Martin Middlebrook (24 January 1932 – 19 January 2024) was an English
military historian and author.
Education and military service
Middlebrook was educated at various schools, including
Ratcliffe College,
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
. He entered National Service in 1950, was commissioned in the
Royal Army Service Corps (RASC), and served as a Motor Transport Officer in the
Suez Canal Zone and
Aqaba
Aqaba ( , ; , ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate. The city had a population of 148, ...
, Jordan. Middlebrook subsequently spent three years in
Territorial Army service.
Career
Middlebrook wrote his first book ''
The First Day on the Somme'' (1971) following a visit to the First World War battlefields of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
in 1967. The book is a detailed study of the single worst day for the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
. Middlebrook gave the same single-day treatment to 21 March 1918, the opening of the
German spring offensive, in ''The Kaiser's Battle''. Middlebrook's Second World War books concentrate on the
air war. A number of them again deal with a single day of action (''
The Nuremberg Raid'', ''The Schweinfurt–Regensburg Mission'' and ''The Peenemünde Raid'') while others cover longer air battles (''
The Battle of Hamburg'' and ''
The Berlin Raids''). Middlebrook also wrote two books on the
Falklands War
The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...
, one from the British and Falkland Islanders' perspective and one from the
Argentinian perspective.
Death
Middlebrook died in
Cheltenham
Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
on 19 January 2024, at the age of 91.
Honours
Middlebrook was a
Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS). He was appointed Knight of the
Order of the Belgian Crown in 2004.
Books
*''
The First Day on the Somme'' with much co-operation from John Howlett. (1971)
*''
The Nuremberg Raid'' (1973)
*''Convoy SC.122 & HX.229'' (1976)
*''Battleship: the loss of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse'' (with Patrick Mahoney) (1977)
*''The Kaiser's Battle'' with much co-operation from Neville Mackinder. (1978)
*''
The Battle of Hamburg'' (1980)
*''The Peenemünde Raid'' (1982)
*''The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Mission'' (1983)
*''
The Bomber Command War Diaries'' (1985) (with the late Chris Everitt)
*''The Falklands War, 1982'' (1985) first published as ''Operation Corporate''
*''
The Berlin Raids'' (1988)
*''The Somme Battlefields: a Comprehensive Guide from Crʹecy to the Two World Wars'' (with his wife Mary Middlebrook) (1991)
*''Arnhem 1944'' (1994)
*''Your Country Needs You: from Six to Sixty-five Divisions'' (2000)
*
*''Captain Staniland's Journey: The North Midlands Territorials Go To War'' (2003)
References
External links
A letter from Middlebrook describing the writing of ''The First Day on the Somme''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Middlebrook, Martin
1932 births
2024 deaths
Fellows of the Royal Historical Society
Historians of World War I
English military writers
English military historians
Knights of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
British historians of World War II
Royal Army Service Corps officers
Military personnel from Lincolnshire
20th-century British Army personnel
People from Boston, Lincolnshire