Martin Middlebrook (24 January 1932 – 19 January 2024) was an English

military historian Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians ...

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 The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

(RASC), and served as a Motor Transport Officer in the

Suez Canal Zone The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest of Egypt). The c ...

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 The German spring offensive, also known as ''Kaiserschlacht'' ("Kaiser's Battle") or the Ludendorff offensive, was a series of German Empire, German attacks along the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First Wor ...

, 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 Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

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 A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

(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 ''The Bomber Command War Diaries'' (subtitled: ''An Operational Reference Book, 1939 -1945'') is a book by the British military historian Martin Middlebrook and the researcher Chris Everitt that documents every operation by RAF Bomber Command in ...

'' (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