Miles Dempsey

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Sir Miles Dempsey
Lieutenant General M C Dempsey, Cb, Dso, Mc, Commander in Chief, British Second Army, April 1944 TR1654.jpg
Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey in April 1944
Nickname(s)"Bimbo"
Born(1896-12-15)15 December 1896
New Brighton, Wallasey, Cheshire, England
Died5 June 1969(1969-06-05) (aged 72)
Yattendon, Berkshire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1915–1947
RankGeneral
Service number9391
UnitRoyal Berkshire Regiment
Commands held
Battles/wars
Awards

General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey, GBE, KCB, DSO, MC, DL (15 December 1896 – 5 June 1969) was a senior British Army officer who served in both world wars. During the Second World War he commanded the Second Army in north west Europe. A highly professional and dedicated career soldier who made his reputation in active service, Miles Dempsey was highly thought of by both his superiors and subordinates, most notably Bernard Montgomery, although he remains relatively unknown.

A 1915 graduate of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Dempsey was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Berkshire Regiment. As a junior officer, he fought on the Western Front during the First World War, where he was wounded, and was awarded Military Cross. After the war he served in Iraq during the Iraqi revolt of 1920, Iran during the Russian Civil War, and in India.

During the Second World War Dempsey formed a close relationship with Bernard Montgomery. He commanded the 13th Brigade in the Battle of France in 1940, and then spent the next two years training troops in England. He commanded the Eighth Army's XIII Corps in the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy in 1943. He commanded the Second Army during the Battle of Normandy and made rapid advances in the subsequent campaign in Northern France and Belgium.

After the war he commanded the Fourteenth Army in the Far East, and the Middle East Command during the Greek Civil War and the Palestine Emergency. He retired from active service in 1947, and was involved in horse racing. He bred and raced his own horses, and was Chairman of the Racecourse Betting Control Board from 1947 to 1951.

Early life and military career[]

Miles Christopher Dempsey was born in New Brighton, Wallasey, Cheshire, on 15 December 1896,[1] the third and youngest son of Arthur Francis, a marine insurance broker, and his wife Margaret Maud née De La Fosse, the daughter of Major-General Henry De La Fosse.[2] Dempsey was the descendant of a clan in Offaly and Laois in Ireland.[3] His ancestor Terence O'Dempsey had been knighted on the field of battle by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex on 22 May 1599,[4] and was created Viscount Clanmalier in 1631.[5] Maximilian O'Dempsey, 3rd Viscount Clanmalier, was loyal to the Catholic King James II and, as a result, was attainted, and the family lost all their lands in 1691.[5] Dempsey's branch of the family left Ireland and by the mid-19th century had settled in Cheshire.[2]

When Dempsey was six years old, his father committed suicide, and the family moved to Crawley in Sussex.[2] Dempsey was educated at Shrewsbury School, entering there in 1911, where he captained the first eleven cricket team in the 1914 season when they did not lose a match. He was also a school and house monitor, and played in the second eleven football team. He also attended Officers' Training Corps (OTC) camp at Rugeley with the rank of sergeant. The Great War broke out in August, and in October he left Shrewsbury to enter the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, at the age of 17.[6] He graduated in February 1915 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Berkshire Regiment.[7][8]

Promoted to lieutenant in August 1915,[9] Dempsey attended training courses until he reached the age of 19 and was eligible to serve at the front. He served on the Western Front with the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshires, from June 1916 onwards.[7] The battalion was a regular army unit that, as part of the 6th Brigade of the 2nd Division, had been one of the first units of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to be sent overseas.[10] By the time of Dempsey's arrival the battalion had been transferred to the 99th Brigade of the same division.[11]

Dempsey, serving as a platoon commander in D Company, first saw action during the Battle of Delville Wood in late July 1916, part of the larger Somme offensive. The battalion, although successful in its role, had suffered heavy casualties, including eight officers, and was relieved in the line and saw little further fighting throughout the year. Dempsey was promoted to acting captain and assumed command of D Company, and later B Company. In November the battalion took part in an assault on Munich Trench, near the River Serre. As at Delville Wood earlier in the year, the assault was successful but with heavy losses, although Dempsey again remained unscathed, and soon returned to England for home leave.[12] On 8 February 1917 he became the adjutant of the battalion.[13]

Following attacks near Miraumont and then Oppy, during which Lance Corporal James Welch was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC),[14] the battalion, badly understrength, thereafter remained in a quiet sector of the front for most of the year, and was temporarily merged with the 23rd (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. Dempsey was soon posted as a staff officer at II Corps headquarters (HQ), before returning to the 1st Royal Berkshires, this time in command of A Company. In late November the battalion attacked Bourlon Wood as part of the Battle of Cambrai.[15]

On 12 March 1918, as the Germans prepared to launch their Spring Offensive, they laid down a heavy mustard gas barrage on Dempsey's battalion, which was now at La Vacquerie with Dempsey commanding D Company. Dempsey, along with 10 officers and 250 other ranks, was gassed and later evacuated to England, where he had a lung removed.[16] He returned to the battalion on 6 July, where, with the tide of the war having turned, the 1st Royal Berkshires took part in the Hundred Days Offensive until the war ended on 11 November 1918. Dempsey served as adjutant again from 5 October to 4 November.[13] Dempsey was mentioned in despatches on 8 November 1918,[17][18] and awarded the Military Cross (MC), which was gazetted in the King's Birthday Honours list on 3 June 1919.[19][20]

Between the wars[]

