Viscount Montgomery of Alamein

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Disc's archive. For rights' reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in nineteen sixty nine.

Presenter0:12

Desert Island Disc

Presenter0:31

As usual, the castaway is introduced by Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:36

This week, ladies and gentlemen, I welcome ashore my one thousandth castaway since I devised this series back in nineteen forty two, and its Field Marshal Montgomery of Alamein.

Presenter0:46

Field Marshall, isn't music an interest of yours?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein0:48

Well, it is now because I'm what you might call it in the evening of life.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein0:54

It it hasn't always been.

Presenter0:56

What was your overall plan in choosing just eight records to take with you for an indefinite period of solitude? Are you looking back?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein1:03

Well, in in a in a sense, but I'm uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein1:06

I chose first of all the first one, the Battle Hymn of the Republic, because I'm a soldier.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein1:11

And the last one, O for the Wings of a Dove, because I thought I might be able to fly away from this island.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein1:17

And then in between, I filled in

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein1:22

Two to to seven width with

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein1:24

Songs and tunes I am very, very fond of indeed, and like to listen to.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein1:30

And that's how I did it.

Presenter1:32

Well, let's start with the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Speaker 41:43

He is trampling out the vines where the graves are breathed soared. He can lose the faithful lightning of his terrible swift sword.

Presenter2:36

The Battle Hymn of the Republic sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Presenter2:40

What's your second choice?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein2:41

Second choice is My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose, which is a Scottish love song, and I think one of the nicest I've ever heard, and it's sung by Kenneth McKellar.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein2:52

and I am very fond of it indeed.

Speaker 42:55

Thus fair are thou my born Illust Sidi in love.

Speaker 43:12

And I will love thee still, my dear.

Speaker 43:21

For the seas gindra

Presenter3:26

Kenneth McKellar.

Presenter3:28

Field Marshal

Presenter3:29

Your childhood by modern standards was very Spartan and very disciplined.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein3:33

And wasn't it?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein3:34

Yes, it was, and uh'cause my mother ran the whole house.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein3:38

My father was a saint.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein3:40

If any saints do walk about on this earth, I worshipped him.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein3:45

My mother was a disciplinarian. She was married when she was sixteen.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein3:49

and she had her seventeenth birthday on her honeymoon.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein3:53

And of course children began to appear, and she was the wife of a very busy London vicar, and shortly afterwards the wife of a bishop.

Presenter4:01

Yes.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:01

And you there was no time to tend to the children, or she didn't know how to do it, because she was so young, you see. Were you a rebellious boy? I was very rebellious, and when my mother demanded discipline from me, I refused to to give in.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:17

I I said no and took my beating. Now I can tell you a story that's an interesting one.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:23

that I was caught one day in the garden

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:25

Smoking.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:27

I didn't want to smoke, but I just thought I would. I was smoking a cigarette beh behind a bush or something.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:34

And I was caught.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:35

and taken into the house, and my father heard about this, and he took me into our little chapel which we had in the house.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:42

And we knelt down.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:44

and he prayed to the Almighty that I might be forgiven this dreadful sin.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:50

And then with a little silence.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:53

And then I thought that the matter was settled, that the albatross had accepted my.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein4:58

Sorrow not at all.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:01

When we opened the door and went out,

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:03

There was my mother.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:05

With a cane she thought a more earthly connection was needed as well, and I got beaten.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:10

I took it.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:11

But I think the point is really that

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:14

When people say to me, What makes you tick?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:18

I think what makes me tick was that I absolutely refused to give in.

Speaker 15:23

Different.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:25

When I thought I was there was no need to. For instance, my mother said to me once, Bernard,

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:30

You will sign the pledge.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:32

I said, never will I sign the pledge. I don't want to drink. I don't drink.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:36

But I'm not going to sign the pledge. That was the sort of thing which which I think uh moulded my character. I'd like to think it did, and it was good for me.

