Sean Connery in A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Vitals
Sean Connery as Major General Roy Urquhart, courageous British Army officer
Holland, Fall 1944
Film: A Bridge Too Far
Release Date: June 15, 1977
Director: Richard Attenborough
Costume Designer: Anthony Mendleson
Background
Operation Market Garden commenced eighty years ago this week through late September 1944, a daring yet ultimately ill-fated Allied attempt to secure key bridges throughout the Netherlands and advance into Germany. This major World War II operation was immortalized in the star-studded 1977 war epic A Bridge Too Far, directed by Richard Attenborough and adapted by William Goldman from Cornelius Ryan’s nonfiction volume of the same name.
Among the film’s ensemble cast, Sean Connery’s charisma commands the screen as Major General Roy Urquhart, the British officer tasked with leading the 1st Airborne Division (“Red Devils”) during the operation. Despite Connery’s star power, the real General Urquhart had no idea who Connery was, though his daughters were thrilled at the casting. Attenborough chose Connery not only for his acting chops but also for his striking resemblance to a younger Urquhart.
In a memorable scene before the airborne assault, Connery’s Urquhart reveals to General Browning that he’s never actually jumped out of a plane—an amusing confession for the man leading an airborne division. The moment becomes even more ironic as they spot asylum escapees laughing at them from the roadside, prompting Urquhart to quip, “Do you think they know something we don’t?”
The real Roy Urquhart (1901-1988) stands with Sean Connery on the set of A Bridge Too Far, for which Urquhart had also served as a military consultant.
Indeed, the real Urquhart’s service with the 1st Airborne Division was his first time commanding such a unit during his distinguished military career. Airsick and relatively inexperienced in airborne operations, he nonetheless led his division with valor during the Battle of Arnhem, the centerpiece of Operation Market Garden. Over nine brutal days, the 1st Airborne fought against the heavily armored II SS Panzer Corps, ultimately suffering catastrophic losses. On Monday, September 25, the shattered remnants of Urquhart’s division were forced to retreat across the Rhine, having lost more than three-quarters of their strength. Despite the heavy losses, Urquhart’s leadership earned him the Dutch Bronze Lion, his citation reading:
General Urquhart landed on 17th September 1944 in command of 1st British Airborne Division with the task of capturing the bridge over the Neder Rijn at Arnhem, in Holland. During the ensuing eight days battle for the capture of the Arnhem road bridge this officer displayed outstanding qualities of leadership and courage. During the phase of the battle when 1st Parachute Brigade became separated from the rest of the Division this officer personally organised an operation for the relief of 1st Parachute Brigade and himself became involved in street fighting during this period. Later, when the remnants of the Division were withdrawn into a close perimeter, his conduct of the defence, and his unequalled cheerfulness and determination were largely instrumental in ensuring the magnificent defence put up by the troops of his Division. During the withdrawal his cool planning, foresight and initiative were entirely responsible for 2,000 men of the Division rejoining their comrades of the Second Army on the southern bank of the Neder Rijn. The conduct of this officer throughout this most trying period was beyond praise.
A decade before his role in Operation Market Garden, then-Captain Urquhart had served as the adjutant of the Highland Light Infantry in Malta, where he befriended a young lieutenant (and future Oscar winner) named David Niven who had paused his promising film career to serve in the British Army. In his autobiography The Moon’s a Balloon, Niven described Urquhart as a “serious soldier of great charm and warmth,” a fitting tribute to the man Connery would later portray on screen.
What’d He Wear?
British Army Battledress
Major General Urquhart and his 1st Airborne Division arrive in Holland dressed in No. 5 battledress (BD), the British combat uniform authorized shortly before World War II so that troops could have a more field-ready uniform than the more formal and structured service dress.
Battledress consisted of a matching dark-khaki brown wool serge blouse and trousers, connected by buttons—and later braces—to reduce a gap between the garments during extreme movement. World War II-era British battledress was issued in three standard iterations: the initial “Battledress, Serge” (erroneously shorthanded as “1937 pattern”) in 1939, followed by an updated 1940 pattern, and finally the streamlined “Austerity” pattern in 1942. (The fourth battledress design update in 1949 would be the last until it was discontinued in 1961.)