After the war ended the 1st Royal Berkshires served in the Allied occupation of the Rhineland.[21] On 16 February 1919 Dempsey returned to the UK on leave.[13] During the summer he played two first-class cricket matches for Sussex against Oxford University and Northamptonshire.[22] The 1st Battalion was re-formed at Chiseldon Camp in Wiltshire in June 1919.[23] In September it was sent to Iraq, where it helped suppress the Iraqi revolt of 1920. In August 1920, the battalion moved to Iran, where formed part of North Persia Force (Norperforce) in the Russian Civil War.[24][25] While his battalion was stationed in Iran, Dempsey took up Pelmanism. In late 1921 it moved again, this time to Bareilly, India, and Dempsey took over C Company, but in 1922 returned to England for his first leave in almost three years. He went back to India later in the year before returning to England again in 1923, this time to take up an appointment at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[26]

While at Sandhurst Dempsey commanded No. 1 Platoon of No. 1 Company, which was commanded by Major Richard O'Connor, who was later to serve with Dempsey again, under very different circumstances. Dempsey remained in this post, during which, in 1926, he was able to travel around Europe, until 1927, when he returned to regimental duties, returning to his regiment, although he was posted to the 2nd Battalion, then serving in Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Dempsey took over B Company, and spent a large amount of his time travelling, mainly by bicycle, around Europe, visiting old battlefields of old wars, as well as likely scenes of battle in any future conflicts.[27] Between 1926 and 1932, he played Minor Counties Championship cricket for Berkshire.[28] He also played football and hockey.[23]

In January 1930 Dempsey was admitted to the Staff College, Camberley, graduating in December 1931. His fellow students in the Junior Division included numerous future general officers, including William Gott, George Hopkinson, James Steele, George Symes, Maurice Chilton, Walter Mallaby, , Stuart Rawlins, John Nichols and Manley James. The Senior Division attending from 1929 to 1930 included Neil Ritchie, Herbert Lumsden, George Erskine, Ivor Hughes, Reginald Denning, Harold Redman and Ian Playfair, while in Dempsey's second year, the Junior Division, attending from 1931 to 1932, included Brian Horrocks, Sidney Kirkman, Frank Simpson, Joseph Baillon, Arthur Dowler, Thomas Rees, Keith Arbuthnott and Cameron Nicholson. The instructors in Dempsey's first year included Henry Maitland Wilson, George Giffard, John Clark, James Gammell and Trafford Leigh-Mallory. Boy Browning was the college adjutant. Nearly all of these men were to achieve high rank in the upcoming war.[29]

Enjoying his time at the Staff College, Dempsey captained the college cricket team. He also excelled at equitation, beating Gott in the point-to-point competition.[30] Students worked in syndicates; Dempsey's chose to study the August 1914 Battle of Gumbinnen. They toured the battlefield with Hauptmann Anton Reichard von Mauchenheim genannt Bechtolsheim, a German Army officer who had been on two months' secondment to the British Army in 1930. The syndicate noted the influence that poor communications had on the outcome of the battle, and speculated as to how armoured fighting vehicles might have been employed had they existed at the time.[31]

Completion of the course at Camberley was normally followed by a staff posting to allow the graduate to practice his skills, and Dempsey's first posting after Camberley was as a General Staff Officer Grade 3 (GSO3) to the Military Secretary, where he became responsible for the careers of all officers below the rank of colonel, having access to their annual confidential reports.[32] Dempsey, who was promoted to major on 22 September 1932,[33] held this post until late January 1934, when he handed over to Brian Horrocks upon receiving an appointment as brigade major of the 5th Infantry Brigade.[32]

The brigade, commanded by Brigadier Victor Fortune (Francis Nosworthy from 1935), formed part of the 2nd Division, then commanded by Major-General Archibald Wavell, was serving in Aldershot Command and took part in numerous large-scale military manoeuvres throughout Dempsey's time as brigade major and, after handing over again to Brian Horrocks in February 1936, he returned to the 1st Battalion of his regiment, taking command of HQ Company. The battalion, then stationed in Shorncliffe, Kent, was serving as part of the 10th Brigade of the 4th Division, and shortly after Dempsey's return, the battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Eric Miles.[34]

The following year Dempsey attended a brief course at the Senior Officers' School at Sheerness, before being posted to South Africa, where he served as a GSO2 with the Defence Forces of the Union of South Africa at the South African Army College at Roberts Heights near Pretoria, a posting which he enjoyed. Relinquishing that post in late January 1938, he returned to England soon after to succeed Miles as Commanding Officer (CO) of the 1st Battalion, Royal Berkshires,[35] and received a promotion to lieutenant colonel on 11 February 1938.[36] The battalion, still with the 10th Brigade, was both lacking in modern equipment and severely understrength, although, with the possibility of another war in Europe, the situation slowly changed and new equipment and reservists began arriving.[35]

Second World War[]

Belgium and France[]

Brigadier Miles Dempsey and his staff, with their mascot 'Tiny' at Wervicq, France, pictured here in late 1939.