Presenter5:45

Yes. On both sides of your family there were churchmen, there were civil servants, traders. No military tradition at all. Why did you decide to be a soldier? Was it a sudden decision?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:55

Well, uh I I think

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein5:58

As far as I can remember, I wanted to be a soldier when I was quite young, about uh five or six.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:04

And then I think it finally became finalized.

Speaker 16:09

Monday

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:11

Yes. And I saw the soldiers going off to the Burg War in their red coats, of course, in those days, and I said, That's the stuff for me. Now that was very unpopular indeed with my family.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:21

who wanted me for the church.

Speaker 46:23

Uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:23

Um I would uh assume, because I was like my father in face, that I must I must be a clergyman.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:31

When I got St. Paul's and they said, Both good in London, what you're going to be? I said, a soldier.

Presenter6:39

Yeah.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:39

Yep.

Presenter6:39

Yeah.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:39

Editor.

Presenter6:39

An excellent school record at St. Paul's, not quite such a good one at Sandhurst.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:43

Well, I scroll record at St. Paul's.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:46

It was very good on the on the game side, but on the academic side it wasn't so good.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:51

Sandhurst, no. Instead of being there a year, a year and a half.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein6:56

And uh finally passed out a full private, which is all right. That's all right.

Presenter7:00

Azora.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:00

Yeah.

Presenter7:00

Huh.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:01

Uh

Presenter7:01

Uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:01

Uh

Presenter7:01

Yeah.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:01

Okay.

Presenter7:01

And then the Army in India. Now in Edwardian days, the Army in India was more equipped for ceremonial duties than as a tough fighting force.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:10

Well, I think in those days the army

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:12

I I think it's rather with more amateur.

Presenter7:15

Hmm.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:18

That war was a serious business, and it liked study, nor did I at that time.

Presenter7:22

At that time. Now, from that rather picturesque form of soldiering, you went as a young subaltern in charge of a platoon into the first battle of Ypres.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:29

Well, I went as a young subaltern in charge of a platoon in august nineteen fourteen, which which dealt with Mons and Laketto.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:38

and commanded my batoon of the thirty men.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:41

And uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:43

I went right through that war course.

Presenter7:45

Yes.

Presenter7:46

You were badly wounded.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:47

I was very badly wounded in the first battle of Ypres, and I was taken back to an advanced dressing station, and they thought I was dead.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:56

And there was an officer there who was dead.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein7:59

And they dug two graves,'cause I was just about to die. Well, I defeated them, I didn't die, see.

Presenter8:05

In nineteen thirty nine you were back in France in command of a division. Had you any inkling yourself that all was not as well as it seemed, that the Allied equipment was wrong, that the overall tactics were wrong, that the French army was wrong?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:19

Yes, I had.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:21

Interesting point, that.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:23

I better explain it by saying that uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:26

Neville Chamberlain, who was Prime Minister, it came out to

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:30

see the army in in the field.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:33

And he came one day to have lunch with me at my divisional headquarters.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:39

This was about

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:41

It's January or Feb or February, uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:44

Yeah.

Presenter8:45

nineteen forty.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:45

Yeah.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:47

And he said, I don't think the Germans will attack, do you? And I said, Well, sir,

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:51

You wait.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein8:53

Wait till the weather gets better in the spring and there'll be a frightful disaster. French army will will crack.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein9:00

The generals are too old.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein9:02

And the unit commanders are too old.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein9:05

And the politicians, the ones I know, are all second-class lawyers. They're no good. The whole show is is wrong.

Presenter9:13

Yeah.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein9:15

And it'll be it'll be a bad show.

Presenter9:16

Yes, and how right you were.

Presenter9:18

Well let's break off at this point for your third record. What should we have?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein9:21

My third record is uh one by Richard Tarber, uh You Are My Heart's Delight.

Speaker 49:30

You are my heart's delight, and where you are I love.

