Diaries, 1939-1946

References on this page: ALANBROOKE: 5

[NOTE: Typescript transcripts of substantial extracts of these diaries, annotated with additional comments on the events and persons mentioned therein, can be found in 'Notes on my life', the typescript version of Brooke's draft autobiography (see ALANBROOKE 5/2/13-31).]

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/1

1939 Sep 28-1940 Apr 2

Brooke's personal diary as Commander, 2 Corps, British Expeditionary Force (BEF), France and Belgium, notably covering mobilisation of 2 Corps, Sep 1939, preparation of Allied defensive line on Franco-Belgian frontier, Sep 1939-Apr 1940, and plans for advance into Belgium in event of German invasion of Low Countries. Gives detailed descriptions of official meetings and informal conversations with French Army commanders and other British Expeditionary Force (BEF) commanders, notably Maj Gen Bernard Law Montgomery, Commander, 3 Div, Gen Sir John Greer Dill, Commander, 1 Corps, Gen John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, Commander-in-Chief, British Expeditonary Force (BEF). Also includes entries on Brooke's lack of confidence in Gort's leadership and in the fighting quality of French Army.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/2

1940 Apr 12-1940 May 30

Brooke's personal diary as Commander, 2 Corps, France and Belgium, notably covering final arrangements for advance into Belgium in the event of German invasion of Low Countries, Apr 1940, start of German offensive, 10 May 1940, advance of 2 Corps to Dyle River, 10-12 May, and subsequent retreat to Dunkirk, 16-30 May 1940. Gives detailed descriptions of official meetings and informal conversations with French commanders and other British Expeditionary Force (BEF) commanders, notably Maj Gen Bernard Law Montgomery, Commander 3 Div and Gen John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, Commander-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Also includes entries on Brooke's lack of confidence in the fighting quality of Belgian Army.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/3

1940 Jun 12-1940 Dec 31

Brooke's personal diary as General Officer Commanding, British Troops in France, Jun 1940, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, Jun-Jul 1940, and Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, Jul-Dec 1940, notably covering his visit to France to investigate the possibility of re-establishing British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in North West France, Jun 1940; evacuation of remaining British troops from France, Jun 1940; organisation of defence and training exercises and inspection of defences in Southern Command, Jun-Jul 1940, and Home Forces Command, Jul-Dec 1940. Gives details of meeting with French Generals Maxime Weygand, Commander-in-Chief, French Army, and Alphonse Georges, Commander of North East Front, to discuss possibility of forming Allied bridgehead in North West France, 14 Jun 1940; official meetings and informal conversations with members of Southern and Home Forces Command, Chiefs of Staff and members of High Command, notably FM Sir John Greer Dill, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Prime Minister. Also includes entries on Brooke's concern at lack of coordination between Army, Navy and Air Force; effects of German bombing raids on London during Battle of Britain, Jul-Oct 1940, and Blitz, Nov-Dec 1940.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/4

1941 Jan 1-1941 Oct 19

Brooke's personal diary as Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, Jan-Oct 1941, notably covering organisation of defence and training exercises and inspection of defences in Home Forces Command. Contains details of official meetings and informal conversations with members of Home Forces Command, Chiefs of Staff and members of High Command, notably Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Prime Minister, Sir John Greer Dill, Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Also includes entries on Brooke's concern at lack of cooperation between Army and Air Force; his feeling that German invasion is imminent; British production of tanks and anti-tank weapons; Churchill's support for plan to capture Trondheim, Norway.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/5