In October 1938 Dempsey's battalion moved to Blackdown Army Camp, transferring from Brigadier Evelyn Barker's 10th Brigade to Brigadier Noel Irwin's 6th Brigade, and becoming part of the 2nd Division once more. Soon after the start of the Second World War in September 1939, Dempsey, with his battalion, was sent to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).[35]

In November Dempsey was promoted to the acting rank of brigadier, and assumed command of the 13th Infantry Brigade in place of Brigadier Henry Willcox, who had been one of Dempsey's instructors at the Staff College in the 1930s. Aged just 42, he was one of the youngest brigadiers in the British Army. The brigade formed part of Major General Harold Franklyn's 5th Division, although the division was still not fully formed and so the brigade was sent to France as an independent formation two months before, and had spent most of its time on guard duties in the BEF's rear areas. The brigade, together with the 15th Infantry Brigade, under Brigadier Horatio Berney-Ficklin, and the 17th Infantry Brigade, under Brigadier Montagu Stopford, re-joined the 5th Division when the division HQ arrived in late December. The 5th Division then became part of Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke's II Corps.[37]

The brigade saw action in May 1940 in the retreat from the River Dyle and fought in the major defensive battle on the River Scarpe. When the Belgian Army surrendered in late May the brigade took part in the holding battle on the Ypres-Comines canal allowing Major General Bernard Montgomery's 3rd Infantry Division to cross their rear and secure the gap created by the Belgian collapse.[38] In the subsequent retreat to Dunkirk the brigade provided part of the rear-guard for the BEF during the Dunkirk evacuation. By the time the 13th Brigade returned to England it was reduced to a strength of less than 500 men, out of an original strength of nearly 3,000.[39] For his services in France, Dempsey was mentioned in despatches and made a companion of the Distinguished Service Order in July 1940,[40][41] which was presented to him by Franklyn.[39] Soon after, Franlkin was replaced by Berney-Ficklin.[42]

The Commander in Chief Home Forces, General Sir Bernard Paget (left) and Dempsey watch 42nd Armoured Division exercises from a Crusader tank

In July 1940 Dempsey took up the appointment of Brigadier General Staff (BGS) to the Canadian Corps, a post he held until 15 June 1941, when he was promoted to the acting rank of major general,[43] and given command of the 46th Division. Four months later he assumed command of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division, which was in the process of converting to an armoured division.[38] This required him to implement a huge training programme. The 125th and 126th Infantry Brigades were converted into the 10th and 11th Armoured Brigades respectively, and their infantry battalions re-roled as regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps. Further challenges were presented in May 1942 when the establishment of British armoured divisions was altered to team an armoured brigade with an infantry brigade instead of having two armoured brigades. The 10th and 11th Armoured Brigades were withdrawn from the division and replaced by 30th Armoured Brigade and 71st Infantry Brigade. By the end of the year Dempsey had become well-versed in the direction of combined armoured and infantry formations as well as an experienced trainer of troops.[44]

Sicily and Italy[]

On 12 December 1942 Dempsey was promoted to lieutenant-general,[45] and assumed command of the XIII Corps of the British Eighth Army in North Africa vice Horrocks, who took over the X Corps, at the request of Montgomery, the Eighth Army commander. In his memoirs, Montgomery wrote that Dempsey had been a student of his when he was an instructor at the Staff College,[46] but his memory was faulty; Montgomery left the Staff College in 1929, and Dempsey did not arrive until 1930.[47]

Dempsey with two of his staff (Major Priestly and Captain Hay) in Sicily in July 1943.

On arrival in Cairo, Dempsey found his corps HQ in reserve because the long lines of communication to Eighth Army's spearhead could only sustain two corps (Horrock's X Corps and Lieutenant-General Oliver Leese's XXX Corps).[44] He was therefore employed in the planning of the Allied invasion of Sicily. The overall plan was developed by a Algiers known as Force 141, under Major-General Charles Gairdner. Dempsey temporarily assumed the role of chief of staff of Force 545, the staff responsible for planning the British Eighth Army's part in the operation, until Major-General Francis de Guingand, the Eighth Army chief of staff, could be spared to take over.[48] Dempsey did not like the plan, which involved separate, dispersed landings. He took his objections to Montgomery on 13 March 1943, and then to Gairdner five days later.[49] De Guingand took over on 17 April, enabling Dempsey to return to command of XIII Corps.[50][51] He discussed the plan with Dempsey, and prepared an appreciation for Montgomery.[52] Montgomery cabled his objections to General Harold Alexander, the 15th Army Group commander, on 24 April. After some debate, the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower accepted Montgomery's revised plan on 3 May.[53][54]

For the invasion of Sicily, Dempsey's XIII Corps had two infantry divisions, the 5th Division under Berney-Ficklin and the 50th Division under Major-General Sidney Kirkman, and Brigadier John Cecil Currie's 4th Armoured Brigade, which had only two armoured regiments,[55] the 44th Royal Tank Regiment and the 3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters).[56] he was also responsible for the 1st Airborne Division, under Major-General George Hopkinson,[55] which would be dropped by parachute and glider just prior to the amphibious landings.[57] The landings on Sicily on 10 July 1943 initially went well, with XIII Corps achieving all its first day objectives, but by 12 July progress slowed after the 5th Division encountered elements of the German Hermann Göring Division. Montgomery and Dempsey attempted to capture Catania using paratroops and commandos. This was only partially successful, and Catania was not taken. Dempsey suggested an amphibious operation, but this was rejected by Montgomery in favour of switching the main axis of the Eighth Army's advance inland to XXX Corps to the west of Mount Etna.[58] On 3 August Dempsey relieved Berney-Ficklin of his command. His performance had impressed neither Dempsey nor Montgomery, and the latter was happy replace him with another protégé, Gerard Bucknall.[59]

Dempsey (right) in Italy with (left to right) Freddie de Guingand, Harry Broadhurst, Bernard Montgomery, Bernard Freyberg and Charles Walter Allfrey

Air Vice Marshal Harry Broadhurst recalled an incident from the campaign:

"Bimbo" Dempsey,[a] who'd then got XIII Corps, they were completely new ... they'd given a bomb line, asked for air support, close support, they were going to attack somewhere. And the Germans withdrew before we got there. So they advanced without bothering to tell us. And we attacked the place they said. And of course it was Dempsey's own troops. So Dempsey was stinkingly rude. Freddie [de Guingand] rang me up and said: "This is terrible, attacked our troops. I thought we had grown out of that. I said, "Well, I'll go into it." And of course Freddie signalled Montgomery. I went into it and found they'd advanced after they'd asked for air support and then forgotten to cancel it. So I rang Freddie up and said, "It's your lot this time, boy." Monty sent for Dempsey. I was there with him. And he lined Dempsey up and gave him the biggest strip I've ever seen a general get... made him apologise.[62]

