The Visit(s) of Monty: Montgomery of Alamein at MGS

Bernard Montgomery, often referred to simply as "Monty", was one of the most high profile generals of the Second World War. His success at the battle of El-Alamein in 1942 was the first significant Allied victory of the conflict. He was enormously popular with his troops and with the British public.

It would have been with huge excitement that the boys and masters at MGS welcomed Monty in October 1945. Surprisingly, little was written in Ulula about this first visit:

 “Field-Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery addressed the School on October 16th, and later took tea with senior members of the Staff”.

Many OMs remember the visit. One recalls that he said "Life in the Army is not what it used to be" and, quoting Napoleon, "In every soldier's knapsack is a Field Marshal's baton". He received a huge cheer when he announced that he had asked Eric James to give the boys a half day holiday.

He signed the School Visitor's book, and photographs were taken to mark the occasion:

Monty's second visit was in October 1957 and Ulula's report was a bit more fulsome:

“On Friday, October 12th, Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein paid a short visit to the School, during the course of which he talked to members of the First Division of the Sixth Forms. In his talk, Viscount Montgomery spoke of the changing conceptions of leadership: nowadays it was no good relying simply on the authority of one’s position, one needed to draw out the emotional forces

In people, to warm their hearts so as to gain their confidence. He defined leadership as ‘the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose.’ He reminded his audience that very many of them would, whether they liked it or not, find themselves in positions of responsibility requiring leadership; confidence could be inspired by character.”

In the 1990s, there was some conjecture about the first visit, and an Old Mancunian wrote to The Times, saying that he had written to Monty to ask why he had visited MGS, and had received a reply stating that he had never visited MGS in the 1940s! This prompted two further letters. The first was from Monty’s son:

“My father visited Manchester Grammar School on October 16, 1945. He was visiting Manchester to receive the freedom of the city, and at the same time had been invited by the High Master to address the School. The High Master was Dr. Eric James, later Lord James of Rusholme, who had previously been a master at Winchester where I had the very good fortune to be taught by him, and where he had met my father. Eric James was an inspired teacher and great educationalist, and my father would have been delighted to respond to his invitation to address a school with such a fine reputation as Manchester Grammar School.”

The second was from Lady James, wife of Eric James:

“Monty’s visit to Manchester Grammar School, in the autumn of 1945, was at the invitation of my late husband, the then High Master, who had taught Monty’s son at Winchester during the war years and had got to know him when he came to visit his son. Monty would spend a night with the Headmaster, Spencer Leeson, and liked to have a discussion party in the evening (he was not without a trace of vanity – he once asked Mrs. Leeson what she had done with a photograph of him which was not in its usual place). I don’t know why Monty forgot the visit. He certainly did not forget my husband, as we had a Christmas card every year till he died. It was always the first to arrive.”

It is remarkable that MGS received two visits from Monty, although the personal connection with Eric James of course explains why.