Everything about Alan Brooke Alanbrooke totally explained
Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke,
KG,
GCB,
OM,
GCVO,
DSO (
23 July 1883 -
17 June 1963) was a
British career soldier, the
Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the
Second World War, and was promoted to
Field Marshal in 1944. As chairman of the
Chiefs of Staff Committee he was the foremost military advisor to
Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He is regarded as one of the chief architects of the Allies' victory in 1945. One of his main contributions to Allied grand strategy was to delay the second front. In retirement he served as
Lord High Constable of England during the coronation of
Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. His war diaries have attracted attention for their criticism of
Winston Churchill and Brooke's forthright views on other leading figures of the war.
Background and early life
He was born in 1883 at
Bagnères-de-Bigorre,
France, to a prominent
Anglo-Irish family with a long military tradition. He was the sixth son and ninth child of
Sir Victor Brooke, 3rd Baronet, of Colebrooke,
Brookeborough,
County Fermanagh, and the former Alice Bellingham, second daughter of
Sir Alan Bellingham, 3rd Baronet, of Castle Bellingham in
County Louth.
Alan Brooke was educated in France where he lived until the age of 16, and at the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He left the Academy as a
Gentleman Cadet on 24 December 1902 to join the
Royal Regiment of Artillery as a
Second Lieutenant. Thanks to his upbringing in France he was a fluent
French speaker. During
World War I he served with the
Royal Artillery in France, ending the conflict as a
Lieutenant-Colonel and with a reputation as an outstanding planner of operations. Between the wars he was a
lecturer at the
Staff College, Camberley and the
Imperial Defence College, where Brooke knew most of those who became leading British commanders of the Second World War.
World War II
Following the outbreak of World War II, Brooke commanded the
II Corps of the
British Expeditionary Force - which contained the 3rd Division, commanded by the then Major-General
Bernard Montgomery, whose superior he thus was - and distinguished himself in the handling of the British forces in the retreat to
Dunkirk. Shortly after the
evacuation from Dunkirk he was again sent to France to take command of the remaining British troops in the country. Brooke soon realized that the situation was untenable and, in his first conversation with the prime minister Winston Churchill, he recommended that all British forces should be withdrawn from France, which they subsequently were. In July 1940 he was appointed to command
United Kingdom Home Forces to take charge of
anti-invasion preparations, and in December 1941 was appointed
Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS); he later also became chairman of the
Chiefs of Staff Committee, holding both posts until retirement from active service in 1946.
For most of the Second World War, Brooke was the foremost military adviser to the
Prime Minister,
Winston Churchill (who was also
Minister of Defence), the
War Cabinet, and to Britain's allies. As CIGS, Brooke was the functional head of the Army, and as chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, which he dominated by force of intellect and personality, he took the leading military part in the overall strategic direction of the war effort. In 1942, Brooke joined the
Western Allies' ultimate command, the US-British
Combined Chiefs of Staff, in
Washington D.C.
Alan Brooke's focus was primarily on the European theatre of operations. Here, one of his key issues was to keep a strong pressure on the
Axis in North Africa and
Italy, thereby opening up the
Mediterranean for Allied shipping, and then, when the
Allies were ready and the Germans sufficiently weakened, mount the cross channel invasion. This strategy was essentially the one which was implemented, not always in initial agreement with the American allies whose strong commitment to an invasion of western Europe was in contrast to Brooke's and the British view on the importance of the Mediterranean operations. Not all of Brooke's plans were however ultimately met with success. For example he'd great hope of bringing Turkey into the war on the Allied side, but this hope he admitted after the war remained a "wild dream".
The post of CIGS was less rewarding than command in an important theatre of war, but the CIGS chose the generals who commanded those theatres and decided what men and munitions they should have. When it came to finding the right commanders he often complained that many would be good generals had been killed in
World War I, and that this was one reason behind the difficulties the British had in the beginning of the war. However, he doesn't seem to have reflected on the fact that the Germans didn't suffer from the same problem, which they must have had to the same extent. When General
Claude Auchinleck was to be substituted as the commander of the
Eighth Army in 1942, Brooke preferred
Bernard Montgomery instead of Lieutenant-General
William Gott who was Churchill's candidate. Soon thereafter Gott was killed in an air crash and Montgomery got the command. Brooke would later reflect upon the tragic event which led to the appointment of Montgomery as an intervention by God. Earlier in 1942 Brooke had himself been offered the command of British forces in the
Middle East, Brooke declined, believing he now knew better than any other general how to deal with Prime Minister Churchill, who too often seemed vulnerable to unwise advice from unqualified people.
