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Lieutenant
General Sir Frederick Arthur Montague "Boy"
Browning, GCVO, KBE, CB, DSO. |
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| Born
on December 20th 1896, "Boy" Browning entered
into a military career during the First World war, where
he first met |
| Winston
Churchill. After the war and following several
promotions, which included Adjutant, Royal Military College Sandhurst |
| 1924-1928,
his friendship with Churchill resulted in Browning being
posted to Aldershot where he took command of the British |
|
1st Airbourne
Division. |
| It
was during this period that Browning with his wife
Daphne du Maurier & their family, moved to a large
house in Church |
| Crookham
called "The Gables", which has since been
demolished. |
| With
the advent of World War 2, Browning traveled fromhere to
H.Q in Ascot, where he was involved in the planning
of |
| Operations
Market & Garden.This would involve allied Parachuted
troops being dropped in Occupied Holland, with the aim
to |
| capture
several major road bridges. It was his assessment of
this planning that in regards to the taking of the
bridge at |
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| Arnhem, it
is said that Browning stated to Field Marshal Montgomery, "I think we may be going one bridge too far",
the quote being used in the title |
| of a famous film
dedicated to the attempted taking of those bridges. The action
saw huge British losses, with Browning using the Polish as |
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scapegoats. After
the Second world War, Browning was posted as the Military
Secretary of the War Office, resigning the Post in 1948.
Browning then |
| worked for the Princess
Elizabeth and then the Duke of Edinburgh until 1959. The family
later moving to Cornwall on a permanent basis. "Boy"
was |
| decorated the DSO in
1917,
C.B in 1943, KBE in 1946, KCVO in 1953 & GCVO in 1959.
Browning died on March 14th 1965. |
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