The Last Great Cavalryman

by Richard Mead

  Over the next few months Dick’s immediate team changed, with Tony Warre from his old regiment arriving to replace ‘Tiny’ West as his military assistant, whilst Tony Crankshaw of the 11th Hussars became his personal assistant, a role which he had held in Cairo in 1942 prior to Pat Stewart. Crankshaw was almost as different from Dick as it was possible to be, a man who enjoyed wine, women and song to the full, but the two got on extremely well. When Warre left, Crankshaw stepped into his place, to be succeeded himself by Mat Abraham, another 12th Lancer, who had been brought into the regiment on Dick’s personal initiative, his mother being a friend of the family. Hugh Smith went off on demobilization after nearly two years as one of Dick’s ADCs, to be replaced by Nicky Paget. With Stratton focusing on the BTA at Klagenfurt, it was necessary to find another chief of staff to work for Dick in his capacity as High Commissioner: Douglas Packard, who had served under Dick at GHQ Middle East, was duly appointed.

  The Allied Council for Austria was formally constituted on 11 September and the first meeting took place on the same day under a rotating monthly chairmanship, Dick first becoming chairman in mid-October. The business of the council initially concentrated on the formation of the Austrian Government. There was already a provisional government in place, but it was as yet recognized only by the Soviet Union. It had been formed just before the end of the War by Karl Renner, a veteran 74-year-old politician who had been the first Chancellor of Austria after the Great War, but had distanced himself completely from politics with the increasing Nazification of the country in the early 1930s. He had put together a coalition of three parties, including the Communists, whose presence secured the support of the Russians. The Western Allies were hesitant, particularly the British who initially disliked the composition of the proposed interim cabinet pending a general election, but after a number of changes it was agreed in early October.

  In practice the country was still run by the Allied Commission, which had some serious problems to consider, foremost among which were food and fuel. Austria had always been a food-importing country and local produce was not available in any quantity, especially in the cities. Rationing was imposed at 1,550 calories per person per day, with exceptions for certain categories of manual workers. Fuel was also very short and most houses and public buildings were poorly heated, including the Vienna Opera House where the audience invariably wore overcoats in winter. The main indigenous fossil fuel was brown coal, both inefficient to burn and highly polluting. The three Western High Commissioners fought hard for an allocation of high-grade coal from the Ruhr, but the priority for this was clearly in Germany and only a relatively small tonnage was grudgingly made available to Austria.

  The obvious solution to the problem was wood and Dick used this as an excuse to provide an alternative occupation for his troops. The British Government had sent out a forestry expert, Sir Harold Glover, to obtain timber for England, where supplies were needed urgently to rebuild houses after the damage from air raids. Dick now organized felling competitions among the various BTA units, many of whom became expert lumberjacks, and the product of this was used not only for British homes, but also to supply 100,000 tons of fuel for use by the population. Dick, as usual, set an example by taking up axe and saw himself on a number of occasions.

  The tree-felling competitions formed part of Dick’s solution to one of his major problems, which was morale, again at a low level because, with the local people almost universally very friendly towards the British troops, and efficient local government starting to be restored, there were very few public order issues and military activity was largely confined to training. The problem was exacerbated by demobilization, which gathered pace through the autumn and hit the ranks of the most experienced men particularly heavily, especially valuable company commanders and senior NCOs. The replacements often had no particular affinity with their units and many were young National Servicemen. Some units, such as war-raised battalions of infantry regiments, were disbanded, as were the 27th Lancers, but in that case most of the recent recruits were transferred to the 12th Lancers. Dick had to find more occupations for the otherwise bored troops and, with winter approaching, he ordered that the men should be taught to ski and put to work patrolling the mountain border with Yugoslavia, an activity which turned out to be very popular. In addition to this he instituted trade training, so that those demobilized or released after National Service might have the skills to ensure their future employment, and he radically improved welfare services and entertainment facilities. The last of these included a leave centre for the BTA in Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites.

  With the purely military side of his job under control, most of Dick’s time was now spent in the administration of the British Zones in Southern Austria and Vienna. Packard, who lived in Dick’s house in Vienna for the first few months, wrote later that he ‘went absolutely flat out at getting Austria going again & never spared himself for a moment. One got up from a meal wishing one had more corners to one’s handkerchief to tie knots in to remind one of what one had to do.’2 Dick’s vision for Austria was for a restoration as soon as possible of its tourist trade, but also a revival of those industries for which it had been famous, such as leather goods and dressmaking. Constant difficulties, however, arose with the Russians, who were often difficult to the point of being actively obstructive when any joint decision was needed. Their attitude to the Austrians differed sharply from the Western Allies, who were all keen to put the country back on its feet as quickly as possible. The Russians, on the other hand, were only interested in reparations, stripping industry in their sector of many of its most productive assets and removing them to the Soviet Union. They were dismissive of the plight of the local people and not greatly interested in feeding them or providing them with adequate fuel. The small but valuable Zistersdorf oilfield in the Russian sector, the only indigenous source of oil, was seized for their own use.