The rear Major General Roy Urquhart in February 1945, five months after he landed in Holland during Operation Market Garden. His No. 5 battledress and red beret echo the same pattern that Sean Connery would wear when portraying him on screen three decades later.
Both the real-life and cinematic Uruqhart’s battledress reflects details unique to the original “Battledress, Serge” pattern prior to the 1940 updates, such as the jacket’s unlined collar and covered five-button front fly and the arrangement of the trouser pockets. Connery’s screen-worn costume was crafted for A Bridge Too Far by venerated London-based costume house Bermans & Nathans as indicated by the label inside the de-badged “army tunic and trousers” auctioned by Bonhams in 2007.
Commissioned officers were authorized to have battledress blouses tailored with notch lapels like a service uniform to more formally present their ties, though Urquhart keeps his stock with the shirt-style collar. Like all British Army general and senior staff officers from the start of the 20th century onward, Urquhart wears gilt-detailed gorget patches fastened to the front edge of each collar leaf, with the scarlet-red color indicating his general staff duties.
A signature aspect of battledress blouses are the self-belts that extend along the right side of the hem and fasten through a sliding chrome-plated squared buckle, keeping these short jackets cinched around the waist while still full through the chest to allow for a great range of movement. The blouse’s set-in sleeves are finished with covered single-button cuffs, and the two large box-pleated pockets over the chest are each covered with a gently pointed flap that closes through a covered button. (The covered buttons on the front fly, cuffs, and pocket flaps would remain through the 1940 pattern but would be exposed for the simplified Austerity pattern in 1942.)
On each shoulder epaulet, Urquhart wears the rank insignia of a “two-star” Major General (OF-7), consisting of the ornate Order of the Bath star accompanied by a crossed sword and baton. His Airborne insignia is matching on each upper sleeve; at the top of each sleeve, he wears the arced “Airborne strip” shoulder title worn by all British paratroopers with “AIRBORNE” embroidered in pale-blue against the maroon ground, matching the color scheme of the 1st Airborne Division’s square badge just below it, designed by Edward Seago to depict a pale-blue silhouette of Bellerophon riding the winged horse Pegasus against a maroon twill ground.
Above the right chest pocket, Urquhart wears four campaign medals in the correct order of wear: the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) with a rosette indicating that he is a two-time recipient, the India General Service Medal (1936), the Africa Star with another rosette, and the 1937 Coronation Medal.
Dressed in a full-zip blouse, GOC I British Airborne Corps commander Lt-Gen Frederick Browning (Dirk Bogarde) briefs with Urquhart on the airfield before the latter departs for Holland.
Urquhart wears the matching brown serge flat-front trousers issued with the original “Battledress, serge” uniform, tailored with a extra-long rise intended to keep the waist covered even during strenuous duties. He only keeps the plain-hemmed bottoms out when practicing his golf swing prior to the operation, after which he would appropriately blouse them into the gaithers with his jump boots—presumably fastening the tab at the bottom of each leg through one of the three brass buttons sewn there for that purpose.
Battledress trousers featured conventional on-seam side pockets and a set-in back-right pocket with a pointed flap, in addition to a small pleated “dressing pocket” over the right hip and a large flapped map pocket over the left thigh. (Consistent with the corresponding updates to the blouse, the 1942 Austerity pattern added visible buttons to these latter three pockets.)
The trousers have a trio of button-up belt loops around the waist as well as buttons along the inside of the waistband to accommodate suspenders (braces), as modeled by Urquhart’s beige cotton braces. Made without elastic to prevent stretch and keep trousers firmly in place, these standard-issue braces feature silver-toned adjusters and double sets of tan leather hooks at the bottom of each strap to fasten onto the buttons along the inside of trouser waistbands.
While those who know Sean Connery became an avid golf enthusiast while making Goldfinger may assume this vignette was added to please the actor, the real Roy Urquhart did indeed find the opportunity for a few swings at Moor Park Golf Club, Corps HQ, on Friday, September 15th, before leaving for Holland.
British officers’ shirts during World War II ranged between shades of khaki, attached collars or neckbands for detachable collars, popover or full-placket styles. Urquhart wears a drab khaki cotton shirt with an attached point collar, two box-pleated chest pockets (with pointed single-button flaps), button cuffs, and shoulder epaulets. We see at least five brown two-hole buttons up the front placket, suggesting it’s a full button-up shirt rather than a popover.
Urquhart also wears the regulation olive-colored unlined cotton tie, knotted in a four-in-hand.
Ammo Boots
Urquhart wears the stalwart leather-soled ammunition boots issued by the British military from the mid-19th century through the 1960s. The colloquial “ammo boots” terminology dates back to at least 1864, in reference to their procurement by the Master Gunner and the Munitions Board at Woolrich, proclaiming the footwear to be of “ammunition quality”.
These unlined lace-up ankle boots with their hobnailed leather soles evolved through slightly variations until the World War II-issued pattern 10085 was authorized in 1927 with the formal designation of “Boots, General Service” (BGS). This pattern features a straight toe-cap, six sets of derby-laced eyelets, and 25 hobnails—though wartime budget cuts ultimately halved this to 13 hobnails in 1942. (Portending the boots’ replacement with a rubber-soled update in the 1960s, some wearers removed the hobnails or had the boots resoled with crepe rubber soles.)
Pattern 10085 was produced with black pebbled leather uppers, though officers were permitted to wear brown leather as illustrated by Connery’s characterization of Urquhart.
Over the tops of his boots and tucked-in trouser bottoms, Urquhart wears 1937 pattern gaiters, made from an olive-green cotton canvas webbing with a pair of thin brown leather straps that close through squared steel belted buckles to secure them around each ankle. Perhaps more accurately known as “anklets”, these were issued as an updated alternative to puttees for troops to protect their ankles on rough ground. In addition to straps made of leather rather than the more commonly seen webbing, Urquhart’s anklets feature the post-1940 update that removed the brass tips.
Denison Smock and Combat Gear
Urquhart dresses for the aerial invasion in a Denison smock, the camouflage outerwear issued to airborne units, commandos, and other specialists of the British Army from World War II through the 1970s. Replacing an earlier jump jacket that was modeled after the Knochensack (“bone sack”) worn by German Luftwaffe paratroopers, this heavy cotton twill smock was introduced in 1942 to prevent snagging during jumps, while also serving as camouflage, a windproof layer, and a convenient way to carry ammunition or gear.
Major Denison of the British Army designed—and lent his name to—the distinctive pattern of broad green and brown brush strokes against the sandy tan ground. This camouflage was originally hand-painted so that Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents could easily wash it off to transform the jacket into a worker’s disguise, though the military demand resulted in a faster and more permanent screen-printing process.
The Denison smock is a loose-fitting, thigh-length pullover garment, intended to be worn over battledress and web equipment, though many paratroopers preferred to wear the latter webbing over their smocks once they had landed, with snap-fastening tabs on each side of the hem to adjust the fit. A half-length zipper zips down to mid-chest or up over the neck like a funnel, with the collar lined in soft khaki wool—generally flannel, though senior officers like Urquhart had theirs lined in ribbed Angora wool. Like battledress, the Denison smock features shoulder epaulets for rank insignia and closes at the neck with a brown plastic button.
Four external patch pockets over the front are each covered with a pointed flap that closes with a single brass snap, and there are two more internal pockets over the chest. The “beaver tail” flap has six brass-toned snap to fasten in place under the wearer’s crotch, intended to keep the smock in place during jumps. When unfastened, the tail would hang free until this was rectified with a pair of snaps on the 2nd pattern update.
Distinguished by its wool knitted cuffs, steel front zip, and one-piece back, the 1st pattern Denison smock was issued for two years before it was supplanted by the 2nd pattern in 1944. In addition to a more olive-toned ground color, the 2nd pattern Denison smock has open cuffs with button-fastened adjuster tabs, a brass front zip, and a two-piece back with a pair of snaps to hold up the tail. Given the timeframe and setting of Operation Market Garden and the necessity for an airborne commander to be wearing the latest equipment, Urquhart wears this 2nd pattern Denison smock.
Urquhart’s pattern 1937 web equipment was standard issue for British troops through World War II until the end of the ’50s; the fact that this gear was initially fielded with the new “Battledress, Serge” combat uniforms resulted in the BD receiving its inaccurate “1937 pattern” nomenclature.
Most of this equipment centers around the 2¼”-wide olive belt made of heavy-duty cotton webbing, around the waist of his smock that closes through a gold-toned hook-and-loop closure. Two matching inch-wide, brass-tipped braces flare out to two-inch pads over his shoulders (under the smock’s epaulets) and cross over his back, where they buckle through two brass slides mounted on the back of the belt. He carries equipment pouches for his compass and ammunition, each covered with a single-snap flap, and a matching holster. This asymmetrically flapped holster was ostensibly for a .38-caliber service revolver, though Urquhart manages to fit his M1911 pistol into it—albeit with a lanyard for additional insurance.
Urquhart and most of his paratroopers wear olive-green cotton scrim scarves knotted inside their Denison smocks. Also known as a face veil, this open-knitted scarf could serve multiple purposes beyond neckwear, including wrapping a rifle, netting a foxhole, and even filtering water. Though the scarves featured in A Bridge Too Far are solid olive-colored, these were also widely fielded with brown spots to create a camouflage element.
Urquhart’s rank as a major general necessitates the general officers’ cap badge, rather than the airborne unit badges worn by the non-general officers under his command.
The British Army wore wool berets that varied in color by their branch, with maroon berets assigned to airborne units like Urquhart and his “Red Devils” 1st Airborne Division. These berets are mounted on a narrow black leather sweatband, intended to be worn with the soft woolen covers tilted over the right with the cap badge sewn onto the left. Major General Urquhart appropriately wears the ornately embroidered badge for general officers, depicting the crossed sword and baton within a gilt wreath and suspended beneath a “king’s crown” accented in red and green.
International Military Antiques features one of Connery’s screen-worn berets from A Bridge Too Far, with the black twill lining describing it as a “Genuine Basque Beret” produced by the Quebec-based Grand’mère Knitting in 1951—six years after World War II ended, though the design echoes the Army’s wartime berets.
One of the most memorable scenes of A Bridge Too Far reflects on the disconnect between those who plan wars and those who actually participate in them; one of Urquhart’s paratroopers is gunned down after a desperate run to retrieve supplies dropped into the field… only to discover that the canister merely contained replacement berets.
The Watch
Unlike the Rolex divers that Connery had worn as James Bond, Urquhart wears a simple silver-toned wristwatch on a plain black leather strap. The light-colored dial suggests that it may be one of approximately 130,000 modest “A.T.P.” (Army Trade Pattern) watches widely issued during the early years of World War II.
Contracted to at least seventeen Swiss manufacturers, these manual-winding 15-jewel watches were typically cased in chromed brass—though a limited run were produced in stainless steel, which was increasingly rationed for war materiel. Cases measured between 30 and 34mm, encircling light-colored white or silver dials with an additional second-counting sub-register at the 6 o’clock position.
Midway through the war, the Military of Defence determined that the palette should be inverted with white markers against a black dial—the 1940s timekeeping equivalent of putting your phone on dark mode. In 1943, the black-dialed “W.W.W.” (Watch, Wristlet, Waterproof) was authorized for production by a “dirty dozen” array of Swiss watchmakers, which included A.T.P. makers like Buren, Cyma, Lemania, and Timor as well as more prestigious watchmakers like IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, and Omega.
The Gun
Major General Urquhart carries a Colt M1911 service pistol that he notably draws and fires when he spies a Wehrmacht soldier outside the window where he’s seeking medical attention for the wounded Brigadier Lathbury, depicting an actual incident inside a Dutch couple’s home at 135 Alexander Straat.
The pistol has a lanyard loop extending from the bottom of the grip and another welded to the magazine floor plate, with a dark khaki corded lanyard tied around the loop connected to Urquhart’s right brace, ensuring he remains armed even if the pistol somehow dislodges from his holster during the drop into Holland.
Though it’s likely that the screen-used pistol cycles standard .45 ACP blanks, it may be intended to represent one of the M1911 pistols converted to fire .455 Eley for British military service during World War I.
As the real Urquhart later wrote, “I spotted a German soldier as he appeared at the window. I had an automatic in my hand and fired point-blank at a range of a few feet; the window shattered and the German dropped outside.” (Source: Key Military)
As the British military faced a shortage of sidearms during World War I, the relatively new but already robust and reliable M1911 design emerged as an attractive option for supplementation. In response to this need, Colt adapted its famous M1911 semi-automatic pistol for British service by converting it to fire the .455 Eley cartridge, a rimless version of the formidable .455 Webley revolver round that was already in British use.
Colt’s conversion involved a slight modification of the barrel and chamber to accommodate the .455 round, while keeping the rest of the M1911’s design intact, preserving the pistol’s legendary reliability and ease of use. These converted M1911 pistols were shipped to Britain and marked with “CAL .455 ELEY” or “CALIBRE 455” on the right side of the slide to denote the new caliber.
A World War I-era Colt M1911 converted to .455 Eley. (Source: Shooting Illustrated/NRA)
With approximately 13,000 produced between 1915 and 1919, the M1911s chambered in .455 Eley were primarily issued to Royal Flying Corps (later Royal Air Force) pilots and officers. Their service continued into the early years of World War II, although by then, most of the pistols had been phased out in favor of other British and American sidearms.
Despite the limited production run, the .455 Eley-chambered M1911s are a notable example of military adaptation during wartime, representing a fusion of American engineering with British ammunition requirements to meet the urgent needs of the world wars.
Urquhart’s Combat Uniform
Sean Connery as Maj. Gen. Roy Urquhart in A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Unless you’re a re-enactor or cosplayer, you’ll want to avoid stealing valor even by wearing an obsolete uniform like World War II-era battledress. However, there are still sartorial gems to be gleaned from British paratroopers like Roy Urquhart, whether that’s the camouflage Denison smock, timeless ammo boots, a scrim scarf, or the most badass beret you could imagine.
- Brown wool serge British Army “Battledress, Serge” combat uniform:
- Battledress blouse with covered five-button fly, semi-waist belt (and chrome-plated buckle), shoulder epaulets, two box-pleated chest pockets (with pointed covered-button flaps), and covered-button cuffs
- Battledress flat-front trousers with long rise (with button-up belt loops and suspender buttons), on-seam side pockets, right-side dressing pocket, flapped left-side cargo pocket, flapped back-right pocket, and plain-hemmed bottoms (with button-tab adjusters)
- Khaki-drab cotton service shirt with point collar, front placket, two box-pleated chest pockets (with pointed single-button flaps), shoulder epaulets, and button cuffs
- Olive cotton tie
- Beige cotton suspenders/braces with silver-toned adjusters and tan leather hooks
- Dark-brown leather cap-toe 6-eyelet derby-laced ankle-high general service “ammo boots”
- Olive canvas 1937 pattern gaiters with two brown leather belted straps
- Maroon wool British Army basque-style beret with black leather sweatband and embroidered gilt general officers’ badge
- Green, brown, and olive brush-stroked camouflage heavy cotton twill pullover “Denison smock” with khaki Angora wool-lined collar, half-zip front, four patch pockets (with single-snap pointed flaps), shoulder epaulets, tab cuffs, and snap-up “beaver tail”
- Olive open-knit cotton scrim scarf
- Chromed brass manual-winding 15-jewel “A.T.P.” field watch with round white dial on smooth black leather strap
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the movie and Cornelius Ryan’s source book.
The Quote
I thought everyone knew that God was a Scotsman.
The post A Bridge Too Far: Sean Connery in British Battledress and Denison Smock as Roy Urquhart appeared first on BAMF Style.