1941 Oct 20-1942 Jun 28

Brooke's personal diary as Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, Oct-Nov 1941, and Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Dec 1941-Jun 1942, notably covering organisation of defence and training exercises and inspection of defences in Home Forces Command, Oct-Nov 1941; entry of Japan and USA into the war, Dec 1941; Japanese offensives in South East Asia and Burma, Dec 1941-May 1942; German offensive in North Africa, Jan-Jun 1942; plans for landings in French North Africa, Madagascar and Northern France; inter-Allied conference, Washington, Jun 1942. Contains details of Chiefs of Staff, War Cabinet and Defence Committee meetings; official meetings and informal conversations with members of British and US High Command, notably Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Prime Minister, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, US President, and Gen George Catlett Marshall, Chief of Staff of US Army. Also includes entries on Brooke's concern at lack of cooperation between Army and Air Force; his dislike of Far East American-British Dutch-Australian (ABDA) command organisation; his opposition to the supply of tanks and other equipment to Russia.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/6a

1942 Jun 29-1943 May 4

Brooke's personal diary as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, notably covering plans for landings in Northern France and Sicily and for recapture of Burma; operations in North Africa, Oct 1942-Apr 1943, notably Battle of El Alamein, Oct-Nov 1942, and landings in French North Africa, Nov 1942. Contains details of Chiefs of Staff, War Cabinet and Defence Committee meetings; official meetings and informal conversations with Allied army commanders and members of British and US High Command, including Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Gen Archibald Percival Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, India, Gen George Catlett Marshall, Chief of Staff of US Army, and Gen Dwight David Eisenhower, Commander of European Theatre of Operations.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/6b

1942 Jul 31-1942 Aug 24

Brooke's personal diary as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, notably covering visits by Brooke and Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Prime Minister, to Cairo and Moscow, Aug 1942. Contains details of discussions with members of Middle East Command, notably Gen Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, on reorganisation of Middle East Command, and with members of Russian High Command, notably Stalin and Marshal Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov, member of Soviet State Defence Committee, on defence of the Caucasus, plans for landings in North Africa and postponement of planned offensive in Northern France.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/6c

1943 Jan 12-1943 Feb 7

Brooke's personal diary as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, 12 Jan 1942-7 Feb 1943, notably covering Casablanca Conference (SYMBOL Conference), Jan 1943, and visits by Brooke and Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Prime Minister, to Adana, Turkey, Jan 1943. Contains details of official meetings and informal conversations with members of British and US High Commands, notably Churchill, Gen George Catlett Marshall, Chief of Staff of US Army, and Fleet Adm Ernest Joseph King, Commander-in-Chief, US Fleet, on plans for operations in the Mediterranean and relative importance of European and Pacific theatres, and with Turkish High Command, notably FM Fevzi Cakmak, Chief of the Turkish General Staff, on Turkish policy towards the Allies.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/7

1943 May 5-1943 Nov 12

Brooke's personal diary as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, notably covering TRIDENT Conference, Washington, May 1943; operations in North Africa, May 1943; Allied offensives in Sicily, Jun-Aug 1943, and Italy, Sep-Oct 1943, notably Salerno landings, Sep 1943; plans for invasion of North West Europe and for recapture of Burma; QUADRANT Conference, Quebec, Aug 1943. Contains details of Chiefs of Staff, War Cabinet and Defence Committee meetings; official meetings and informal conversations with Allied army commanders and members of British and US High Command, notably Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Prime Minister, Gen Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, Commander-in-Chief, Allied Armies in Italy, Gen Bernard Law Montgomery, Commander, 8 Army, Gen Dwight David Eisenhower, Commander of European Theatre of Operations, and Gen George Catlett Marshall, Chief of Staff of US Army. Also includes entries on plans for reorganisation of command in South East Asia; Churchill's support for plans for attacks on Northern Sumatra and on Rhodes.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/8

1943 Nov 13-1944 May 31

Brooke's personal diary as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, notably covering SEXTANT and EUREKA Conferences, Cairo and Teheran, Nov-Dec 1943; plans for invasion of North West Europe, for landings in Southern France, and for liberation of Burma and of Andaman Islands; organisation of Mediterranean Command; operations in Italy, Dec 1943-May 1944, including Anzio campaign, Jan-Feb 1944. Contains details of Chiefs of Staff, War Cabinet and Defence Committee meetings; official meetings and informal conversations with Allied commanders and members of British, US, Russian and Chinese High Commands, notably Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Prime Minister, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, US President, Gen Chiang Kai-Shek, Chinese President, Stalin, Soviet Prime Minister, Gen Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, Commander-in-Chief, Allied Armies in Italy, Gen Bernard Law Montgomery, Commander, 8 Army, and Gen Dwight David Eisenhower, Commander of European Theatre of Operations. Also includes entries on Churchill's support for plans to invade northern Sumatra.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/9