  It may have been this which caused the unexpected result in the first general election to be held in post-war Austria on 25 November. The Communists, originally expected to do well, received only 5 per cent of the vote and the resulting government was formed by a coalition of Christian and Social Democrats. Renner stepped up from Chancellor to President and Leopold Figl, a ‘courageous and competent little fellow’ according to Clark,3 was chosen to be Chancellor after the Russians had vetoed the first nominee, Julius Raab. The new government was approved on 18 December and the four Cs-in-C attended the opening of Parliament on the following day.

  Notwithstanding the presence of a legitimate government which took over many of the administrative functions of the Allied Commission, most of the policymaking still lay with the commissioners. There were numerous very difficult commission meetings, mostly as a result of Russian intransigence, and Dick became quite impatient with the slow tempo of progress. Never a good public speaker, he was quite different when it came to negotiations across a table, where he was clear and concise, marshalling his arguments to great effect. Packard always enjoyed seeing him shoot down so-called ‘experts’ on various matters with large doses of common sense. To the occasional despair of Hal Mack and the diplomats on the British team, he would not hesitate to stand up to the Russians – the result of which being that they eventually came to respect him more than the other commissioners, indeed a certain amount of warmth developed between them.

  This is illustrated in one episode in October 1945. The background was Dick’s enthusiasm for the restoration of equestrian sport to peacetime Austria,4 and particularly horseracing, using the thousands of horses left behind by the Wehrmacht.5 He had two mounts of his own, Jumbo and Perugia, whom he exercised in the grounds of Schönbrunn, and he thought the time was now ripe for the first post-war race meeting in the capital. The main racecourse, the Rennbahn Freudenau, lay in the grounds of Vienna’s famous amusement park, the Prater, which was in the Russian sector. Dick persuaded the Russians not only to allow a meeting to take place, but also to let him use some of their Ge
rman POWs to carry out the necessary construction work on the course, filling in the numerous bomb craters and building the steeplechase fences. On his first inspection he found that the fences were, in his own words, ‘hopelessly wrong’. However, he managed to find among the POWs a German cavalry officer who had been a keen amateur steeplechaser himself before the War and put him in charge of the work party, with the result that, one week later, the fences were all built correctly and the course as a whole was in good shape.

  The meeting was held on 27 October and all the senior members of the Allied Commission were invited to attend, with a hot buffet lunch served beforehand. Although relations with the Russians were rather sticky at the time, Konev agreed to come, accompanied by a large number of Russian officers. Dick told the Marshal that he had donated a cup for the winner of the main race of the day, the Champion Stakes, and asked the Russian if he would be good enough to present it. Somehow this got lost in translation, Konev believing that he had been asked to donate the prize himself. He immediately ordered some of his officers to procure such a thing and they, with no other alternative available, rushed back to the Russian HQ at the Imperial Hotel, from the foyer of which they liberated a large and rather ugly vase, likened by Stratton to an umbrella stand. Talking to Zheltov during the lunch, Dick mentioned that his own horse, Jumbo, had been entered in the Champion Stakes, but that he would be unlikely to get a good price for a bet, as it was fancied by many of the British soldiers.6 Zheltov nodded and smiled knowingly.

  The result of the race was a win for Jumbo, ridden by Joe Hartigan, a successful pre- and post-war amateur jockey, wearing Dick’s racing colours specially sent out from England. With both the cup and the vase on display, the latter still half-filled with flowers, Konev did the only possible thing in the circumstances, presenting the cup to Hartigan and the vase to Dick. Dick thought afterwards that Konev had enjoyed himself, but Zheltov was furious as he thought that he had been deliberately put off backing Jumbo. The general view among the Russian contingent was that the race had been fixed anyway!

  Dick’s responsibilities meant that he had to travel frequently to Carinthia and Styria, for which he had three modes of transport. His preference was always for his own car, as this enabled him to visit the BTA units in Styria on his way to and from Klagenfurt. He still had the Mercedes and insisted on driving it himself, invariably flat out, indeed Stratton was later to say that it was the most frightening experience to be driven by him from the HQ to his house or the ‘A’ Mess along the winding road by the Wörthersee. The staff also had concerns that he might break down or be held up by a checkpoint in the Russian sector on his way back to Vienna. A military police escort was provided in a specially tuned-up car with an expert driver, but Dick refused to stay behind it and once he got in front the escort soon found itself left behind.

  Dick also had his own train, which he used relatively rarely, although it proved useful on certain occasions for travel by night. More frequently he went by plane. He had retained the Expeditor, but for short journeys into Styria and occasionally just to get to Schwechat he still used a ‘whizzer’ and had a strip built for it at Schönbrunn. Pussy Foster disapproved of this as a take-off to the south required the pilot to fly between two tall buildings, but agreed when Dick promised only to use it to fly out in the other direction. For longer journeys to Italy or to London, which he had to visit more frequently in a new capacity as the chairman of a committee on the reorganization of the Royal Armoured Corps, he now had his own personal Dakota.

