# Frederick Browning

By [Guy Alcott](https://paragraph.com/@cnmoney) · 2022-07-03

---

[Lieutenant-General](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant-general_\(United_Kingdom\)) **Sir Frederick Arthur Montague "Boy" Browning**, [GCVO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Grand_Cross_of_the_Royal_Victorian_Order), [KBE](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire), [CB](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath), [DSO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Service_Order) (20 December 1896 – 14 March 1965) was a senior officer of the [British Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army) who has been called the "father of the British [airborne forces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_forces)".[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Browning#cite_note-1) He was also an Olympic [bobsleigh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobsleigh) competitor, and the husband of author [Daphne du Maurier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_du_Maurier).

Educated at [Eton College](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eton_College) and then at the [Royal Military College, Sandhurst](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Military_College,_Sandhurst), Browning was [commissioned](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Officer_\(armed_forces\)) as a [second lieutenant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_lieutenant) into the [Grenadier Guards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenadier_Guards) in 1915. During the [First World War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I), he fought on the [Western Front](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Front_\(World_War_I\)), and was awarded the [Distinguished Service Order](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Service_Order) for conspicuous gallantry during the [Battle of Cambrai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cambrai_\(1917\)) in November 1917. In September 1918, he became [aide de camp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aide_de_camp) to General Sir [Henry Rawlinson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Rawlinson,_1st_Baron_Rawlinson).

During the [Second World War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World_War), Browning commanded the [1st Airborne Division](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Airborne_Division_\(United_Kingdom\)) and [I Airborne Corps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Airborne_Corps_\(United_Kingdom\)) and was also the deputy commander of [First Allied Airborne Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Allied_Airborne_Army) during [Operation Market Garden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Market_Garden) in September 1944. During the planning for this operation, he was alleged to have said: "I think we might be going a bridge too far."[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Browning#cite_note-Too_far-2)[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Browning#cite_note-Beevor-3)[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Browning#cite_note-Buckingham-4) In December 1944 he became Chief of Staff of [Admiral](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_\(United_Kingdom\)) [Lord Louis Mountbatten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Mountbatten,_1st_Earl_Mountbatten_of_Burma)'s [South East Asia Command](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_East_Asia_Command). From September 1946 to January 1948, he was [Military Secretary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Secretary_\(United_Kingdom\)) of the [War Office](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Office).

In January 1948, Browning became [Comptroller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comptroller) and [Treasurer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasurer) to [Her Royal Highness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_Royal_Highness) Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh. After she ascended to the throne to become Queen [Elizabeth II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II) in 1952, he became treasurer in the [Office of the Duke of Edinburgh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_Duke_of_Edinburgh). He suffered a severe [nervous breakdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nervous_breakdown) in 1957 and retired in 1959. He died at [Menabilly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menabilly), the mansion that inspired his wife's novel [_Rebecca_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_\(novel\)), on 14 March 1965.

---

*Originally published on [Guy Alcott](https://paragraph.com/@cnmoney/frederick-browning)*