On 13 August, towards the end of the campaign, Dempsey's XIII Corps HQ was withdrawn to reserve to plan Operation Baytown, Eighth Army's part in the Allied invasion of Italy across the Strait of Messina.[63] The 50th Division was earmarked to return to the UK,[64] and was replaced by the 1st Canadian Division, under the command of Major-General Guy Simonds, whom Dempsey considered a friend. Although surrender negotiations with the Italians were in progress, intelligence on German and Italian dispositions was sketchy, and Dempsey insisted on an adequate number of landing craft being provided, which delayed the operation until 3 September. Although his Corps' landing was unopposed, and subsequent opposition was light, the Germans ensured his progress was slow by destroying bridges and culverts on the only routes through the harsh terrain. It took nearly two weeks to advance more than 300 miles (480 km) to the north to link up with the U.S. Fifth Army landing at Salerno as part of Operation Avalanche.[65] Allied forces then commenced to fight their way northward with Fifth Army to the west and Eighth Army to the east of Italy's Apennine Mountain spine. The corps later took part in the Moro River Campaign but the severe winter weather precluded any further progress.[66]

North Western Europe[]

Dempsey at his desk in April 1944

In Sicily and Italy, Montgomery's faith in Dempsey had proved justified and he had also gained a reputation for his expertise in Combined Operations. This prompted Montgomery, when he left Italy at the end of 1943 to take command of the 21st Army Group for the forthcoming D-Day landings, to select Dempsey to command the Second Army, the main British force involved (although it also included Canadian Army units).[38] Dempsey was not Montgomery's first choice for the assignment; he had recommended that Leese take over the Second Army and Dempsey be given the First Canadian Army. There was no chance that the Canadian government would accept a British officer, and the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, would not countenance it. Command of the First Canadian Army was given to Canadian Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar.[67][68] Leese replaced Montgomery in command of the Eighth Army on Alexander's recommendation,[69] and Dempsey was given the Second Army.[68]

The Second Army made successful assaults at Gold, Juno and Sword beaches on D-Day, 6 June 1944.[70] Dempsey came ashore that evening and established his tactical headquarters (Tac HQ) at Banville. Like Montgomery, he lived at his Tac HQ, where he maintained a small staff with some aides and liaison officers. It had caravans, radios and some vehicles, and could move at short notice. He had a staff car and an Auster light aircraft, which we called his "whizzer", and used them to move about the battlefield. Main HQ moved to Normandy on 12 June, and opened at Creully, where Montgomery had his 21st Army Group HQ. Although usually located further back than Tac HQ, it was it still a field headquarters and did not require accommodation in buildings or fixed signal connections. It contained the operations, intelligence and air support branches.[71]

Dempsey points out a section of the front to Winston Churchill, while Guy Simonds (left) and Montgomery (right) look on.

Where possible, Main HQ was co-located with Broadhurst's No. 83 (Composite) Group RAF and A Squadron of the GHQ Liaison Regiment (known as Phantom). Broadhurst was apprehensive when he found out that he would be Dempsey's opposite number, as their relationship in Italy had been strained, something Broadhurst attributed to Dempsey's inexperience as a corps commander. Broadhurst found that Dempsey had accepted that he had been wrong, and worked on forging the Army and RAF into a successful team. Dempsey seldom made a move without talking to Broadhurst, and the two gradually became friends.[72] Main HQ was presided over by Dempsey's chief of staff, Brigadier Maurice Chilton, who had been part of his syndicate at Camberley. Chilton and Dempsey would meet every day, usually at Tac HQ. He later became Deputy Adjutant General at 21st Army Group HQ,[73] and was replaced by Brigadier Harold "Pete" Pyman on 23 January 1945.[74] Rear HQ was normally situated 10 miles (16 km) or so further back and contained the rest of Second Army HQ. It was presided over by the Quartermaster General, Brigadier Geoffrey Hardy-Roberts. In all, Second Army HQ had a strength of 189 officers and 970 other ranks.[71]

The Battle for Caen degenerated into battle of attrition during which the Anglo-Canadian forces were frustrated by determined German resistance. This fighting drew vital German units including the bulk of their armoured strength to the Caen sector, which facilitated Operation Cobra, the breakout further west by Lieutenant General Omar Bradley's U.S. First Army.[75] Dempsey convinced Montgomery to allow him to make an attempt at a breakthrough using three armoured divisions, assisted heavy bombers dropping 7,000 long tons (7,100 t) of bombs. The result was Operation Goodwood.[76] The result was a costly 7-mile (11 km) advance. Goodwood did succeed in its subsidiary aim of drawing away German reserves from Bradley's front: by 25 July, the Germans had 600 panzers, including all the heavy battalions with Tiger I and Tiger II tanks, opposite the Second Army and just 100 facing the U.S. First Army. But there was no denying that Goodwood had been oversold. There were calls for Montgomery to be sacked, although this was never likely, but little criticism of Dempsey despite him being the architect and directly responsible for some of its tactical flaws. Montgomery took all the heat upon himself, and never tried to shift the blame onto Dempsey.[77]

Dempsey (right) with King George VI (left) and Montgomery.

