Lieutenant-General Sir Brian
Gwynne Horrocks, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC (7
September 1895 – 4 January 1985) was a British Army officer, chiefly
remembered as the commander of XXX Corps in Operation Market Garden and
other operations during the Second World War. He also served in the First World
War and the Russian Civil War, was taken prisoner twice, and competed in the modern
pentathlon at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Later he was a television presenter,
wrote books on military history, and was Black Rod in the House of Lords for
14 years.
Brian Horrocks in North Africa, 1942
In 1940 Horrocks commanded a battalion during the Battle of France, the first time he served under Bernard Montgomery, the most prominent British commander of the war.Montgomery
later identified Horrocks as one of his most able officers, appointing him to corps
commands in both North Africa and Europe . In
1943, Horrocks was seriously wounded and took more than a year to recover
before returning to command a corps in Europe .
It is likely that this period out of action meant he missed out on promotion;
his contemporary corps commanders in North Africa, Oliver Leese and Miles
Dempsey, went on to command at army level and above. Horrocks' wound caused
continuing health problems and led to his early retirement from the army after
the war.
Since 1945, Horrocks has been regarded by some as one of the most successful British generals of the war, "a man who really led, a general who talked to everyone, down to the simplest private soldier", and the "beau ideal of a corps commander". General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Western Europe, called him "the outstanding British general underMontgomery
Horrocks continued to serve in the armed forces after the war, initially as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Command, receiving substantive promotion to lieutenant-general in 1946, with seniority backdated to 29 December 1944. He briefly commanded the British Army of the Rhine, until he fell ill in August 1948; he was invalided out of the service early in January 1949 by the lingering effects of the wounds he had received inNorth Africa . Promoted to
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Horrocks became interested in writing, and submitted articles about military matters to newspapers and magazines including the Picture Post and The Sunday Times. This led to a short but successful career as the presenter of a series of television programmes, British Castles (1962), Men in Battle and Epic Battle, produced by Huw Wheldon. In these, Horrocks lectured on great historical battles, "highlighting excitement and interest" to allow the programmes to appeal to the widest possible audience. He was interviewed extensively for the Thames Television series, The World at War, and, to his embarrassment, appeared on the cover of the BBC's Radio Times magazine. After his television career ended, he served on the board of the housebuilding company Bovis, and continued writing, contributing a column to The Sunday Times and editing a series of British Army regimental histories. In 1968 Horrocks collaborated with J & L Randall as editor of the 'Merit' board game 'Combat'. His portrait and signature appear on the box and in his introduction to the game he states "In war no two battles are ever the same because the terrain is always different and it is this, more than anything else, which influences the composition of the different armies and the tactics employed by the rival Commanders". His autobiography, A Full Life, was published in 1960, and he co-authored Corps Commander, an account of his battles in north-westEurope , published in
1977.
Horrocks acted as a military consultant for the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, based on Operation Market Garden. The actor Edward Fox played Horrocks in the film, and later commented:
Horrocks died on 4 January 1985, aged 89. The memorial service, held at Westminster Abbey on 26 February, was attended by Major-General Peter Gillett and Secretary of State for Defence Michael Heseltine, who represented the Queen and Prime Minister respectively. Thirty regiments and many other formations and associations were represented at the service
In 1940 Horrocks commanded a battalion during the Battle of France, the first time he served under Bernard Montgomery, the most prominent British commander of the war.
Since 1945, Horrocks has been regarded by some as one of the most successful British generals of the war, "a man who really led, a general who talked to everyone, down to the simplest private soldier", and the "beau ideal of a corps commander". General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Western Europe, called him "the outstanding British general under
Post-War Career
Horrocks continued to serve in the armed forces after the war, initially as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Western Command, receiving substantive promotion to lieutenant-general in 1946, with seniority backdated to 29 December 1944. He briefly commanded the British Army of the Rhine, until he fell ill in August 1948; he was invalided out of the service early in January 1949 by the lingering effects of the wounds he had received in
Horrocks became interested in writing, and submitted articles about military matters to newspapers and magazines including the Picture Post and The Sunday Times. This led to a short but successful career as the presenter of a series of television programmes, British Castles (1962), Men in Battle and Epic Battle, produced by Huw Wheldon. In these, Horrocks lectured on great historical battles, "highlighting excitement and interest" to allow the programmes to appeal to the widest possible audience. He was interviewed extensively for the Thames Television series, The World at War, and, to his embarrassment, appeared on the cover of the BBC's Radio Times magazine. After his television career ended, he served on the board of the housebuilding company Bovis, and continued writing, contributing a column to The Sunday Times and editing a series of British Army regimental histories. In 1968 Horrocks collaborated with J & L Randall as editor of the 'Merit' board game 'Combat'. His portrait and signature appear on the box and in his introduction to the game he states "In war no two battles are ever the same because the terrain is always different and it is this, more than anything else, which influences the composition of the different armies and the tactics employed by the rival Commanders". His autobiography, A Full Life, was published in 1960, and he co-authored Corps Commander, an account of his battles in north-west
Horrocks acted as a military consultant for the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, based on Operation Market Garden. The actor Edward Fox played Horrocks in the film, and later commented:
I enjoyed all of the films but
A Bridge Too Far is the one I enjoyed the most because of the character
I had to play, Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks. Brian was alive then and I
knew him well – we were friends until his death. He was a very particular type
of general and it was important that I play the role correctly.
— Edward Fox
Horrocks died on 4 January 1985, aged 89. The memorial service, held at Westminster Abbey on 26 February, was attended by Major-General Peter Gillett and Secretary of State for Defence Michael Heseltine, who represented the Queen and Prime Minister respectively. Thirty regiments and many other formations and associations were represented at the service
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