A Field Marshal Montgomery ‘Arnhem’ Letter.

A highly important and historical letter from Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery to Major General Roy Urquart, Commander of the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem. The letter, a fair office copy pen-signed by the Field Marshal, and dated 28 September 1944, just two days after the last withdrawal of the 1st Airborne Division, states:

‘I want to express to you personally and to every officer in your division my appreciation of what you all did at Arnhem for the allied cause. I also want to express to you my own admiration, and the admiration of us all in 21 Army Group, for the magnificent fighting spirit that your division displayed in battle against great odds on the north bank of the lower Rhine in Holland.

There is no shadow of doubt that had you failed, operations elsewhere would have been gravely compromised. You did not fail, and all is well elsewhere.

I would like all Britain to know that in your final message from the Arnhem area you said,
“All will be ordered to break out rather than surrender, we have attempted our best and will continue to do our best as long as possible.”
And all Britain will say to you,
“You did your best, you all did your duty, and we are proud of you.”

In the annals of the British Army there are many glorious deeds. In our Army we have always drawn great strength and inspiration from past traditions, and endeavoured to live up to the high standards of those that have gone before. But there can be few episodes more glorious than the epic of Arnhem, and those that follow after will find it hard to live up to the standards that you have set. As long as we have in the Armies of the British Empire officers and men who will do as you have done, then we can indeed look forward with complete confidence to the future.
In years to come it will be a great thing for a man to be able to say: “I fought at Arnhem.”

Please give my best wishes and grateful thanks, to every officer and man in your division.’

Signed: ‘B. L Montgomery, Field Marshal, C. in C., 21 Army Group, In the Field.’, mounted in a glazed display frame, generally good condition and a most important document £4,000-£5,000

The content and tone of this letter is full of emotion, for which Montgomery was not generally known, and it is obvious from this letter the huge impact that the final days of Arnhem had upon the rest of the British Army. Whilst the ‘legend’ of Arnhem has certainly grown over the years - thanks in no small part to the huge number of books, television programmes, and films on the subject - it is clear from the content of this letter that such adulation is not undeserved, and that the heroic defence of the perimeter and the bridge were clearly recognised at the very highest levels at the time.