  One battle which Dick fought with the War Office during the autumn was over allowing wives and families to come out to Austria. This had not been permitted for any foreign station during the War and the ban remained in place. Dick was insistent that the time had come for it to be lifted and made a big issue of it in the further interests of morale, but encountered serious opposition. According to Pat Scott, who had served under Dick on the Garigliano and now commanded a brigade in 78 Division, he became so exasperated by what he saw as official obstructionism on the issue that he issued an ultimatum – ‘Well, if they don’t come out, I go home’ – which finally worked.

  One beneficiary of this was Lettice, even if only temporarily. Crankshaw was sent off in the Dakota on 17 November to escort her to Vienna, but the return flight was delayed for many days by thick fog and when it did eventually leave England it had to be diverted to Udine. Lettice was entertained by Harding to a day at the races and dinner at his castle HQ, whilst Dick, with the weather also closing down flights from Austria, had to go by train to collect her. They spent two nights in the house on the Wörthersee before taking the Mercedes to Vienna. Packard recalled his considerable relief, once she was there, that the conversation at the dinner table lightened up considerably.

  Lettice’s arrival coincided with a visit to Austria by John Hynd, the junior government minister responsible for Germany and Austria, so Dick’s time was largely taken up with meetings. There were also a number of dinner parties, at which Lettice shone as always, and once Hynd had gone Dick was able to take her on tour round his sector. Both of them especially enjoyed their visit to the 12th Lancers, who were holding a party for local Austrian children. Lettice was in Austria for barely a fortnight before returning to England for the start of the boys’ school holidays. Dick followed her on 22 December for two weeks’ leave and his first Christmas at home since 1941.

  The New Year brought with it both good and bad. On the positive side, Dick took up skiing with great enthusiasm. It was seven years since he had last enjoyed the sport during the family holiday at Crans Montana, but now he seized every opportunity to take to the slopes. There were some ski runs in the Wiener Wald, but the main attraction lay in a small resort called Turracher Höhe, which lay on the Carinthia/Styria border and was easily accessible from Klagenfurt, although other opportunities emerged when visiting the divisional ski schools. He became very proficient and was, as always, quite fearless, though his game leg meant that his style tended to lack elegance.

  His tribulations in January lay not with the usual culprits, the Russians, but with a visiting all-party group of MPs. Three of the newly elected Labour members seemed to be out to make trouble, insisting on talking to the soldiers directly and interpreting some of the usual complaints on food and heating as evidence of gross inefficiency. Concerned that they were fomenting discontent between officers and men, Stratton contacted Dick, who changed his plans to meet them halfway between Klagenfurt and Vienna, where he told them very plainly what he thought of their behaviour. One of them remained unrepentant, but the trouble subsided and by the time Dick had his final meeting with them at Schönbrunn, the atmosphere was amicable. Dick complained forcefully to both Lawson and Brooke when he was in London at the end of the month, saying this must not happen again if there were to be further visits.

  After a trip to London for an RAC Committee meeting, Dick brought Lettice out to Austria again in early February for five weeks during the boys’ term time. They managed to get in some good skiing until Lettice damaged her knee, although she continued to shine on social occasions, even succeeding in charming Konev. Another welcome visitor was Brooke, who made a whistlestop tour of the British sector, one of many such valedictory trips which the CIGS was undertaking in the last six months before handing over to Montgomery. Dick found him in excellent form and he was clearly still a strong supporter, as became evident at the end of March, when Dick visited London for Brooke’s last big Camberley conference as CIGS. While there he was told that he would be moving to Germany in the summer to take command of the British Army of the Rhine.

  The news was announced whilst Dick was still in England and caused consternation at the Foreign Office, which had not been consulted and only learnt of it from the Press, although the War Office had taken care to clear its lines with both the Prime Minister and John Hynd. Bevin wrote immediately to Lawson:

  I am quite sure that there is no appointment too good for the General, but the fact remains
that he will be badly missed in Austria where he has been doing a really fine job. Indeed the moment the report of his transfer reached the Austrians, the Chancellor telephoned in great distress to our Political Representative. There is no doubt that General McCreery has won the respect of the Austrians and his outstanding qualities have made a strong appeal to them.

  The position in Austria is at the moment, as you fully realise, highly delicate. It is in fact the scene of one of our biggest struggles with the Russians. I cannot help feeling that it is the worst possible moment to be thinking of changing our chief representative in Austria… I feel bound to appeal to you to reconsider your decision and to keep General McCreery in his present post until the position in Austria is somewhat clearer than it is at the moment.7

  The appeal fell on deaf ears and Bevin was forced to accept a fait accompli.

  Dick’s final two months proved to be much less difficult than their predecessors. Michael and Bob arrived to stay for part of the Easter holidays, followed by Lettice with Jon, who had had mumps. Much of the boys’ time was spent skiing and Dick was able to join them on a number of occasions. Just as importantly in terms of alleviating stress, Konev and Zheltov returned from a visit to Moscow in such good form that their Western colleagues believed them to be under instructions to be as friendly as possible. Konev accorded Dick the signal honour of an invitation to dinner at his house rather than at the more normal venue, the Imperial Hotel.