General Boy

by Mead, Richard; Philip, Prince, Consort of Elizabeth II

• ISBN13: 9781848841819
• ISBN10: 1848841817
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-01-19
• Publisher: Pen & Sword

Summary

This is the first biography of 'Boy' Browning, whose name is inextricably linked with the creation and employment of Britain's airborne forces in the Second World War. Commissioned into the Grenadier Guards, Browning served on the Western Front, earning a DSO during the Battle of Cambrai. As Adjutant at Sandhurst, he began the tradition of riding a horse up the steps at the end of the commissioning parade. Browning represented England as a hurdler and Great Britain at the 1928 Winter Olympics. In 1932 Browning married Daphne du Maurier, who was ten years younger and became one of the 20th century's most enduring and popular novelists with titles such as Jamaica Inn and Rebecca. Browning commanded two brigades before being appointed to command 1 Airborne Division in 1941, later acting as Eisenhower's advisor on airborne warfare in the Mediterranean. In 1944 he commanded 1st Airborne Corps, which he took to Holland for Operation MARKET GARDEN that September. Allegedly coining the phrase "a bridge too far", he has received much of the blame for the operation's failure. In late 1944, Browning became Chief of Staff to Mountbatten. In 1948 he became Comptroller and Treasurer to Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip and then Treasurer to the latter following the Queen's accession. He was a close adviser to the Royal couple who respected his judgment. By this time Boy and Daphne lived separate lives with Boy working at the Palace in London and Daphne reluctant to leave her beloved Cornwall although the marriage remained intact. Questions exist as to Daphne's sexuality and Boy had a succession of discrete mistresses. After a nervous breakdown probably due to marriage problems, he resigned in 1959 and retired to Cornwall. Browning died in March 1965.

Table of Contents

List of Maps	p. vi
Foreword HRH The Duke of	p. vii
Introduction	p. viii
Prologue	p. xii
Family (1335-1896)	p. 1
Tommy (1896-1914)	p. 6
Boy (1914-1916)	p. 11
Trenches (1916-1918)	p. 18
Peace (1918-1924)	p. 28
Sandhurst (1924-1928)	p. 35
Hiatus (1928-1931)	p. 41
Daphne (1931-1932)	p. 45
Marriage (1932-1939)	p. 51
Brigadier (1939-1941)	p. 57
Pegasus (1941-1942)	p. 66
Expansion (1942)	p. 74
Setbacks (1942-1943)	p. 81
Adviser (1943)	p. 87
Corps (December 1943-June 1944)	p. 95
Frustration (6 June-9 September 1944)	p. 104
Sixteen (10-16 September 1944)	p. 115
Market (17-20 September 1944)	p. 125
Garden (21-24 September 1944)	p. 133
Tragedy (24 September-9 October 1944)	p. 143
Verdict (10-26 September 1944)	p. 152
Aftermath (October-December 1944)	p. 163
Kandy (December 1944-May 1945)	p. 169
Victory (May-November 1945)	p. 176
Singapore (November 1945-July 1946)	p. 184
Return (July 1946-December 1947)	p. 191
Princess (1948-1952)	p. 199
Duke (1952-1956)	p. 207
Breakdown (1956-1959)	p. 215
Finale (1959-1965)	p. 220
Postscript (1965-1989)	p. 226
Retrospective	p. 234
	p. 237
	p. 238
Abbreviations	p. 240
Notes	p. 243
Acknowledgements	p. 255
Sources & Bibliography	p. 259
Index	p. 266
List of Maps
The 'Market Garden' Battlefield	p. 114
Nijmegen and Groesbeek	p. 124
The Island	p. 134
Arnhem and Oosterbeek	p. 144
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