On 2 August, Dempsey told Montgomery that he was fed up with Bucknall, the XXX Corps commander, and Major-General George Erskine, the commander of the 7th Armoured Division, and wanted to relieve them both. Relief of a corps commander is always a sensitive matter, and Bucknall had been appointed at Montgomery's request despite Brooke's reservations. Montgomery now had to admit to Brooke that he had made a mistake, and that Bucknall was not fit to command a corps in mobile operations after all. Bucknall was replaced by Horrocks.[78] This meant that all four British corps commanders in the 21st Army Group had commanded a corps before Dempsey had, but Horrocks (XXX Corps) and John Crocker (I Corps) had been wounded, Richard O'Connor (VIII Corps) had been a prisoner of war, and Neil Ritchie had been sacked as Eighth Army commander after losing the Battle of Gazala in June 1942.[79][80]

Horrocks wrote of Dempsey:

He was shrewd, he never flapped, and consequently his second Army HQ was highly efficient and devoted to their Commander. I doubt whether anyone else could have worked so harmoniously and successfully with Montgomery as his immediate boss. The two were complementary Montgomery the extrovert, who loved the headlines; Dempsey the introvert, who shunned publicity but got on with the job efficiently without any fuss.[81]

Dempsey is invested with his knighthood in the field by King George VI while Montgomery looks on

The Second Army then made a rapid advance across northern France into Belgium, liberating Brussels and Antwerp in September 1944,[75] Dempsey's Tac HQ moved five times, covering 200 miles (320 km) in eleven days.[82] Second Army took part in Operation Market Garden, the failed attempt to secure an early crossing of the River Rhine in September 1944, which Dempsey believed could not succeed and openly questioned to Montgomery.[83] Dempsey suggested an alternative plan of crossing the Maas near Venlo and the Rhine at Wesel, 40 miles (64 km) closer to Bradley's American armies. According to Dempsey, Montgomery's mind was made up by a signal from London concerning the launching of German V-2 rockets from sites in the Netherlands. Montgomery's arguments were rooted in military strategy, which was Montgomery's responsibility, whereas Dempsey's were based in the Operational level of war, which was his. And too, Montgomery was difficult to argue with because he always employed well-reasoned military logic, and would not be moved by anything but the same. Dempsey did convince Montgomery to enlarge the operation so that while Horrocks's XXX Corps would be the spearhead, it would be accompanied by Ritchie's XII Corps on the left and O'Connor's VIII Corps on the right, and to employ three airborne divisions instead of just one.[84]

Airborne troops secured a succession of canal and river crossings to enable XXX Corps to reach the Nederrijn at Arnhem and wheel right into Germany. Intelligence had not detected the presence of unexpected German formations in the area and resistance proved greater than expected, frustrating XXX Corps attempts to reach its final objective. During the operation, Dempsey, forward near the front with his Tac HQ, witnessed the assault crossing of the Waal by the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division's 504th Parachute Regiment.[85] Impressed, he later wrote that the 82nd was "easily the best division on the Western front".[86] Dempsey met with the 82nd's commander, Brigadier General James M. Gavin, shook him by the hand and said "I am proud to meet the commander of the greatest division in the world today."[87] Dempsey also impressed the American paratroopers with his demeanour. When a paratrooper told him that all the leaders of his squad were dead, Dempsey replied: "You're in charge."[88] Dempsey and Horrocks agreed to terminate the operation and withdraw the 1st Airborne Division from the north bank of the Nederrijn when they judged the operation no longer had any chance of success.[89] On 15 October 1944, during a visit to the Second Army, King George VI invested Dempsey in the field with his award of the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath,[90] which had been gazetted on 27 June.[91]

Crossing the Rhine in March 1945.

The Second Army, with XII and XXX Corps in the vanguard and Guy Simonds's II Canadian Corps under command, and VIII Corps in reserve, eventually crossed the Rhine on 23 March 1945.[92] Dempsey was the first British Army commander to do so. On 7 April 1945, The Illustrated London News carried a full front page of a specially commissioned portrait painting of Dempsey by artist Arthur Pan.[93] In May, Dempsey's men captured Bremen and Kiel. On 3 May, a delegation of senior German officers led by Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg arrived at Dempsey's Tac HQ and after questioning it appeared that Friedeburg was a representative of Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel, who wished to surrender to Montgomery. Dempsey sent them to Montgomery, which led to the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath the next day. In the meantime, Dempsey negotiated the surrender of the Hamburg garrison with Generalmajor Alwin Wolz.[94]

For his services in north west Europe, Dempsey was mentioned in despatches twice more,[95][96] and he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in July 1945.[97] The United States awarded him its Army Distinguished Service Medal,[98] and him made a Commander of the Legion of Merit.[99] The Belgian government awarded him its Croix de guerre with Palm and made him an Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold with Palm,[100] and the Netherlands government made him a Knight Grand Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords.[101]

Far East[]

After the end of World War II in Europe, Dempsey had been nominated to become the commander in chief of British Troops in Austria, but this was abruptly cancelled. On 4 July 1945, Dempsey was summoned to a meeting with Brooke, who informed Dempsey that he was appointed to the command of the British Fourteenth Army in the far East. Brooke was disappointed with Dempsey's attitude.[102] The appointment had come about because Leese, as Commander-in-Chief, Allied Land Forces South East Asia (ALSEA), had unwisely attempted to sideline Lieutenant General Sir William Slim, the Fourteenth Army commander, resulting in Leese's removal and replacement by Slim.[103] Dempsey assumed command of the Fourteenth Army on 10 August.[104] The war ended soon after, and the Fourteenth Army re-occupied British Malaya. Operation Zipper, the planned amphibious landing, was carried out anyway. Dempsey was extremely critical of its poor planning, which would have led to disaster under wartime conditions. Within South East Asia Command there were 122,700 British Commonwealth and Dutch prisoners of war that had to be repatriated, and 733,000 Japanese soldiers.[105] The Fourteenth Army ceased to exist on 1 November, and part of its headquarters was used to form that of Malaya Command, with Dempsey in command and his headquarters at Kuala Lumpur. On 8 November he handed over to Lieutenant General Sir Frank Messervy, and replaced Slim, who returned to the UK, as Commander-in-Chief of ALSEA.[106]

