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Major General Robert Elliott Urquhart, CB , DSO ( November 28 , 1901 - December 13 , 1988 ) was a British military officer. He became prominent for his role commanding the British 1st Airborne Division during Operation Market Garden . Urquhart was not originally an airborne officer. Through 1941 , he had been a staff officer in the 3rd Division . Between 1941 and 1942 , he commanded the 2nd Duke Of Cornwall's Light Infantry . After holding that command, until 1943 , he was a staff officer in the 51st Infantry Division , which was stationed in North Africa . For a short time, he commanded the British 231st Infantry Brigade , which faced action in Sicily . Until 1944 , he was a staff officer in XII Corps . However, in that year, he was given command of the 1st Airborne Division. Its former commander had been killed in Italy , and his successor, Brigadier Eric Down had been given a command in India . Ironically, Urquhart was prone to airsickness and had never commanded or, for that matter, been a member of an airborne unit. His first combat action was at the Battle Of Arnhem ; after his unit lost 3/4 of its soldiers at Arnhem, it never saw action in World War II again. Following the war he served in several staff positions, including service during the Malayan Emergency , until his retirement from the army in 1955 . After leaving the army Urquhart became an executive in the steel industry, retiring in 1970. In 1958 Urquart published ''Arnhem: Britain's Infamous Airborne Assault of World War II'' (ISBN 0964470438) detailing his exploits in the battle. Urquhart was portraited by Sean Connery in the 1977 film '' A Bridge Too Far ''. He is the subject of the Biography ''Urquhart of Arnhem'' (ISBN 0080413188) by John Baynes . Urquhart and his wife Pamela had four children, among them Elspeth Campbell (wife of politician Menzies Campbell ). REFERENCES |
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