Overview
David Bernard Montgomery, 2nd Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (18 August 1928 – 8 January 2020) was a British hereditary peer, businessman and public figure. He inherited a well-known family title associated with the Second World War and spent much of his public life involved in commerce and in the work of the upper chamber of the UK Parliament.
Background and succession
Born in 1928, Montgomery succeeded to the viscountcy on the death of his father, the celebrated Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein. The hereditary title commemorates the Allied victory at El Alamein and passed to David Montgomery in the mid-1970s. As a viscount he took his seat in the House of Lords in 1976.
Public service and parliamentary role
Montgomery was an active member of the House of Lords, sitting from 1976 until the reforms of 1999, and again after being elected in a hereditary-peers' by-election in 2005 until 2015. The House of Lords functions as the UK’s revising chamber, and hereditary peers who remained after the House of Lords Act 1999 continued to contribute to debates, committee work and legislative scrutiny. For details on the chamber he served in, see the House of Lords.
Business and other activities
Outside Parliament, Montgomery pursued a career in business and public life. He was involved in commercial enterprises and charitable activities, and often represented traditional hereditary interests in discussions about the role of the upper house and public service. His career reflected the common pattern of mid-20th-century British peers who combined private-sector work with civic duties.
Honours and legacy
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), awarded in 1975.
- Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), awarded in 2000.
These honours recognised his contributions to public life and service. Montgomery's tenure illustrated the changing role of hereditary peers in modern Britain, from an automatic parliamentary presence to a reduced but still active participation after reform.
Death
David Bernard Montgomery died on 8 January 2020 at the age of 91. His life spanned a period of substantial change in the British aristocracy and parliamentary practice, and he is remembered both for his family association with a prominent wartime commander and for his own public and business service.