I must start by expressing my deep gratitude to David Montgomery. Not only has he written a very generous Foreword, but, in spite of some misgivings about whether there was anything new to write about his father, he has been totally supportive throughout. He covered some of the same ground himself in the book he wrote in association with Alistair Horne – The Lonely Leader – so was an excellent sounding board. He had also met many of those I was writing about and, to my great envy, had visited every one of the twenty-seven sites of Monty’s Tac HQ in North-West Europe.
The whole idea for the book came about when I was offered access to the papers of General Sir Charles Richardson, through the good offices of my daughter-in-law, Constance, who is Richardson’s step-granddaughter. I must thank her uncle, Martin Richardson, for allowing me to take away the papers, including those which were used for his biography of Freddie de Guingand, together with recordings of interviews. Many of the photographs come from his collection.
I am very grateful to Lady Mather, whom I was able to interview, and to her son, Nicholas, who allowed me access to the diaries of his father, Carol Mather, and to the tapes of an interview he had given. I was particularly privileged to meet Major Sir Hereward Wake, the last of the LOs. Not only did Toby Wake give me what turned out to be a fascinating interview, but my visit prompted him into writing down for the first time his wartime memories, including his selection and employment by Monty.
The man who was physically the closest to Monty for the longest time – from November 1942 until July 1946 – was one of his ADCs, Johnny Henderson. Johnny’s sons, Nicky and Harry, were most helpful, and Harry provided many of the photos in the book and some papers which were not otherwise in the main part of the Henderson collection at Eton College. At Eton I was greatly assisted by Michael Meredith, whilst Denise D’Armi facilitated the copying of further photos.
I never fail to be impressed by the National Archives, whose staff are the epitome of efficiency. I would also like to thank the staff at the Liddell Hart Archives for their assistance. Because the Montgomery Papers and the recordings of interviews are substantially in the Imperial War Museum, I spent more time researching there than anywhere else. Notwithstanding the enormous disruption caused by the museum being closed for refurbishment through much of the period, the Research Room remained open throughout, on the main site or in temporary premises, and the staff were unfailingly helpful. I must express my gratitude to Nigel Hamilton, who interviewed all the key members of the Eighth Army and 21st Army Group staff for his three-volume biography of Monty and deposited the tapes at the IWM.
I am most grateful for the support of Pen & Sword, particularly Brigadier Henry Wilson and Matt Jones, and for the light but expert touch of my editor, George Chamier. Finally, and as always, I would like to thank my wife, Sheelagh, and my sons, Tim and Rupert, for their constant encouragement. Rupert read and commented on the drafts of each chapter as they emerged and reduced to a minimum my tendency to prolixity!