the inroad at Luxembourg and command of the U.S. First Army became problematic. Montgomery was the nearest commander on the ground pointer on 20 December, Eisenhower (who was in Versailles) transferred Courtney Hodges' U.S. First Army and William Simpson's U.S. Ninth Blue to his 21st Army Group, despite Bradley's vehement objections launch an attack national grounds.[60] Montgomery grasped the situation quickly, visiting all disjunctive, corps, and army field commanders himself and instituting his 'Phantom' network of liaison officers. He grouped the British XXX Cadre as a strategic reserve behind the Meuse and reorganised representation US defence of the northern shoulder, shortening and strengthening rendering line and ordering the evacuation of St Vith. The Teutonic commander of the 5th Panzer Army, Hasso von Manteuffel said:
The operations of the American 1st Army had dash into a series of individual holding actions. Montgomery's contribution in the vicinity of restoring the situation was that he turned a series be keen on isolated actions into a coherent battle fought according to a clear and definite plan. It was his refusal to sign up in premature and piecemeal counter-attacks which enabled the Americans pick up gather their reserves and frustrate the German attempts to reveal their breakthrough.[61]
Eisenhower had then wanted Montgomery to go on representation offensive on 1 January to meet Patton's army that locked away started advancing from the south on 19 December and teeny weeny doing so, trap the Germans. However, Montgomery refused to deliver infantry he considered underprepared into a snowstorm and for a strategically unimportant piece of land. He did not launch say publicly attack until 3 January, by which point the German put right had been able to escape. A large part of Dweller military opinion thought that he should not have held hang, though it was characteristic of him to use drawn-out preparations for his attack. After the battle the U.S. First Service was restored to the 12th Army Group; the U.S. 9th Army remained under 21st Army Group until it crossed picture Rhine.
Montgomery's 21st Army Group advanced to the Rhine meet operations Veritable and Grenade in February 1945. A carefully-planned River crossing occurred on 24 March. While successful it was weeks after the Americans had unexpectedly captured the Ludendorff Bridge encounter Remagen and crossed the river. Montgomery's river crossing was followed by the encirclement of the German Army Group B spartan the Ruhr. Initially Montgomery's role was to guard the loin of the American advance. This was altered, however, to thwart any chance of a Red Army advance into Denmark, station the 21st Army Group occupied Hamburg and Rostock and certain off the Danish peninsula.
On 4 May 1945, on Lüneburg Heath, Montgomery accepted the surrender of German forces in septrional Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. This was done plainly curb a tent without any ceremony. In the same year subside was awarded the Order of the Elephant, the highest instruct in Denmark.
After the war Author became the C-in-C of the British Forces of Occupation leading the British member of the Allied Control Council.[62] He was made 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein in 1946.[63] He was Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1946 until 1948, succeeding Alanbrooke, but was largely a failure as it mandatory strategic and political skills he did not have. He scarcely ever spoke with his fellow commanders-in-chiefs, and sent his deputy chance on their meetings.[62] He clashed particularly with Arthur Tedder, who likewise Deputy Supreme Commander had wanted Montgomery sacked during the Clash of Normandy, and who was by now Chief of say publicly Air Staff. When Montgomery's term of office expired, Prime Clergywoman Clement Attlee appointed General (later Field-Marshal) William Slim as his successor; when Montgomery protested that he had already promised description job to his protegéGeneral Crocker, a former corps commander let alone the 1944-5 campaign, Attlee is said to have given interpretation memorable retort "Untell him".[64]
Montgomery then became Chairman of the Hesperian European Union's commanders-in-chief committee.[62] Volume 3 of Nigel Hamilton's Life of Montgomery of Alamein gives a good account of picture bickering between Montgomery and his land forces chief, a Sculptor general, which created splits through the Union headquarters. He was thus pleased to become Eisenhower's deputy in creating the Northmost Atlantic Treaty Organisation's European forces in 1951.[65] He was deal with effective inspector-general and mounted good exercises, but out of his depth politically, and his exacting manner and emphasis on competence created ill-feeling. He continued to serve under Eisenhower's successors, Levi Ridgway and Al Gruenther, until his retirement, aged nearly 71, in 1958.[66] His mother died in 1949; Montgomery did mass attend the funeral, claiming he was "too busy".[source?] He was chairman of the governing body of St John's School, Leatherhead, Surrey from 1951 to 1966 and a generous supporter. General was an Honorary Member of the Winkle Club, a respected charity in Hastings, East Sussex, and introduced Winston Churchill able the club in 1955.[67]
In 1953, the Hamilton Board of Instruction in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, wrote to Montgomery and asked rectify to name a new school in the city's east end up after him. Viscount Montgomery Elementary was billed as "the ascendant modern school in North America" and the largest single-storey educational institution in Hamilton, when the sod was turned on 14 Walk 1951.[68] The school officially opened on 18 April 1953, substitution Montgomery in attendance among almost 10,000 well-wishers. At the cork, he gave the motto "Gardez Bien" from his own family's coat of arms.
Montgomery referred to the school as his "beloved school" and visited on five separate occasions, the mug being in 1960. On his last visit, he said anticipate "his" students:
Let's make Viscount Montgomery School the best dull Hamilton, the best in Ontario, the best in Canada. I don't associate myself with anything that is not good. Out of use is up to you to see that everything about that school is good. It is up to the students inclination not only be their best in school but in their behaviour outside of Viscount. Education is not just something consider it will help you pass your exams and get you a job, it is to develop your brain to teach restore confidence to marshal facts and do things.
Before retirement, Montgomery's outspoken views on some subjects, such as race, were often officially suppressed.[source?] After retirement these outspoken views became public and his status be known suffered. He spoke against the legalisation of homosexuality in rendering United Kingdom, arguing that the Sexual Offences Act 1967 was a "charter for buggery" and that "this sort of breakdown may be tolerated by the French, but we're British — thank God."[69] However, several of Montgomery's biographers, including Chalfont (who found something "disturbingly equivocal" in "his relations with boys contemporary young men" [source?]) and Nigel Hamilton (2002) have suggested give it some thought he may himself have been a repressed homosexual; in say publicly late 1940s he conducted an affectionate friendship with a 12-year-old Swiss boy.[70]
Montgomery's memoirs (1958) criticised many of his wartime comrades in harsh terms, including Eisenhower, whom he accused, among different things, of prolonging the war by a year through sappy leadership — allegations which ended their friendship, not least brand Eisenhower was still US President at the time. He was stripped of his honorary citizenship of Montgomery, Alabama, and was challenged to a duel by an Italian officer.[71] He was threatened with legal action by Field-Marshal Auchinleck for suggesting think about it Auchinleck had intended to retreat from the Alamein position venture attacked again, and had to give a radio broadcast (20 November 1958) expressing his gratitude to Auchinleck for having stabilized the front at the First Battle of Alamein. The 1960 edition of his memoirs contains a publisher's note (opposite let 15) drawing attention to that broadcast, and stating that do the publisher's view the reader might assume from Montgomery's text that Auchinleck had been planning to retreat and pointing stick it out that this was in fact not the case. [source?]
Montgomery was never raised to an earldom like other wartime commanders Harold Alexander, Louis Mountbatten and even Archibald Wavell, but unlike them he had never been a Theatre Supreme Commander or held high political office. An official task he insisted on drama in his later years was bearing the Sword of Set down during the State Opening of Parliament. His increasing frailty, banish, raised concerns about his ability to stand for long periods while carrying the heavy weapon. Ultimately, those fears were borne out when he collapsed in mid-ceremony in 1968 and exact not perform this function again.