Surrender of The Germans to Field Marshall Montgomery in 1945

As so many of you readers out there know, I love British history and I was utterly amazed at the quality of these 64 (and a bit!) year old photos of Field Marshall Montgomery talking to some high ranking German officers on the day that the enemy surrendered to the allies.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1213856/Uncovered-The-worlds-colour-pictures-Germans-World-War-Two-surrender–taken-clerk-hiding-tree.html

This holds particular interest for me as my father, although a low ranking soldier, was the body guard for a high ranking officer and had the fortune (or misfortune!) to meet Montgomery.  Monty certainly had the gift of the gab, was able to boost the morale of his troops and was able to communicate officiously but diplomatically with enemy officers, so he was superb at his job.

However, my father witnessed another side to him.  Towards the end of the war, Dad (together with the officer he was protecting) were camping in an orchard in France.  Monty visited for a meeting and his men duly set up a tent for him.  The meeting took place, all retired to their respective tents for the night but, round about dawn, the farmer in whose orchard they were camping, let his donkey out into a neighbouring field where it decided to do an extremely bad impression of a cockerel – it brayed until it almost made itself hoarse (or should that be horse!).  After about half an hour, Monty decided that something had to be done so he charged my father and one of his own men to go into the field and shoot the offending beast to enable him to get his full quota of beauty sleep.  Dad took up his pistol and went into the field but, being a complete softy, didn’t have the heart to shoot the poor thing so, being ever resourceful, he and his ‘mate’ led the donkey back to the farm and paid the farmer to put the donkey back in its stable for a few more hours until the complainant had moved on.  Dad promised he’d go back and let the farmer know when the silly ass could be released back into his field.

Monty never knew although Dad’s commanding officer did.  However, as Dad and this officer had built up a good understanding of each other over the years, nothing was said to Monty but the officer did ‘happen to mention’ to Dad that he could have been in some trouble as he’d failed to carry out a direct order!!!!  I wonder how many other low ranking Tommies had ignored direct orders from Monty?!