‘Monty’ impersonator dons the beret to prevent D-Day heroes being forgotten
A Field Marshal Montgomery impersonator has described his craft as a means of honouring and preserving the memory of D-Day heroes.
Colin Brooks-Williams, Britain’s foremost “Monty” lookalike and impersonator, has toured the country in a two-badge beret and flying jacket for nearly 15 years, featuring in films and at high-profile events.
Bernard Law Montgomery was the Commander in Chief of the Allied Ground Forces for the invasion in June 1944.
Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, Mr Brooks-Williams has urged the nation to find out more about their own heroes and take on the duty of keeping their memory alive.
“We all have a hero somewhere in our family history, perhaps we don’t know it yet,” he told the PA news agency, adding: “If their story, their part in history, big or small, is forgotten, then they will be too.
“This is why we do what we do, to honour and perpetuate the memory of those who gave their all, for us today.”
The one-time owner of a Daimler Ferret armoured scout car, Mr Brooks-Williams got into portraying Monty through owning military vehicles and displaying them at shows.
In what he described as a “natural progression”, Mr Brooks-Williams opted to wear an army battle dress uniform for the exhibitions to drum up interest.
After one such event, his brother remarked that he looked rather like Monty and so he tailored his look towards the Field Marshal for the next event.
“To my delight, it went down rather well with the organisers and the public,” he said, unaware at the time of where such a reaction would take him.
“Once I’d started portraying Monty, I realised that in order to do some justice to the memory of the Field Marshal, with all due respect and reverence to the sensitivities of his family, I would need to do things properly and take the subject seriously.
“This meant lots of research into Monty’s life, his characteristics and his background.”
Mr Brooks-Williams, who now runs the Monty’s Double website, feels it is important to provide information on the Field-Marshal where he is able to answer any question from the general public, tell a story and inspire interest.
Although he portrays a renowned figure, Mr Brooks-Williams insists it is his own family’s legacy he wishes to preserve.
“Many of my friends choose to portray a parent, grandparent, uncle or aunt who served in the First or Second World War, and to tell their story.
“This is the most important facet of what we do, because we all, every single one of us, have past family who were directly affected by these conflicts.”
Mr Brooks-Williams’ father lost his brother aged 20 in the Second World War, after losing his uncle in the First.
He said: “Although my Dad could never really talk about the loss of his brother, and I never thought it right to ask him to tell me more of course, until it was too late, I now know the story of the uncle I never met.”
Private Stanley Wilson Williams attempted to sign up aged 15 before his mother marched him back from the recruitment office.
Undeterred, Private Williams tried again in a different area where he became part of the 4th Battalion of the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment and was killed in April 1944 in Kohima, Burma.
Mr Brooks-Williams, who is based in Penmaenmawr, Wales, is nearing the end of a “very enjoyable long-term project” to build a replica of Monty’s office caravan.
Fixed on a modern box trailer, the caravan can be towed to events across the country, where it will serve as “an educational piece of touring theatre” complete with Monty’s original hand-written letters and recitals of war-time speeches.
The caravan will act as a focal point to pass on, from one generation to the next, the story of Monty, Private Williams and the impetus for people to find their own family hero.