A year later, the war had taken a different turn and Brooke no longer believed it necessary to stay at Churchill's side. He therefore looked forward to take the command of the
Allied invasion of Western Europe, a post Brooke believed he'd been promised to have by Churchill on three occasions. But during the
first Quebec conference, in August 1943, it was decided that the command would go to US General
George C. Marshall. (Although in the event Marshall's work as US Army Chief of Staff was too important for him to leave Washington DC, and a different US General,
Dwight D. Eisenhower, was in fact appointed.) Brooke was bitterly disappointed, both of being passed over and of the way the decision was conveyed to him by Churchill, who according to Brooke "dealt with the matter as if it were one of minor importance".
Relationship with Churchill
During the years as CIGS, Alan Brooke had a stormy relationship with Winston Churchill. Brooke was often frustrated with the Prime Minister’s habits and working methods, his abuse of generals and constant meddling into strategic matters. At the same time Brooke greatly admired Churchill for the way he inspired the Allied cause and for the way he bore the heavy burden of war leadership. In one typical passage in Brooke’s war diaries Churchill is described as a “genius mixed with an astonishing lack of vision -- he's quite the most difficult man to work with that I've ever struck but I shouldn't have missed the chance of working with him for anything on earth!”.
When Churchill’s many fanciful strategic ideas collided with sound military strategy it was only Alan Brooke on the Chiefs of Staff Committee who was able to stand up to the Prime Minister. Churchill said about Brooke: “When I thump the table and push my face towards him what does he do? Thumps the table harder and glares back at me. I know these Brookes – stiff-necked Ulstermen and there's no one worse to deal with than that!” It has been claimed that part of Churchill's greatness was that he appointed Brooke as CIGS and kept him for the whole war.
A general complaint from Brooke was that Churchill often advocated diversion of forces where the CIGS preferred concentration. Brooke was particularly annoyed by Churchill's idea of capturing the northern tip of
Sumatra. But in some cases Brooke didn't see the political dimension of strategy as the Prime Minister did. For example, Brooke was sceptical about the British intervention in
Greece in late 1944, an operation which he believed drained troops from the central front in
Germany. But at this stage the war was practically won and Churchill saw the possibility to prevent Greece from becoming a communist state.
The balance of the Chiefs of Staff Committee was tilted in October 1943 when Admiral
Andrew Cunningham succeeded Admiral
Dudley Pound as
First Sea Lord. Brooke now got a firm ally in his arguments with Churchill. This was reflected in the most serious clash between the Prime Minister and the Chiefs of Staff, regarding the British preparations for final stages of the
Pacific War. Brooke and the rest of the Chiefs of Staff wanted to build up the forces in Australia while Churchill preferred to use India as a base for the British effort. It was an issue over which the
Chiefs of Staff were prepared to resign, but in the end a compromise was reached.
Despite their many disagreements Brooke and Churchill held an affection for each other. After one fierce clash Churchill told General
Hastings Ismay that he didn't think he could continue to work any longer with Brooke because “he hates me. I can see hatred looking from his eyes.” Brooke responded to Ismay: “Hate him? I don't hate him. I love him. But the first time I tell him that I agree with him when I don't will be the time to get rid of me, for then I can be no more use to him." When Churchill was told this he murmured, ”Dear Brooke.”
Assessment
Alan Brooke, or "Brookie" as he was generally known, is reckoned to be one of the foremost of all the heads of the British Army. He was quick in mind and speech and deeply respected by his military colleagues, both British and Allied, although his uncompromising manners could make the Americans somewhat wary. His influence on the Western Allied grand strategy was strong, perhaps the strongest any individual had. Among the most important of his contributions to the course of the war ranks the delaying of the second front. The partnership between Brooke and Churchill was a very successful one. The combination of Churchill's vision and Brooke's down to earth-method of running the war led Britain to victory in 1945.
War diaries
Alan Brooke kept a diary during the whole of World War II. Originally intended for his wife, Benita, the diaries were later commented by Brooke in the 1950s. The diaries contain descriptions on the day-to-day running of the British war effort (including some quite indiscreet references to top secret interceptions of German radio traffic), Brooke's thoughts on strategy as well as frequent anecdotes from the many meetings Brooke had with the Allied leadership during the war.
