MCD SALE PRESS RELEASE
D-Day Commander Leads Important Sale of Military History
On the 8th of May 1945, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery wrote a letter of thanks to his
British 2nd Army D Day Commander General Sir Miles Dempsey G.B.E., K.C.B., D.S.O., M.C. The
long war in Europe was finally over following the official surrender of the German armed forces at
Luneberg Heath just four days before. The Field Marshal wrote; “As a Corps Commander in the
Eighth Army, and as an Army Commander in 21 Army Group, you have done your job in a way that is
beyond all praise. No one can ever have had a more loyal subordinate than I have had in you. I want
you to know that I am deeply grateful”.
This very letter written in freehand on blue 21 Army Group letter paper is one of the star
items being sold at auction by Adam Partridge Auctioneers in Macclesfield on the 8 th of May 2015,
exactly to the day 70 years later.
The auction which includes other outstanding items of militaria, has over 100 lots for sale
from General Dempsey’s surviving papers spanning nearly 40 years of service from the 1 st World War
during which he was gassed and won a Military Cross up to his appointment in May 1951 as
Commander-in-Chief UK Land Forces and told to prepare for a possible third World War.
Born in Cheshire in 1896, he was the youngest of three brothers all of whom distinguished
themselves in the Great War. His eldest brother James was the Clan Chief of one of the oldest Septs
in Ireland and the General’s direct ancestor Terence O’Dempsey was knighted on the battlefield in
Ireland by the Earl of Essex in 1589 and later ennobled by Charles the First as Viscount Clanmaliera.
Another lot in the sale is an original photograph of General Dempsey being knighted like his ancestor
on the field of battle, the sound of enemy artillery in the background, by King George VI on the 15 th of
October 1944. An event of some historical significance as this was the first time that such an
accolade had been bestowed on a soldier in the field of battle since Henry V at Agincourt in 1415.
General Dempsey ended his military career as Commander of the Middle East retiring from
the Army in 1947. Just a few years later, he found himself dragged out of retirement and made
Commander In Chief UK Land Forces. The Cold War was simmering and the man that many felt
should have succeeded Montgomery as CIGS was once more called to do his duty. The sale will end
with several post war items including two Presentation Albums given to the General by the Royal
Military Police – he was their first Colonel Commandant along with the SAS Regiment.
Dempsey is certainly one of the lesser known heroes of WWII, largely due to his modesty,
refusal to publish memoirs and his retirement from the army shortly after the war, in 1947. Letters
from Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten will also be offered for sale. In one, Lord Mountbatten writes to
Dempsey on his impending retirement from the army ‘I hope you will allow an unbiased person to tell
you that your departure [from the Army] would be nothing short of a national disaster, as I honestly
consider that you are in a class by yourself, whom the future of the army must, to a very large extent,
ultimately depend’. Lord Mountbatten recognised the importance of Dempsey’s contribution
throughout WWII and tried in vain to persuade him to put himself forward to become Chief of the
General Staff (professional head of the British Army).
The ‘Dempsey’ archive provides a unique opportunity to acquire important pieces of Britain’s
wartime history. Along with letters, photographs, pictures and very early regimental silver there is sure
to be something to tempt the collector on the 8th of May.