Post-war career[]

On 19 April 1946, Dempsey was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Middle East Command.[107] Initially, his main concern was the Greek Civil War. This abated after the end of 1946, allowing British troops to be withdrawn and the commitment handed over to the Americans.[108] The other major concern was the Palestine Emergency. The British Army became involved in a full-scale counterinsurgency. Dempsey advised Montgomery, who was now the CIGS, that if the government was not willing to commit the resources required, then it should contemplate withdrawal from Mandatory Palestine. The experience left Dempsey with a distaste for the role of senior officer in peacetime.[109] He was made acting general in June 1946,[110] which was made permanent in October 1946,[111] and was appointed to the ceremonial post of aide-de-camp general to the King on 14 October.[112] Nonetheless, he told Lord Mountbatten that he regarded command of the Second Army as being the pinnacle of his career. Although Montgomery wanted Dempsey to succeed him as CIGS.[113]

The D-Day windows on the west wall at Christ Church, Portsdown. On Sunday 4 June 1944, Dempsey organised an "Eve of Battle" service here for the troops assembled for the Normandy Landings. In 1948 he returned to dedicate these two windows; and subsequently, returned on the Sunday nearest to this date every year until his death.[114]

Dempsey retired from active service the British Army in August 1947.[115] In 1950, he was given a "shadow" appointment as Commander in Chief, British Home forces which he relinquished in 1956.[116] He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours.[117] He was Colonel of the Regiment of the Princess Charlotte of Wales Royal Berkshire Regiment from 1946 to 1956,[118][119] and held the ceremonial posts of Colonel Commandant of the Royal Military Police, from 1947 to 1957,[120][121] and the Special Air Service (SAS) from 1951 to 1960.[122][123] He was also Honorary Colonel of the Territorial army's 21st SAS Regiment (Artists Rifles) from 1948 to 1951.[124][125] There were proposals to disband the SAS, and to absorb it into other organisations like the Parachute Regiment or the Army Air Corps. Montgomery managed to have the Parachute Regiment made a permanent part of the Army, but it was Dempsey's lobbying that achieved the same status for the SAS in May 1950.[126]

In 1948, Dempsey married Viola O'Reilly, the youngest daughter of Captain Percy O'Reilly of Colamber County Westmeath in Ireland,[1] whom he called "Tuppeny". The two met when Dempsey paid a visit to stables of the King's racehorse trainer, Cecil Boyd-Rochfort, where she was working. They shared a mutual love of horses. His marriage surprised many of his friends and relatives, as he had been a long-time bachelor, and the bride was Catholic. He would sometimes join her for religious services in her own church. They decided to settle in Berkshire, the home of his old regiment, and conveniently close to horse racing venues. They moved to the Old Vicarage at Greenham, and then to Coombe House in Yattendon.[127] He was commissioned as a Deputy Lord Lieutenant in the county of Berkshire in 1950.[128]

Dempsey was Chairman of the Racecourse Betting Control Board from 1947 to 1951, and he bred and raced his own horses. He was chairman of H&G Simonds from 1953 to 1963, and of Greene King and Sons from 1955 to 1967, and the first non-family chairman and Deputy Chairman of Courage, Barclay, Simonds & Co from 1961 to 1966.[1] But he declined to write any memoirs about his military experiences, and ordered that his diaries be burned.[129] However, some of his diaries and letters have survived, and are in the National Archives and the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives.[130][131] His engagement diary for the first half of 1944 sold at auction in 2014 for £1,125.[132] He oversaw the July 1947 publication of An Account of the Operations of Second Army in Europe 1944–1945, for which he wrote the forward and Pyman edited,[126] but only 48 copies were printed; one sold at auction for £8,750 in 2012.[133]

Death[]

During a visit to his nephew Michael in Kenya, Dempsey felt a pain in his back. When he returned to England it was diagnosed as cancer.[114] He died at his home in Yattendon soon afterwards, on 5 June 1969.[1][134] "Bimbo died", Peter Caddick-Adams wrote, "the way he had lived his life, in relative obscurity."[135] He was buried in the churchyard at Yattendon. A memorial service was held at the Farm Street Church, which was attended by Montgomery and Mountbatten.[114]

Reputation[]

Although modest and unassuming, Dempsey was considered to be a highly competent officer. He asserted effective control over the Second Army without taking the limelight. He was described thus by military historian Carlo D'Este:

A career infantryman, Dempsey was an ardent student of military history and during the interwar period had frequently visited Europe to study its battlefields firsthand. Blessed with an active and incisive mind, a phenomenal memory and a unique skill in reading maps, Dempsey would soon leave his army staff in awe over his ability to remember everything he saw on a map, to bring a landscape literally to life in his mind even though he had never actually seen it. This talent proved particularly important during the crucial battles around Caen in June and July 1944. Dempsey was considered the Eighth Army's best expert in combined operations and, as he grew in experience, Montgomery soon recognized his potential for army command. The two men shared many qualities, including a disdain for paperwork and a determination, based on their First World War experiences, never to waste their soldiers' lives.[60]