Speaker 19:34

Uh

Speaker 19:37

Fire

Speaker 49:42

You make my darkness bright when like a sun you shine on me Chain my heart let your light in

Speaker 410:02

That dreams of mine may fairness come true, and I shall hear you with love.

Speaker 410:25

Ready?

Speaker 410:28

Yeah.

Presenter10:33

Richard Tarber singing You Are My Heart's Delight.

Presenter10:37

Now so back to nineteen forty, you came back to England via Dunkirk and you refitted the division. It was the only completely outfitted division there was in the country at that time, I believe.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein10:47

Well, there was only the equipment. In England for one division. Yes. And it was given to me, and I got ready to go back.

Presenter10:55

Yeah.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein10:55

To front. Defense.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein10:58

Luckily, France uh capitulated uh on the seventeenth of June, otherwise we should have had the same thing over again.

Presenter11:05

Now the rest of your war story is history. The Western Desert, Tunis, Sicily, Italy, the Normandy landings.

Presenter11:11

You were in your fifties and you suddenly became a national figure, and you became a character, an instantly recognizable character, the the unmistakable Monty with the belly with the badges on it and the flying jacket. Now this was a morale building project, and uh a public relations job in which you had a considerable hand, wasn't it?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein11:29

It was, really. I thought in those days, you see, that there was the staff and the generals were remote from the soldiers.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein11:39

Now I've learnt, of course, in my career that that doesn't pay that the the soldiers are really the people who in the end win the battle.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein11:49

And you've got to be with them, you see, all the time, and they must know you're.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein11:54

The welling of the burial course happened quite an accident.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein11:57

I I had to go about finally in a tank.

Speaker 411:59

In attack.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:01

When the battle began, not to fight for them, because it wasn't my job to fight.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:05

Uh but it was if you were blown up by a mine in the jeep you'd lost a leg.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:10

But if you were in a tank, you didn't.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:13

And then the tank crew said one day, I think, sir, that instead of wearing your red hat,

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:19

It'd be much better to wear a berry and they gave me a berry with a tank called Badger.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:23

Well, then I stacked my

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:25

My general I was a general, then. My general was badgent, and had two beddies.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:29

And for the rest of the war, I would.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:32

The Army Council didn't like it. I got ticked off.

Speaker 412:36

Yeah.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:36

But I I've stuck to it. I said it was worth a couple of divisions.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:40

'Cause when things are bad in the battle

Presenter12:40

Uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:42

You go up in front.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:44

And if you just wear a red hat, they don't know who it is. But once they saw the the barrier with two badges, they said, ah.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:51

That's good, you'll boy.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:53

That'd be alright.

Presenter12:54

Yeah.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein12:55

Uh

Presenter12:55

You worked, of course, very closely with Winston Churchill. How good a military tactician was he? How much practical help could he give in the map room?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:04

Well, one of my troubles was that Winston had once been a soldier.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:09

Now you would have thought that might have been an advantage, but it wasn't, because his soldiering had great difficulty in getting away from uh The early days, like the Battle of Ome de Mars, when he drew his snicker-snee and charged the Dervish, as you see, and he didn't understand that.

Speaker 413:23

You see it?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:26

1944, going to Normandy, was uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:30

A little bit different, or even fighting in the desert.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:34

Now

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:36

I don't mind telling you that uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:37

When I was fighting the Battle of Alamein,

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:41

He wanted me to attack Rommel in September.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:45

I refused because of the uh moon.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:49

I had to have a moon.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:51

purposes of handling the mines and things.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:54

And uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein13:56

I won't be ready, I said, by the September moon. He wanted September to synchronize with Stalingrad. He's fixed it up with Stalingrad.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein14:05

And I said no.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein14:07

As a commander-in-chief in the field, you are bound to have tussles with your political master. You can't help it, you see. But Winston was very good.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein14:16

when he saw that it was no good going on with it, and when he came to stay with me in the field, which he did several times,

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein14:24

I used to make it quite clear to him. I said, Sir, you are here in the

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein14:29

zone of the armies, you must do what I tell you, because we can't afford to you to take uh risks, you see it, and uh I should get in awful trouble if you got sh bumped off by a shell or something. It'd be very good.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein14:42

Very good indeed. He agreed that in the zone of the armies I was the boss.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein14:47

Very good.

