Man from Great Stukeley served under Monty at D-Day

The men who served under General Sir Bernard Montgomery were ruled with a rod of iron.

Monty – as he was known – had a relentless insistence of physical fitness for the men under his command.

He was said to have a “merciless” attitude to inefficiency which earned him a reputation that many felt they could not live up to.

James Combe, a Canadian NCO, who served on Monty’s staff in 1944, spoke to The Hunts Post in 1994 on the 50th anniversary of D-Day.

James Combe served under General Montgomery at D-Day. (Image: Hunts Post Archive)

His experience adds to what we know abut the man whose military brilliance in battle helped to change the course of history.

“If you made a mistake you were out,” James told reporter Debbie Davies.

“He didn’t suffer fools gladly, said Mr Combe who was living in Great Stukeley in 1994.

When Monty was promoted to Field Marshall, he is reported to have finished his tea with the King, stood up, and said “I must be off sir, I’ve got a few more Germans to dispose of”.

H was a sticker for detail and when he returned to headquarters, everything had to be exactly as he had left it.

Smoking in the mess was forbidden.

Montgomery led his army group in the battle for Germany and, on May 4, 1945, he received the surrender of the German northern armies at Lüneburg Heath.

After the war, Montgomery was created a knight of the Garter and Viscount Montgomery of Alamein.

He commanded the British Army of the Rhine and served as chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1946 to 1948. From 1948 to 1951, he was chairman of the permanent defence organisation of the Western European Union.

In 1951, he became deputy commander of the Supreme Headquarters of NATO, serving for seven years. He died on March 24, 1976.