Horrocks wrote that

He has remained a showy figure and a general almost completely unknown to the general public. This was primarily due to the fact that he loathed any type of publicity. It was also partly owing to the size of Second Army, which never therefore captured the imagination of the public as the smaller Eighth Army had.[136]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ It is not known where or how Dempsey acquired this nickname. Questions about its origin always made him blush.[60] He used it in correspondence with close friends and those he considered equals, like O'Connor.[61]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Strawson, John (6 January 2011). "Dempsey, Sir Miles Christopher". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32780. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Rostron 2010, p. 1.
  3. ^ Matthews 1903, pp. 22–25.
  4. ^ Matthews 1903, pp. 91–92.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Matthews 1903, pp. 117–118.
  6. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 2–3.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Rostron 2010, pp. 4–5.
  8. ^ "No. 29292". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 September 1915. p. 9066.
  9. ^ "No. 29489". The London Gazette. 25 February 1916. p. 2101.
  10. ^ Wyrall 1921a, pp. xi–xiv.
  11. ^ Wyrall 1921a, pp. 245–246.
  12. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 8–10.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b c Caddick-Adams 2005, p. 67.
  14. ^ Wyrall 1921b, p. 431.
  15. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 10–11.
  16. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 12–14.
  17. ^ "No. 31085". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 27 December 1918. p. 15156.
  18. ^ Rostron 2010, p. 15.
  19. ^ "No. 31371". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 May 1919. p. 6826.
  20. ^ Smart 2005, p. 81.
  21. ^ Rostron 2010, p. 14.
  22. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Miles Dempsey". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b Rostron 2010, p. 16.
  24. ^ English 2009, p. 52.
  25. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 16–23.
  26. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 24–26.
  27. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 27–29.
  28. ^ "Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Miles Dempsey". CricketArchive. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  29. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 29–31.
  30. ^ Rostron 2010, p. 33.
  31. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 31–33.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b Rostron 2010, pp. 34–35.
  33. ^ "No. 33873". The London Gazette. 14 October 1932. p. 6489.
  34. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 36–39.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b c Rostron 2010, pp. 40–42.
  36. ^ "No. 34485". The London Gazette. 18 February 1938. p. 1081.
  37. ^ Rostron 2010, p. 43.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b c Mead 2007, p. 117.
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b Rostron 2010, p. 49.
  40. ^ "No. 34904". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 July 1940. p. 4579.
  41. ^ "No. 34893". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 July 1940. p. 4261.
  42. ^ Mead 2007, p. 64.
  43. ^ "No. 35195". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 17 June 1941. p. 3497.
  44. ^ Jump up to: a b Mead 2007, p. 118.
  45. ^ "No. 35821". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 11 December 1942. p. 5449.
  46. ^ Montgomery 1958, p. 141.
  47. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 33–34.
  48. ^ Molony et al. 1973, p. 8.
  49. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 58–59.
  50. ^ Molony et al. 1973, p. 21.
  51. ^ De Guingand 1947, p. 272.
  52. ^ De Guingand 1947, pp. 274–275.
  53. ^ Molony et al. 1973, pp. 21–23.
  54. ^ De Guingand 1947, pp. 278–281.
  55. ^ Jump up to: a b Molony et al. 1973, p. 9.
  56. ^ Molony et al. 1973, p. 94.
  57. ^ Molony et al. 1973, p. 26.
  58. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 63–66.
  59. ^ Mead 2007, p. 65.
  60. ^ Jump up to: a b D'Este 1994, p. 60.
  61. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 166.
  62. ^ Hamilton 1983, pp. 340–341.
  63. ^ Molony et al. 1973, p. 223.
  64. ^ Molony et al. 1973, p. 455.
  65. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 69–71.
  66. ^ Mead 2007, p. 119.
  67. ^ Dickson 2007, p. 231.
  68. ^ Jump up to: a b Buckley 2013, p. 34.
  69. ^ Molony et al. 1973, p. 510.
  70. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 82–83.
  71. ^ Jump up to: a b Rostron 2010, pp. 95–96.
  72. ^ D'Este 1994, p. 220.
  73. ^ Smart 2005, pp. 61–62.
  74. ^ Ellis & Warhurst 1968, p. 368.
  75. ^ Jump up to: a b Mead 2007, p. 120.
  76. ^ Buckley 2013, pp. 94–95.
  77. ^ Buckley 2013, pp. 109–112.
  78. ^ Buckley 2013, pp. 158–160.
  79. ^ Buckley 2013, p. 35.
  80. ^ D'Este 1994, pp. 6–62.
  81. ^ Horrocks, Belfield & Essame 1977, pp. 18–19.
  82. ^ Rostron 2010, p. 130.
  83. ^ Buckley 2013, p. 212.
  84. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 134–137.
  85. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 141–142.
  86. ^ Rostron 2010, p. 143.
  87. ^ Rostron 2010, p. 141.
  88. ^ Rostron 2010, p. 142.
  89. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 142–143.
  90. ^ "An Investiture in the Field". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  91. ^ "No. 36586". The London Gazette. 27 June 1944. p. 3069.
  92. ^ Mead 2007, pp. 120–121.
  93. ^ "Lieut. General Sir Miles Dempsey DSO MC The Commander of the British Second Army by Professor Arthur Pan". The Illustrated London News. 7 April 1945. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  94. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 157–158.
  95. ^ "No. 37213". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 August 1945. p. 4044.
  96. ^ "No. 37521". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 April 1946. p. 1672.
  97. ^ "No. 37161". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 3 July 1945. p. 3489.
  98. ^ "No. 38178". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 January 1948. p. 401.
  99. ^ "No. 37027". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 April 1945. p. 1947.
  100. ^ "No. 37853". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 January 1947. p. 324.
  101. ^ "No. 37909". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 March 1947. p. 1315.
  102. ^ Rostron 2010, p. 164.
  103. ^ Mead 2007, pp. 245–246.
  104. ^ Kirby 2004, p. 235.
  105. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 166–167.
  106. ^ Kirby 2004, p. 276.
  107. ^ Kirby 2004, p. 348.
  108. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 173–176.
  109. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 176–179.
  110. ^ "No. 37648". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 July 1946. p. 3607.
  111. ^ "No. 37764". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 October 1946. p. 5191.
  112. ^ "No. 37781". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 November 1946. p. 5461.
  113. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 181–183.
  114. ^ Jump up to: a b c Rostron 2010, p. 200.
  115. ^ "No. 38051". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 August 1947. p. 3933.
  116. ^ "No. 40698". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 January 1956. p. 639.
  117. ^ "No. 40669". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1955. p. 6.
  118. ^ "No. 37823". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 December 1946. p. 6169.
  119. ^ "No. 40928". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 November 1946. p. 6564.
  120. ^ "No. 37990". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 1947. p. 2772.
  121. ^ "No. 41034". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 March 1957. p. 6169.
  122. ^ "No. 39176". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 March 1951. p. 1498.
  123. ^ "No. 42004". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 April 1960. p. 2640.
  124. ^ "No. 38237". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 12 March 1948. p. 1866.
  125. ^ "No. 39270". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1951. p. 3538.
  126. ^ Jump up to: a b Caddick-Adams 2005, p. 71.
  127. ^ Rostron 2010, pp. 194–195.
  128. ^ "No. 39053". The London Gazette. 27 October 1950. p. 5362.
  129. ^ Hamilton 1983, p. 697].
  130. ^ "War Office: General Miles Christopher Dempsey: Papers". The National Archives. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  131. ^ "military papers". The National Archives. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  132. ^ "Dempsey's engagements diary for the first half of 1944". Bonhams. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  133. ^ "An Account of the Operations of Second Army in Europe 1944–1945". Bonhams. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  134. ^ "Obituary— General Sir Miles Dempsey". The Guardian. 7 June 1969. p. 3 – via ProQuest.
  135. ^ Caddick-Adams 2005, p. 72.
  136. ^ Rostron 2010, p. 96.