Presenter14:48

Yes. What has been the most exultant moment in your military life not necessarily the greatest moment, like accepting the German surrender on Luneburg Heath, but one good satisfying moment that you look back on with great pleasure?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:01

In the whole of my military life.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:04

Well I should think getting ashore successfully in Normandy.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:08

with fairly small casualties comparatively,

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:12

It was a great moment. The main plant had succeeded. Yeah, the main plant succeeded.

Presenter15:17

We I mentioned just now, Luneberg Heath, you still have, I believe, that German surrender document. You hung on to it.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:22

I did, but it's I've given it away. Have you? Then, uh about a year ago, uh uh after my house was burgled,

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:30

I said, I think I better give this to the Imperial War Museum, and they got it.

Presenter15:35

Uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:35

Well, it's a national thing. It's it's the original bit of paper.

Presenter15:38

Yes. Let's have your fourth record, please.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:41

My fourth record is uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:43

Invitation to the Wars.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:45

My Veba.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:47

And I chose that because it was a great favour to my wife. And you might think, of course, that I'm not the sort of person who went dancing. But actually, when I was married, I did.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein15:57

And she liked that very much. Invitation of the Walls by Baba.

Presenter17:05

Invitation to the waltz, Villy Boskowski conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Presenter17:11

A Field Marshal, you spent a lot of your retirement in writing. Have you

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein17:14

Another book on the stocks. No, I finished. I read a lot and I think a lot.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein17:18

And I'm not doing any more writing.

Presenter17:20

You live in this beautiful house in Hampshire which you converted from a mill. What are your other occupations? Do you go to the theatre? Do you watch television?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein17:28

Never.

Presenter17:28

Yeah.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein17:29

And every guard at night.

Presenter17:30

Yeah.

Presenter17:31

Let's have record number five.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein17:33

Regular number five is the song sung by Elizabeth Swachkov.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein17:38

And the title, English title, would be Don't Be Cross, and I'm very, very fond of it indeed, it's the most charming thing.

Speaker 117:45

Uh

Speaker 417:46

Sta ir tun fishen gate, clothir liz all slee.

Speaker 417:55

Feel the wind for us to feel all

Speaker 117:55

And why is it not to be all

Speaker 418:00

Spread is the

Speaker 418:10

The river is a skull outside.

Speaker 418:18

So shall we

Speaker 418:37

Oh, fish ball.

Speaker 418:40

Rudy got a gay smile.

Presenter18:48

Don't Be Cross, sung by Elizabeth Schwartkopf. Now what's record number six?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein18:53

Regard number six, a Welsh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein18:55

Choir.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein18:57

I had in the war, of course, the Welsh Division under me all the time, and they were very, very good. And when the war was over, I went down to Wales to see my some of my old comrades, and it was Bevern, a New York Bevern, whom I I knew very well and liked immensely, who said I ought to go up to the Welsh valleys.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein19:18

I went to Ebbervale.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein19:20

where I was received by the town council, the city fathers.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein19:25

Very kindly.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein19:27

And uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein19:28

When we had a talk, I said

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein19:31

Would you mind singing to me?'Cause I understand you are very good at singing.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein19:35

And they said certainly and they sang the most marvellous things. It was quite off the cuff, they didn't know. So I would like a Welsh choir to sing to me the the hymn all through the night.

Speaker 419:50

All it said.

Speaker 419:55

I heal the Lord.

Speaker 420:27

I am handsome I keep on

Speaker 120:32

I want

Presenter20:57

All through the night sung by the Trioke Male Choir.

