PERCY FROM THE PEWS
He was arguably the most significant person with Tasmanian ties to make his name on the world stage, particularly as he played such a key role in defeating an enemy threatening our very existence. Yet the Tasmanian place that has long honoured the name of World War Two hero Viscount Bernard Montgomery of Alamein – Montgomery Park at Coningham – is to be sold by the Anglican Church in another of its extensive money-raising property disposals.
The park serves not only as a memorial to the wartime military genius so popularly known as just Monty but it also honours his family’s devoted service to the church because there is the added recognition of his father – Bishop Henry Hutchinson Montgomery, the fourth Bishop of Tasmania.
And it’s worth remembering that the three-plus acres of this waterside park honouring the Montgomeries was, in fact, gifted to the church by a generous local benefactor.
As I’ve written previously, the Anglican Church’s decision to sell the land threatens the future of its important youth training Mission Afloat facility on the site. There’s further irony here for in his church work Bishop Montgomery recognised the value of youth education.
Local media interest recently saw big coverage of another personality who (post-Tasmania) achieved fame in a different global arena: Errol Flynn. He, of course, was a Hollywood swashbuckler (on and off-screen), victor over cinematic villains.
Bernard Law Montgomery did it in real life beating the bad guys. His was in curbing the menace of Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps on the harsh sands of North Africa, in the triumph of El Alamein, this achievement, between October 23 and November 4, 1942, having a major bearing on the war’s outcome, forcing the Germans to retreat from Egypt and Libya.
We’ve had a Flynn Festival, but I doubt if we’ll ever see a Montgomery Festival. But we’re left with the question – who was the most important of the two men? It seems a case of the Silver Screen over substance.
Monty wasn’t born in Tasmania, but did have his childhood here, arriving with his parents in 1889 as a two-year-old. As the Montgomery family expanded to nine children he learned early the values of discipline, recalling that his mother organised them along military lines. He became destined for a career in uniform, as a graduate from the famous Royal Military College at Sandhurst, England, taking a commission in the British Army in 1908. Service in World War One saw him decorated after being seriously wounded leading a bayonet charge in 1914.
In August of 1942 he was put in command the 8th Army, defending Egypt against the German and Italian invasion. And after turning back Rommel, the 8th Army had a major part in the conquest of Tunisia and the subsequent invasions of Sicily and Italy in 1943.
December that year saw him recalled to help plan the Normandy invasion. It was his insistence that saw the broadening of the landing area and the size of the landing force for D-Day, June 6, 1944. With it Monty was commander of all the Allied forces in Normandy.
The Monty recognition factor for Montgomery Park should not be underestimated.
From the outset the church considered it should be named in honour of the former bishop and his famous son. Monty was kept informed of the progress in creating the youth camp there – and the official opening of it in 1954 was done by the RSL.
In the large accommodation and catering block of today’s Mission Afloat campus there’s an impressive painting of Monty accepting the surrender of German officers. In view of all this, shouldn’t the RSL have something to say about the prospective loss of Montgomery Park?
Bishop Montgomery’s appreciation of youth needs saw him argue for church instruction in schools, a revival of the Sunday school movement, and the strengthening of church schools. He was an achiever: during his time in Tasmania church membership grew by 7,000 to some 88,000.
