Editing Bernard Montgomery (section)

==First World War==
[[File:Montgomery First World War.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Captain Bernard Montgomery (right) with Brigadier-General [[James Walter Sandilands|J. W. Sandilands]], commander of the [[104th Brigade (United Kingdom)|104th Brigade]], [[35th Division (United Kingdom)|35th Division]]. Montgomery served as brigade major with the 104th Brigade from January 1915 until early 1917.]]

The [[World War I|Great War]] began in August 1914 and Montgomery moved to France with his battalion that month, which was at the time part of the [[10th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|10th Infantry Brigade]] of the [[4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|4th Division]] of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF).<ref name=heath213/> He was promoted  to [[Temporary gentlemen|temporary]] [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 14 September.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29914|page=3082|date=26 March 1915|supp=y}}</ref> He saw action at the [[Battle of Le Cateau]] that month and during the retreat from [[Battle of Mons|Mons]].<ref name=heath213/> At [[Méteren]], near the Belgian border at [[Bailleul, Nord|Bailleul]] on 13 October 1914, during an [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] counter-offensive, he was shot through the right [[human lung|lung]] by a sniper.<ref name=heath213/> Lying in the open, he remained still and pretended to be dead, in the hope that he would not receive any more enemy attention.{{sfn|Doherty|2004|p=19}} One of his men did attempt to rescue him but was shot dead by a hidden enemy sniper and collapsed over Montgomery. The sniper continued to fire and Montgomery was hit once more, in the knee,<ref name="biermansmith"/> but the dead soldier, in Montgomery's words, "received many bullets meant for me."{{sfn|Doherty|2004|p=19}} Assuming them to both be dead, the officers and men of Montgomery's battalion chose to leave them where they were until darkness arrived and stretcher bearers managed to recover the two bodies, with Montgomery by this time barely clinging on to life. The doctors at the advanced dressing station (ADS), too, had no hope for him and ordered a grave to be dug. Miraculously, however, Montgomery was still alive and, after being placed in an ambulance and then being sent to a hospital, was treated and eventually evacuated to England, where he would remain for well over a year.{{sfn|Doherty|2004|p=20}} He was appointed a Companion of the [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO), for his gallant leadership during this period: the citation for this award, published in ''[[The London Gazette]]'' in December 1914 reads:

{{Blockquote|Conspicuous gallant leading on 13th October, when he turned the enemy out of their trenches with the bayonet. He was severely wounded.<ref name="DSO">{{London Gazette |issue=28992 |page=10188 |date=1 December 1914}}</ref>}}

After recovering in early 1915, he was appointed [[brigade major]],<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=29080|page=1833|date=23 February 1915}}</ref> first of the [[112th Brigade (United Kingdom)|112th Infantry Brigade]], and then with [[104th Brigade (United Kingdom)|104th Infantry Brigade]], then training in [[Lancashire]].<ref name=heath214>{{harvnb|Heathcote|1999|p=214}}</ref> He returned to the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in early 1916 with his brigade, seeing service with it during the [[Battle of the Somme]] later in the year. In January 1917 he was assigned as a [[Staff (military)|general staff officer, grade 2]] (GSO2)<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29958|page=1879|date=23 February 1917}}</ref> with the [[33rd Division (United Kingdom)|33rd Division]] and took part in the [[Battle of Arras (1917)|Battle of Arras]] in April{{ndash}}May.<ref name=heath214/> In July he transferred over as a GSO2 to [[IX Corps (United Kingdom)|IX Corps]], part of [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[Herbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer|Sir Herbert Plumer]]'s [[Second Army (United Kingdom)|Second Army]].<ref name=heath214/>

[[File:The Hundred Days Offensive, August-november 1918 Q11428.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|The Minister of Munitions, [[Winston Churchill]], watching the march past of the 47th (2nd London) Division in the Grande Place, Lille, France, October 1918. In front of him is the 47th Division's GSO1, Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Montgomery.]]

It was in this role that Montgomery served at the [[Battle of Passchendaele]] which began in late July 1917. He was promoted to the temporary rank of [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] in February 1918,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30621|page=4373|date=9 April 1918|supp=y}}</ref> and brevet major in June.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30716|page=6456|date=31 May 1918|supp=y}}</ref> He finished the war in November 1918 as GSO1 (effectively [[chief of staff]]) of the [[47th (1/2nd London) Division|47th (2nd London) Division]],<ref name=heath214/> with the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel, to which appointment and rank he had been assigned to on 16 July.<ref>{{London Gazette| issue=30884|page=10505|date=3 September 1918|supp=y}}</ref> A photograph from October 1918, reproduced in many biographies, shows the then unknown Lieutenant-Colonel Montgomery standing in front of [[Winston Churchill]] (then the [[Minister of Munitions]]) at the parade following the liberation of [[Lille]].<ref>Horne, Photo Plate No. 1 after p. 100</ref>

Montgomery was profoundly influenced by his experiences during the war, in particular by the leadership, or rather the lack of it, being displayed by the senior commanders. He later wrote:

{{Blockquote|There was little contact between the generals and the soldiers. I went through the whole war on the Western Front, except during the period I was in England after being wounded; I never once saw the British Commander-in-Chief, neither [[John French, 1st Earl of Ypres|French]] nor [[Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig|Haig]], and only twice did I see an Army Commander.

The higher staffs were out of touch with the regimental officers and with the troops. The former lived in comfort, which became greater as the distance of their headquarters behind the lines increased. There was no harm in this provided there was touch and sympathy between the staff and the troops. This was often lacking. At most large headquarters in back areas the doctrine seemed to me to be that the troops existed for the benefit of the staff. My war experience led me to believe that the staff must be the servant of the troops, and that a good staff officer must serve his commander and the troops but himself be anonymous.

The frightful casualties appalled me. The so-called "good fighting generals" of the war appeared to me to be those who had a complete disregard for human life. There were of course exceptions and I suppose one such was Plumer; I had only once seen him and had never spoken to him.<ref>''The Memoirs of Field Marshal Montgomery'' (1958) p. 35</ref>}}