One beret, but two badges: Monty's famous headdress goes up for auction
The beret worn by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery as he led Allied troops to victory against Germany in the Second World War is up for sale.
A US auction site has it listed with an estimate of more than $40,000.
General Bernard Montgomery was famously in command of all Allied ground forces on D-Day, 6 June 1944, the invasion of occupied Europe.
Promoted to Field Marshal, he then commanded the 21st Army as it swept through the continent, pushing the Germans back.
All the while, he wore a black Royal Tank Regiment beret, to which he added his General Officer's and later Field Marshal's badges.
This meant he, rather unusually, had two badges on his headdress. The reason, he explained, was so the troops could recognise him.
It worked.
His beret was as recognisable as Winston Churchill's famous cigars.
And now one of his berets is up for auction. It comes with a letter from Monty stating: "This beret was worn by me in the campaign in Germany in 1945."
Bush hat too impractical for a tank
It's made of wool, a size 7 and manufactured by Kangol Wear Limited. It has the Royal Tank Regiment insignia and his embroidered General Officer's badge.
The letter also explains how he gave it to B Altman and Company as a "small token of my admiration and high regard" in January 1956.
Auction house RR Auctions describes the lot as an "instantly recognisable visual signature of the man who wore it".
Bids are already coming in, and the auction runs until 19 November.
Montgomery had several berets during his time in command.
The Imperial War Museum has one in its collection dating from 1943 and the Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, was donated one by the man himself in 1945.
Interestingly, he only started wearing a beret after the large Australian bush-style hat he wore kept blowing off as he was travelling by tank in the Western Desert campaign.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
