Montgomery of Alamein signed two page letter dated 10th October 1951 on his own Deputy Supreme Commander, Allied Powers Europe stationary and including the original envelope hand addressed by Montgomery. Written to Jeffrey Hernu - British Major who served as ADC to Montgomery when he was NATO's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 1951-58.

In part Montgomery writes that he is delighted that Hernu has cleared the ‘Regular Commission hurdle´ and inform him of his travel plans to Denmark, Norway and Paris ´by which time you should be quite in the saddle at Courance´, asking that he would like Hernu to accompany him to Switzerland, ´I spend about 2 1/2 weeks at Murren and one week at Gstaad; I also visit Bern for high level talks with the Swiss Government. I am President of the Kandahar Ski Club, the premier British Ski Racing Club, and this takes me to Switzerland: quite apart from other causes´. He mentions another potential journey, ´If I go to Morocco I may possibly take you with me. We would stay with the French High Commissioner and C-in-C, General Guillaume, who is a great friend of mine´.

Click here to see all our military memorabilia and signed first day covers.

Bernard Montgomery fought in World War One, being wounded by a sniper during the First Battle of Ypres, & later fighting in both the Battles of Arras and Passchendaele. 'Monty' commanded the British 8th Army in the Western Desert during WWII including the Second Battle of El Alamein, and later during the invasions of Sicily & Italy. For Operation Overlord he was given control of all Allied ground forces from the landings until after the Battle of Normandy. On 4th May 1945 he accepted the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath.