John Bevan (British Army officer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Bevan
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Bevan as a captain at the Supreme War Council in 1918
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| Born | 5 April 1894 |
| Died | 3 December 1978 (aged 84) London, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
British Army |
| Years of service | 1914–1946 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Service number | 50751 |
| Unit | Hertfordshire Regiment, London Controlling Section |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Military Cross Efficiency Decoration Legion of Merit (United States) |
John Henry "Johnny" Bevan (born April 5, 1894 – died December 3, 1978) was a British Army officer. He played a very important role in military deception during the Second World War. This means he helped trick the enemy about what the Allies were planning. His biggest success was Operation Bodyguard. This was a secret plan to hide the real location of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
Before the war, John Bevan was a respected stockbroker. He grew up in a wealthy family and went to famous schools like Eton College and University of Oxford. During the First World War, he fought in France. He also worked in intelligence, which means gathering secret information. His work caught the eye of important leaders, including Winston Churchill. After the war, he left the army and became a successful businessman.
When the Second World War began, Bevan rejoined the army. He was assigned to the London Controlling Section (LCS) in 1941. This was a special group created to plan big deception operations for the Allies. Bevan became the head of this important unit.
At first, the LCS struggled to get things done. But Bevan and his helper, Dennis Wheatley, used their connections to make the department stronger. In 1943, Bevan helped plan Operation Cockade. This operation tried to make German forces stay in Western Europe. It wasn't a huge success, but Bevan learned from it. He then used these lessons to create Operation Bodyguard. Historians agree that this plan helped make the Operation Overlord landings in 1944 a success.
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John Bevan's Early Life and Military Start
John Bevan was born in London on April 5, 1894. He was the youngest of five children. He went to Eton College, a famous school, where he was good at sports like cricket. After Eton, he went to Christ Church, Oxford university.
When the First World War started in August 1914, he left university to join the army. He fought on the Western Front in France. He showed great bravery and earned the Military Cross medal in 1917. He also became a captain.
In 1918, Bevan became a staff officer. This meant he helped top commanders plan and organize. He wrote a report about the German army's strength. He presented this report to Allied leaders, including Prime Minister Lloyd George and Winston Churchill. Bevan's predictions were very accurate. Churchill was so impressed that he asked to meet Bevan privately.
After the war, Bevan stayed in the army for a while. He had been involved in some tactical deception during the war. This was a hint of his future work in the Second World War. Later, he left the army and became a stockbroker, just like his father. He worked for Hambros bank in Denmark, where he learned to speak Danish.
In 1925, Bevan became a partner in his father's company. Two years later, he married Lady Barbara Bingham. During the years between the two world wars, Bevan became known as an honest and trustworthy businessman.
John Bevan's Role in World War II
In 1939, when the Second World War began, John Bevan was called back to serve as an officer. He first worked for MI5, a British intelligence agency. Soon after, he was sent to Norway as a staff officer. There, he met Peter Fleming, who also became a famous deceiver. They worked together on small tactical deceptions. These were the first times Bevan was officially involved in tricking the enemy.
After the British campaign in Norway failed, Bevan was given a less exciting job. He became a Duty Intelligence Officer in Western Command.
Leading the London Controlling Section
In September 1941, an officer named Dudley Clarke gave a report in London about his deception work in North Africa. Allied commanders were very impressed. They asked him to set up a "Controlling Section" in London. Clarke refused, so Oliver Stanley was appointed as the first head. Stanley and his early team didn't have much success.
Bevan joined the London Controlling Section (LCS) in May 1942. The head, Oliver Stanley, was often sick. He asked Churchill if he could return to politics. At the same time, General Archibald Wavell told Churchill how important deception was. Churchill agreed, and Stanley's request was granted. This meant Bevan became the new head of the LCS, with much more power.
One of the officers at the LCS was the writer Dennis Wheatley. He had even more social connections than Bevan. They worked together, with Wheatley becoming the Deputy Controlling Officer. They used their connections to make the LCS more important and effective.
Planning Operation Cockade
In March 1943, General Frederick E. Morgan was put in charge of planning operations in Northwest Europe. Bevan helped him set up a deception department called Ops (B).
That year, the Allies were focused on fighting in the Mediterranean Sea. So, Morgan, Ops (B), and the LCS were told to trick German forces into staying in Western Europe. They especially wanted to draw the German air force (the Luftwaffe) into air battles. Bevan worked with Jervis-Read from Ops (B) to create three deception plans. These were called "Starkey," "Wadham," and "Tindall," and together they formed "Cockade."
Operation Cockade involved a fake threat of an invasion of Norway from Scotland ("Tindall"). Then, a fake invasion of the Calais region in France ("Starkey" and "Wadham") was planned for September. Finally, "Tindall" was to be revived until winter. By this time, the LCS had a much bigger role in deception. Bevan was part of the Twenty Committee, which controlled information given to the Germans by double agents. The LCS focused on big-picture strategic planning.
Creating Operation Bodyguard
In 1943, Allied leaders decided to invade Europe the next year. Normandy in France was chosen as the landing site. The LCS and Ops (B) both worked on deception plans. On July 14, Bevan wrote a paper called "First Thoughts." By August, he had developed it into "Plan Jael." This plan aimed to convince the Germans that the Allies would focus on the Balkans in 1944. It also suggested that the main invasion wouldn't happen until 1945. However, this plan wasn't fully accepted by the top commanders.
Instead, they preferred "Appendix Y" of the Operation Overlord plan, also known as "Torrent." This plan was written by Ops (B) staff. It included ideas for fake attacks and building up fake troops in southern and northern England. These ideas became the basis for Operation Bodyguard. Ops (B) knew the Allies couldn't hide such a huge invasion force forever. So, the deception needed to trick the enemy about the exact date and location of the attack.
The final strategy for 1944 was agreed upon by Allied leaders in November and December 1943. Bevan was told to take the Ops (B) plan and make it into a full deception strategy. He returned to London on December 6 to finish a draft plan. This plan was now called "Bodyguard." It was approved on Christmas Day, 1943. The name "Bodyguard" came from a comment by Churchill to Joseph Stalin: "In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies."
After the War
On April 12, 1945, Bevan received the Efficiency Decoration medal. This award was for long-serving members of the Territorial Army. On October 6, he left the army because he had reached the age limit. He was given the honorary rank of colonel.
After the war, Bevan went back to being a stockbroker. He later became chairman of The Equitable Life Assurance Society. But his work in deception wasn't completely over. In 1947, he tried to restart international deception strategies. He also held a yearly dinner for his wartime friends. In 1948, Bevan received the American Legion of Merit award. The next year, he was awarded a CB, which was a high honor.
John Bevan died in London on December 3, 1978.
John Bevan's Legacy
John Bevan was one of the most important people in Allied deception during the Second World War. He, along with Dudley Clarke, Peter Fleming, and Newton Smith, helped create large-scale strategic deception. This type of deception had never been seen before.
Because his work was so secret, his contributions were not widely known until the 1970s. At that time, secret documents were released. Also, a book called The Double-Cross System in the War of 1939 to 1945 by Sir John Cecil Masterman was published. These events brought attention to Bevan's amazing work.
Personality
Dennis Wheatley, who worked with Bevan, described him as "a rather frail-looking man of medium build with sleepy pale blue eyes and thin fair hair." Bevan loved the outdoors and was an active sportsman.