The diaries have become famous mostly because of the frequent remarks on and criticisms of Winston Churchill. Although the diaries contain appraisal and admiration of Churchill, they also served as a vent for Brooke's frustration with working with the Prime Minister. The diaries also give a rough opinion on several of the top Allied leaders. The American generals Eisenhower and
George Marshall are for example described as poor strategists and the British Field Marshal
Harold Alexander as unintelligent. Among the few individuals who Brooke seems to have positive opinion of are General
Douglas MacArthur, Field Marshal
John Dill and
Joseph Stalin. Brooke admired Stalin for his quick brain and grasp of military strategy. Otherwise he'd no illusions about the man, describing Stalin thus: "He has got an unpleasantly cold, crafty, dead face, and whenever I look at him I can imagine his sending off people to their doom without ever turning a hair."
Edited by historian
Arthur Bryant the diaries were first published in 1957 (
The Turn of the Tide) and in 1959 (
Triumph in the West). Originally the diaries were never meant to be published. One reason why Brooke changed his mind was the lack of credit to him and the Chiefs of Staff in Churchill's own war memoirs which essentially presented their ideas and innovations as his own. Although heavily censored, the books became controversial not only as a result of the many comments on Churchill and others, but also because they launched Brooke as the sole man behind the Allies' victory. Winston Churchill himself didn't appreciate the books. In 2001 the publication of the uncensored "War Diaries", edited by Alex Danchev and Daniel Todman, again attracted attention to one of the most influential strategists of
World War II.
Post war career and honours
After retirement from the Army Alan Brooke served on the boards of several companies, both in industry and in banking. He was director of the
Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the
Midland Bank, the National Discount Company and the Belfast Banking Company. Brooke was particularly fond of being a director of the
Hudson's Bay Company where he served for eleven years from 1948.
Brooke was created
Baron Alanbrooke, of
Brookeborough in the
County of Fermanagh, in 1945, and
Viscount Alanbrooke in 1946.
He also served as
Chancellor of the
Queen's University of Belfast from 1949 until his death. At the coronation of Queen
Elizabeth II he was appointed
Lord High Constable of England, thus commanding all troops taking part in the event. In 1994 a statue of Brooke was erected in front of the
Ministry of Defence in London. The statue is flanked by statues of Britain's other two leading generals of World War II,
Lord Slim and
Lord Montgomery of Alamein.
Coat of Arms
His Coat of Arms as issued to him by the
College of Arms is:
"Or, a cross engrailed per pale Gules and Sable, in dexter chief a crescent for difference."
Private life and ornithology
Alan Brooke was married twice. After six years of engagement he married Jane Richardson in 1914, a neighbour to the Brookes in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Six days into their honeymoon Brooke was recalled to active duty when World War I started. The couple had one daughter and one son, Rosemary and
Thomas. Jane Brooke died following a car accident in 1925 in which her husband was at the steering wheel. The death of his first wife was a severe blow to Alan Brooke. He regained happiness when he met Benita Lees, daughter of
Sir Harold Pelly, 4th Bt. and the widow of
Sir Thomas Lees, 2nd Bt., whom he married in 1929. The marriage was very happy and resulted in one daughter and one son, Kathleen and
Victor. During the war the couple lived in
Hartley Wintney, a village in
Hampshire. After the war, the Alanbrookes' financial situation forced the couple to move into the gardener's cottage of their former home, where they lived for the rest of their lives. Their last years were darkened by the death of their daughter, Kathleen, in a riding accident in 1961. On 18 March 1940 an army dentist pulled out Alan Brooke's last three teeth and fitted him with full dentures.
Alan Brooke had a love of nature. Hunting and fishing were among his great interests. His foremost passion, however, was birds. Brooke was a noted ornithologist, especially skilled in bird photography. He was president of the
Zoological Society of London from 1950 to 1954 and vice-president of the
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. During breaks in the war planning, the
CIGS could sometimes be seen in London book shops looking for rare bird books. He bought a precious collection of books by
John Gould, but due to financial reasons he was forced to sell these volumes after the war.
Death
On
June 17,
1963 Brooke suffered a heart attack and died quietly in his bed with his wife beside him. The same day, he was due to have had attended the Garter Service in
St George's Chapel,
Windsor. Nine days later he was given a funeral in Windsor and buried in St Mary's churchyard, near his home in
Hartley Wintney, which is where
his son, the last heir to the Alanbrooke viscountcy, still lives.
At his death, Alan Brooke's estate was
probated at £50,580 (about £700,000 in 2006).
Other
Alanbrooke House is a house at Welbeck college where all 5 houses are named after prominent military figures.
Alanbrooke is the Junior Girls house at the Duke of York's Royal Military School, where, like Welbeck college, all houses are named after prominent military figures.Further Information
Get more info on 'Alan Brooke Alanbrooke'.
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