References[]

  • Buckley, John (2013). Monty's Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-13449-0. OCLC 840803701.
  • Caddick-Adams, Peter (October 2005). "General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey (1896-1969): 'Not a Popular Leader'". RUSI Journal. 150 (5): 66–72. ISSN 0307-1847 – via ProQuest One Academic.
  • D'Este, Carlo (1994) [1983]. Decision in Normandy: The Real Story of Montgomery and the Allied Campaign. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-097312-4. OCLC 222996409.
  • Dickson, Paul Douglas (2007). A Thoroughly Canadian General: A Biography of General H.D.G. Crerar. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-0802-2. OCLC 237208933.
  • Ellis, L. F.; Warhurst, A. E. (1968). Victory in the West. History of the Second World War. II: The Defeat of Germany. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. OCLC 758329926.
  • English, John (2009). Patton's Peers: The Forgotten Allied Field Army Commanders of the Western Front, 1944–45. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvannia: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0501-1. OCLC 244567150.
  • De Guingand, Francis (1947). Operation Victory. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. OCLC 503437701.
  • Hamilton, Nigel (1983). Master of the Battlefield Monty's War Years 1942–1944. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-025806-6. OCLC 968675605.
  • Horrocks, Brian; Belfield, Eversley; Essame, Hubert (1977). Corps Commander. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 978-0-283-98320-7. OCLC 470787426.
  • Kirby, S. Woodburn (2004) [1969]. The Surrender. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series, The War Against Japan. V. London: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84574-064-1. OCLC 613398905.
  • Matthews, Thomas (1903). Account of the O'Dempseys, Chiefs of Clan Maliere: Chiefs of Clan Maliere (PDF). Dublin: Hodges, Figgis and Co. OCLC 983264272. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
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  • Molony, C. J. C.; Flynn, F. C.; Davies, H. L.; Gleave, T. P. (1973). The Mediterranean and Middle East: The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and The Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. V. London: HMSO. OCLC 464447867.
  • Montgomery, Bernard L. (1958). The Memoirs of Field-Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein. London: Collins. OCLC 1059556308.
  • Rostron, Peter (2010). The Military Life and Times of General Sir Miles Dempsey, GBE KCB DSO MC: Monty's Army Commander. South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-84468-488-5. OCLC 762342436.
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  • Wyrall, Everard (1921b). The History of the Second Division, 1914–1918 (PDF). II. London: Thomas Nelson and Sons. Retrieved 5 August 2021.

External links[]

Military offices
Preceded by
Douglas Wimberley 		GOC 46th Infantry Division
June–October 1941 		Succeeded by
Harold Freeman-Attwood
Preceded by
Eric Miles 		GOC 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division
October–November 1941 		Post redesignated 42nd Armoured Division
New title GOC 42nd Armoured Division
1941–1942 		Succeeded by
John Aizlewood
Preceded by
Brian Horrocks 		GOC XIII Corps
1942–1943 		Succeeded by
Sidney Kirkman
Preceded by
Kenneth Anderson 		GOC Second Army
1944–1945 		Post disbanded
Preceded by
Sir William Slim 		GOC Fourteenth Army
July–November 1945 		Post disbanded
New title GOC Malaya Command
November – December 1945 		Succeeded by
Sir Frank Messervy
New title C-in-C Middle East Land Forces
1946–1947 		Succeeded by
Sir John Crocker
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Robert Collins 		Colonel of the Royal Berkshire Regiment
1946–1956 		Succeeded by
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