Presenter21:01

I feel Marshall, I don't have to ask how resourceful you'd be as a castaway, but how good are you with your hands?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein21:08

I'm a good gardener. Of course, I don't actually do much gardening myself now. I give orders. But I know how to do it. And I can grow vegetables and things. I hope there'd be something there, maybe.

Presenter21:19

What about escaping? I know you're good with small craft. Could you build yourself a a catamaran or a raft?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein21:25

Back.

Presenter21:25

I got

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein21:26

A lot of yachting, of course. I'm not certain if I could build one.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein21:30

I should keep a jolly good look out for for for passing vessels of smoke and things like that.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein21:35

I think I'd have to wait until I was rescued.

Presenter21:37

Yes, I have an idea we'd see you back here quite soon, somehow or other. Let's have record number seven.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein21:43

Record number seven is Cockrells and Mussels Alive, Alive O.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein21:48

Now I want that, of course, because I I really am partly Irish.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein21:53

Well the Irish are great people, you know. They uh

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein21:55

They like fighting.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein21:57

And if they can't find anyone to fight, they they generally fight each other. That's pretty good there to say.

Speaker 122:01

Uh

Speaker 422:01

Go to that.

Speaker 122:01

Which was

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein22:02

So I would like that song, Cockles and Mussels, Alive-Alive-O.

Speaker 422:08

In Dublin's fair city, Where collins are pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone

Speaker 422:20

As she wheeled her wheelbarrow

Speaker 422:23

Through streets old and narrow, Crying circles and muscles Alive alive, oh Alive, alive, oh

Speaker 422:41

Alive, alive, oh

Speaker 422:45

Brian Cockles and Marshalls Alive Alive O

Speaker 422:59

She was a fishmonger, but sure it was no wonder, For so were her father and mother before

Speaker 123:00

Uh

Presenter23:09

William Clausen singing Cockles and Mussels. Now we come to your last record. What's that?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein23:14

My last record is Oh for the wings of a dove, and I wife chose that one, because I have a sort of feeling that after a time I wouldn't mind having a few wings myself to get out of this dirt style when I get a bit sick of it.

Speaker 423:31

Wings of a dark.

Speaker 424:09

Oh yes, we are

Presenter24:30

O for the Wings of a Dove sung by the choir of Saint John's College, Cambridge.

Presenter24:35

If you would take just one of the eight records you've played us, which would it be?

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein24:40

Oh, I think it would be uh that song by Elizabeth Watskoff, uh Don't Be Cross. Very lovely song.

Presenter24:47

And one luxury to take to the island with you.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein24:49

Well, I think I'd like a piano. You say, I'm always very sorry I didn't learn music.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein24:55

Hadn't time.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein24:57

And if I had a piano on on there with some literature about how to learn the piano, I would have lots of spare time and I would I would I would learn it.

Presenter25:05

Splendid and one book putting aside the Bible and Shakespeare which are already on the island.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein25:09

What I'd like, it may horrify you to say so, but I would like a book which I wrote myself about war. Which one is this? A History of Warfare.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein25:18

in which I make it quite clear that the generals, besides fighting wars, have got to play their part in preventing them. And this book really, at the end, it goes into the question of how to how to stop fighting.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein25:32

And I would have lots of time and I would ponder over how we could stop

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein25:36

people fighting. So when I came back, which I hope to do, one might be able to do something about it.

Presenter25:43

Right. And thank you, Field Marshal Montgomery of Alamain, for being the one thousandths castaway on Desert Island.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein25:50

Well, I'm delighted to be so, and I think it's a great honor to be the one thousandth.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein25:54

Thank you very much.

Presenter25:56

Goodbye, everyone.

Viscount Montgomery of Alamein25:56

Yeah.

Speaker 126:03

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Islandists Archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk/slash radio four.