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M. E. Clifton James
Meyrick Edward Clifton James (1898-1963) was an actor and soldier, with a resemblance to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. This was used by British intelligence as part of a deception campaign duri...view moreMeyrick Edward Clifton James (1898-1963) was an actor and soldier, with a resemblance to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. This was used by British intelligence as part of a deception campaign during the Second World War.
Born in Perth, Western Australia, after serving in the Royal Fusiliers during WWI, and seeing action at the Battle of the Somme, Clifton James began acting. At the outbreak of WWII he volunteered his services to the British Army as an entertainer. Instead of being assigned to ENSA as he had hoped, on 11 July 1940 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Army Pay Corps and eventually posted to Leicester. There, his acting seemed to be limited to his membership of the Pay Corps Drama and Variety Group. In 1944, his resemblance to Montgomery was spotted and he was employed to pretend to be the general as part of a campaign designed to deceive the Germans in the lead-up to D-Day.
The ruse was part of a wider deception which aimed to divert troops from Northern France, by convincing the Germans that an Allied invasion of Southern France (Operation Dragoon) would precede a northern invasion. The plan was code-named Operation Copperhead and James was assigned to Montgomery’s staff to learn his speech and mannerisms.
After being demobilised in June 1946, Clifton James published his exploits in a book entitled I Was Monty’s Double (released in the US as The Counterfeit General Montgomery) in 1954. The book became the basis for the script of the 1958 film starring John Mills and Cecil Parker, with Clifton James playing himself and Montgomery, giving him a deserved if belated recognition. He also appeared in a short cameo (and non-speaking) appearance as Field Marshall Montgomery in the 1957 film High Flight, starring Ray Milland.
Clifton James died on 8 May 1963 in Worthing, Sussex at the age of 65.view less