About This Project:
When I was aged 12 I received a gift of WW2 German and British insignia from a relative who served with the British Eighth Army. This was the proverbial “spark” that ignited a lifelong end enduring interest in military history and launched me into collecting militaria. I have been an ardent collector ever since, and subsequently read history at university and made visits to military museums and historical sites around the world.
Being a lifelong amateur WW2 historian, the reputation of Field Marshal Montgomery (aka “Monty”) frequently appeared when reading about El Alamein, Normandy, Arnhem and the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath. One couldn’t be interested in WW2 and not have an appreciation of him as an important figure in the history of that conflict.
On one of many visits to the Imperial War Museum, I came across artefacts in a display that intrigued me. It was a pair of printed messages, one from Montgomery and another from Eisenhower, to the Allied troops written on the eve of D-Day. I was struck by their eloquence and significance and decided to look on eBay for original examples to buy. I readily found authentic specimens for sale from a source whose father had received them during the war and saved them in an album. Subsequent eBay searches yielded results which showed examples of Monty’s other “personal messages” to the troops (but only one other from Eisenhower, who apparently didn’t believe in regular exhortations of this kind). I became hooked on finding them; and whenever a Monty “personal message” appeared for sale, I bought it. On one occasion I asked the eBay seller: “Do you have other personal messages by Monty?" She said that she did indeed. Her father had been a clerk in the 8th army and had saved 12 messages from his time of service. She and I quickly agreed on a price for the lot, and the beginnings of my serious collection were laid.
For the next 10 years I collected all the “personal messages” I could find. I must admit I wasn’t terribly thorough or systematic about it at first, relying mainly on eBay and the occasional Google searches, but I have since become more systematic. Most of the material I’ve purchased has (unsurprisingly) come from the UK. That being said, I’ve found some interesting (to me) items from all over the world: Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the US. It is pretty incredible how the internet has made collecting much easier in this sense. I’m old enough to remember the pre-internet days of physical catalogs and combing through flea markets and swap meets. Nowadays all one needs is a smartphone! I never tire of the satisfaction and rush of seeing items that I am searching for magically appear for sale appear on my screen.
What hampered my efforts at first was not knowing how many message versions were produced. Hutchinson’s 1946 book “Forward to Victory” reprinted many of the Eighth Army and 21st Army messages. This helped me hone my search. I then happened upon the contemporary “Collection” books produced by Monty’s “Printing and Stationery Services” at the end of the war as souvenirs for headquarters staff and as presentation items for important personages. One book contained the complete collection of Eighth Army messages, the other highlighted those produced during the time of Monty’s command of 21 Army Group. These guided me but both, surprisingly, were incomplete. I have found a few messages that weren’t in either of these “collections”. So far, I have not located a period "collection" book that catalogued his messages for Monty’s command of the British Army of The Rhine. By creating this website, I hope to ultimately create a full catalogue raisonné of sorts of Montgomery’s personal messages from 1942 to 1946.
What started as a passing interest has now grown into a website. I hope you enjoy reviewing the content, the vast majority of which are images of items in my personal collection. I do hope that by sharing the images and content of these letters that it will help those looking to learn more about Montgomery, WW2, leadership and building morale during wartime. I also hope that if readers have original examples of these messages or other communiques that they will share them with me to help me improve the breadth and depth of this site.
Use of the material on this site: I’m sharing, free of charge, this material with you. If you use this in your research, kindly cite this site and the underling sources. It’s only fair and gives credit where credit is due.
Lastly, if you have any Montgomery-related ephemera in your collection or other information on the subject that you wish to share with me I would enjoy hearing from you. You can reach me via the "Contact" section of this site. Thanks for taking a look!
Being a lifelong amateur WW2 historian, the reputation of Field Marshal Montgomery (aka “Monty”) frequently appeared when reading about El Alamein, Normandy, Arnhem and the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath. One couldn’t be interested in WW2 and not have an appreciation of him as an important figure in the history of that conflict.
On one of many visits to the Imperial War Museum, I came across artefacts in a display that intrigued me. It was a pair of printed messages, one from Montgomery and another from Eisenhower, to the Allied troops written on the eve of D-Day. I was struck by their eloquence and significance and decided to look on eBay for original examples to buy. I readily found authentic specimens for sale from a source whose father had received them during the war and saved them in an album. Subsequent eBay searches yielded results which showed examples of Monty’s other “personal messages” to the troops (but only one other from Eisenhower, who apparently didn’t believe in regular exhortations of this kind). I became hooked on finding them; and whenever a Monty “personal message” appeared for sale, I bought it. On one occasion I asked the eBay seller: “Do you have other personal messages by Monty?" She said that she did indeed. Her father had been a clerk in the 8th army and had saved 12 messages from his time of service. She and I quickly agreed on a price for the lot, and the beginnings of my serious collection were laid.
For the next 10 years I collected all the “personal messages” I could find. I must admit I wasn’t terribly thorough or systematic about it at first, relying mainly on eBay and the occasional Google searches, but I have since become more systematic. Most of the material I’ve purchased has (unsurprisingly) come from the UK. That being said, I’ve found some interesting (to me) items from all over the world: Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the US. It is pretty incredible how the internet has made collecting much easier in this sense. I’m old enough to remember the pre-internet days of physical catalogs and combing through flea markets and swap meets. Nowadays all one needs is a smartphone! I never tire of the satisfaction and rush of seeing items that I am searching for magically appear for sale appear on my screen.
What hampered my efforts at first was not knowing how many message versions were produced. Hutchinson’s 1946 book “Forward to Victory” reprinted many of the Eighth Army and 21st Army messages. This helped me hone my search. I then happened upon the contemporary “Collection” books produced by Monty’s “Printing and Stationery Services” at the end of the war as souvenirs for headquarters staff and as presentation items for important personages. One book contained the complete collection of Eighth Army messages, the other highlighted those produced during the time of Monty’s command of 21 Army Group. These guided me but both, surprisingly, were incomplete. I have found a few messages that weren’t in either of these “collections”. So far, I have not located a period "collection" book that catalogued his messages for Monty’s command of the British Army of The Rhine. By creating this website, I hope to ultimately create a full catalogue raisonné of sorts of Montgomery’s personal messages from 1942 to 1946.
What started as a passing interest has now grown into a website. I hope you enjoy reviewing the content, the vast majority of which are images of items in my personal collection. I do hope that by sharing the images and content of these letters that it will help those looking to learn more about Montgomery, WW2, leadership and building morale during wartime. I also hope that if readers have original examples of these messages or other communiques that they will share them with me to help me improve the breadth and depth of this site.
Use of the material on this site: I’m sharing, free of charge, this material with you. If you use this in your research, kindly cite this site and the underling sources. It’s only fair and gives credit where credit is due.
Lastly, if you have any Montgomery-related ephemera in your collection or other information on the subject that you wish to share with me I would enjoy hearing from you. You can reach me via the "Contact" section of this site. Thanks for taking a look!