MONTGOMERY B. L.: (1887-1976) British Field Marshal of World War II. A good D.S., Montgomery of Alamein F.M., one ...

MONTGOMERY B. L.: (1887-1976) British Field Marshal of World War II. A good D.S., Montgomery of Alamein F.M., one page, 4to, Tunisia, 28th April 1943. The printed document is an original Personal Message from the Army Commander issued by Monty in his capacity as General of the Eighth Army and intended to be read to all troops to boost morale among his soldiers. The message is outlined in eight points and states, in part, '1. On 20th March, before we began the Battle of Mareth, I told you that the Eighth Army would do three things. 2. On 8th April I told you that all these things had been done except the final one of securing Tunis - or whatever area the enemy chooses for his last stand. We are now getting on with this last task. 3. We have joined up with the Allied Forces in Northern Tunisia and we no longer operate as an independent Army…..and it is very necessary that the Allied thrusts all along the front be kept up; the enemy has not sufficient resources to meet all our thrusts, and that will be his undoing. 4. I call on every commander and every soldier to give of his best and to keep up the pressure. No one must relax for a moment. Keep the tempo of the operation at a high level. The enemy is caught in a trap and will resist desperately. But bit by bit, and part by part, we will fight him to a standstill and will ''eat the guts'' out of him. It may be difficult, but we will do it. 5. When we have done our duty, and the task is finished, then we can relax. And you will all well deserve it. 6. And to every officer and man I say: FORWARD TO BATTLE! DO NOT RELAX! KEEP UP THE PRESSURE!.......8. Good luck to each one of you. You can rest assured that I am watching over the battle carefully and together we will finish the job.' Signed by Montgomery in fountain pen ink to a clear area at the head of the page with a post-war signature. A fine signed souvenir of World War II. One very small area of paper loss to the lower edge, not affecting the text or signature, otherwise VG £300-400