1944 Jun 1-1944 Nov 9

Brooke's personal diary as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Jun-Nov 1944, notably covering operations in North West Europe, Jun-Nov 1944, including Normandy landings, Jun 1944, and in Italy, Jun-Nov 1944; plans for landings in southern France and for recapture of Burma; OCTAGON Conference, Quebec, Sep 1944; visit by Brooke and Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Prime Minister, to Moscow, Oct 1944. Contains Chiefs of Staff, War Cabinet and Defence Committee meetings; official meetings and informal conversations with Allied army commanders and members of UK, US and Russian High Commands, notably Churchill, FM Bernard Law Montgomery, Commander, 21 Army Group, FM Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theatre, Gen Dwight David Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditonary Force in Western Europe, Gen George Catlett Marshall, Chief of Staff of US Army, and Stalin, Soviet Prime Minister. Also includes entries on organisation of defence measures against German flying bombs.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/10

1944 Nov 10-1945 May 8

Brooke's personal diary as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Nov 1944-May 1945, notably covering operations in North West Europe, Nov 1944-May 1945, including German Ardennes offensive, Dec 1944, and crossing of the Rhine, Mar 1945, and in Burma, Jan 1945; ARGONAUT Conference, Yalta, Feb 1945; trip by Brooke and Rt Hon Winston (Leonard Spencer) Churchill, Prime Minister, to Western Front, Mar 1945; German surrender, May 1945; Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945. Contains details of Chiefs of Staff, War Cabinet and Defence Committee meetings; official meetings and informal conversations with Allied army commanders and members of British and US High Commands, notably Churchill, FM Bernard Law Montgomery, Commander, 21 Army Group, Gen Dwight David Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force in Western Europe. Also includes entries on Allied military support for Greek government.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/11

1945 May 9-1945 Dec 23

Brooke's personal diary as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, May-Dec 1945, notably covering plans for war against Japan; TERMINAL Conference, Potsdam, Jul 1945; Japanese surrender, Aug 1945; visits to Greece, Middle East, India, Burma, Japan, Australia, Kenya and Italy, Oct-Dec 1945. Contains entries on Chiefs of Staff, Cabinet, Defence Committee and Advisory Committee on Atomic Energy meetings; official meetings and informal conversations with Allied army commanders, members of British, Russian and US High Commands and Middle Eastern political leaders, notably Gen Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Allied Powers in Japan. Also includes entries on increase in French military presence in Syria, May 1945; arrangements for Allied occupation of Germany and Japan, including formation of Commonwealth occupation force for Japan; possibility of using Indian Army troops to suppress nationalist uprisings in Dutch East Indies; Brooke's proposals for organisation of Commonwealth defence and for Middle East defence federation; loyalty of Indian Army troops towards British government; future threat to world peace posed by USSR.

1 vol

ALANBROOKE: 5/1/12

1945 Dec 24-1946 Jun 25

Brooke's personal diary as Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Dec 1945-Jun 1946, notably covering visit to Czechoslovakia and Austria, Feb 1946, Victory Parade, London, Jun 1946. Contains details of meetings with Eduard Benes, Czechoslovak President; meetings of Chiefs of Staff, Defence Committee and Advisory Committee on Atomic Energy. Also includes entries on possibility of using Indian Army troops to suppress nationalist uprisings in Dutch East Indies; Brooke's proposals for organisation of Commonwealth defence; proposed cuts in Army strength; withdrawal of British troops from Egypt; report of Anglo-American Committee on Palestine.

1 vol