Object of the Week: Monty's Beret

[The Tank Museum]

Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery donated his famous beret to The Tank Museum in 1945.

 

Monty was known for his eccentricity as much as his ability. Frequently adopting an unconventional style of dress, in World War Two he assumed the black beret of the Royal Tank Regiment as his standard headgear - despite being an infantryman.

 

But why?

 

Monty’s beret was presented to him before the battle of El Alamein, fought in October 1942, where he led his men to a decisive victory.

 

Douglas Shardlow, who served in B Squadron, 6th Royal Tank Regiment, explained why…

 

“…During the Western Desert Campaign… he frequently wore an Australian bush hat which was quite unsuitable when travelling in a tank.

 

At the time, the 6th Royal Tank Regiment had been taken out of the line because they had suffered very badly. It was at this time that B Squadron was allotted to act as a sort of bodyguard to Monty.

 

It was Sgt. Jock Fraser of B Squadron who gave Monty the beret which became so famous thereafter.

 

Jock was not the kind of chap that went around boasting of this but it was a part of the history of the then Squadron that one of their number had had a hand in what became the most famous piece of Army headgear in the world.”

 

In the image you can see the beret, which is the very same as the one seen worn by Monty in the photo behind (right). James `Jock` Fraser can be seen on the left.

 

With the war over, Montgomery presented his beret to the museum on 29th September 1945. On bequeathing it he said:

 

“This beret was given to me by a Sgt. in the RTR, the NCO in command of my tank during the Battle of Alamein in October 1942. It was worn by me from Alamein to Tunis when it was so dirty that I got a new one; it was the Sgt’s own beret. I added my General’s badge to it and have worn the black beret with two badges ever since...”

 

The Tank Museum knows little else about James `Jock` Fraser. Any further information would be gratefully received.

 

[Enigma]

I never knew Monty's beret was donated to te museum.

Guees I'll have to visit again at some time.

A pity its so far away for me living in the Netherlands.

[Tony B]

That explains something I read complaining that Monty wore 'Two badges he wasn't entiled to'.

[Monty2024]

I have only just stumbled across this old post regarding the beret worn by 'Monty' which he subsequently donated to The Tank Museum.

The beret in question belonged to my Grandfather, Sergeant James Fraser. He became Monty's command tank driver during the Western desert campaign.

In 1941 my Grandfather was awarded the Military Medal for an incredible act of heroicism and bravery during the brutal battle of Sidi Rezegh. 

My Grandfather passed away in 2013, aged 92yrs. I was in my mid forties when he passed away. Therefore I was fortunate enough to have had a long and close relationship with him for many, many years prior to his passing. To be privy to all of his first hand recollections of his experiences during WW11 was, and still is, an extremely humbling honour.

To this day, he remains one of the most stoic, positive and uncomplaining individuals I have ever known. In his later years he developed terribly debilitating health issues, including losing his eyesight, yet, never once did I ever hear him complain. I have no doubt that his early life growing up in inner city Glasgow, followed by his experiences during WW11 made him the strong, stoic man I always saw in him. It is still so difficult for me to comprehend that he was actually only just 17yrs old when he joined the army. (He lied about his age!)

As a child I remember being fascinated by the fact he still had three or four pieces of shrapnel in one of his legs. The pieces were very visible, just under the skin and you could even see the silver colour of the metal pieces.

My Grandfather told me the story behind why he 'gifted' his beret to Monty many times! Which is why I believe I can still so easily recall his words, almost verbatim. 

According to my Grandfather, the reason why he gave his beret to Monty was not simply just some kind of  gesture on his behalf.

Instead, according to my Grandfather, he had become increasingly exasperated with having to constantly stop the tank each time Monty's head was above the turret. This was because he wore an Australian bush hat which would constantly 'fly off' the moment Monty stuck his head out of the turret.

My Grandfather was a strong minded, no nonsense Glaswegian Sergeant Major, never one to shy away from speaking up. He never 'gifted' his beret to Monty as such. According to my Grandfather, after yet another occasion of having to stop the tank in order for someone to retrieve Monty's bush hat, he whipped off his own beret, handed it to someone and said, rather harshly, "here, give him this and tell him to bloody well wear it because this is the last time I'll be stopping this tank for a bloody bush hat."

I'm not sure whether the person who gave the beret to Monty ever repeated my Grandfather's exact words when he handed him my Grandfather's beret! However, the rest truly is history because Monty wore my Grandfather's beret from that day onwards. It has always been my understanding that Monty wore my Grandfather's beret right up until the war ended. However, I'm not entirely sure if this was true.

I'm not sure if anyone will ever read my post, given I am replying in 2024 to a post from 2012. However, should you find yourself reading this, I do hope you have found it interesting to learn of the true story behind Monty's infamous beret.

Edited August 24 by Monty2024
To add a little more information.