The Alan Brooke presented to us in contemporary accounts and photos is a stern, hard-nosed character that rarely smiles. Here, and in his recent biography, we’re invited to view Brooke as more than just a war strategist & Churchill’s right-hand critic.
On reading Brooke’s diary, his papers and accounts of contemporary people who knew him he appears as a stern puritanical figure to such an extent that even Mountbatten was cautious in his presence, Montgomery was respectful, Stalin appreciated his powerful responses, the Americans gave him their attention, and Churchill always listened to his views which was unusual for this overly confident leader. Behind this figure was a loving husband and father who was obsessed with bird-watching and who was much loved by friends for his warmth of personality and his sense of fun, which was never evident in the war rooms of power.
He clashed with many in what can best be described as ‘head-on collisions’ including the Americans over North Africa, the Italian campaign, and D-Day. He never appreciated Eisenhower as a military leader but warmed towards him at the end of the war. His opposite number in America, George Marshall, found him difficult but the two men managed to remain friends. He also had the strength to stand up to Stalin even when he was the Soviet leader’s guest. He had a deep loathing of Charles de Gaulle, and never trusted Mountbatten. He admired Montgomery’s leadership skills, but all too frequently had to dress him down for his lack of tact, common sense, and warn him about letting his egotistical self-evaluation spoil his image. If Brooke were convinced that he was right he was by all accounts formidable, but it gave him the courage to challenge Churchill which few would ever dare.
His diary clearly indicates his bravery not only in challenging Churchill but as a soldier who had fought through the Great War and the Battle of France in 1940, thought little of his personal safety or the regard of others because he put duty first. His feelings towards his wife Benita comes through in his papers and diary and falling to his knees to pray always comes as release on the pressure valves of a man who was respected if not feared by his colleagues. He never anticipated the top military post, never revelled in his position but he did it unfailingly, using spare moments to browse book shops for ornithological volumes and watching birds wherever he could, even accompanied by Kremlin guards as he ventured out to spot a black woodpecker!
Alan Brooke: Churchill’s Right-Hand Critic
By Andrew Sangster
This book convincingly shows that “Greatest Briton” Winston Churchill was only able to lead Britain to victory in World War II because of Lord Alan Brooke – not only his command of military strategy and tactics but his ability to control Churchill’s impetuous ideas and his determination to hold together the Allied partnership at the highest levels. This new biography uses archival material and his diaries to trace his life, including his experiences in World War I and the development of his military career in the interwar years, with a focus on his post as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War II.
9781612009681 | Hardback | Casemate | £25.00 (Now: £20.00)
AVAILABLE TO ORDER THROUGH CASEMATE
Author: Dr Andrew Sangster is a priest and academic with 16 published books and a contributor to a number of history magazines. His doctorate is in Modern European History, and he holds other degrees in History, English, Law and Divinity.
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