Hutted Histories: A Bridge Too Far Fetched?

Join us for the first Hutted Histories talk of the year with historian and battlefield guide, Jo Hook, who will be presenting a fascinating talk about the cult classic, A Bridge Too Far.

It was the operation that Field Marshal Montgomery believed to be 90% successful. Operation Market Garden is surely a battle of what ifs and what could have been. In 1977 ‘A Bridge Too Far’ erupted onto cinema screens. Based on the book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan it had a stellar cast and no expense of American money was spared to ensure that an American audience would see the Americans depicted as heroes with the British depicted as the noble underdog.

How much of the film is myth and how much reality? This talk aims to give an overview and put to bed some of the myths that have largely arisen from the film. The list of myths is by no means exhaustive but hopefully the next time you sit down to watch what is undoubtedly a great war film you will bear in mind that it is, after all, only a dramatisation of the real thing made predominantly for an American audience. After all in the words of Edward Fox who plays General Horrocks “this is a story you will tell your grandchildren”!

About Jo Hook:

Jo is the youngest daughter of a World War 2 veteran. She took an avid interest in his experiences during WW2 and also in military history. After leaving school Jo went on to work for the MoD at Headquarters British Forces in Hong Kong. This piqued her interest in World War 2 in the Far East. On her return to England Jo left the MoD and joined the Territorial Army. It was during her time as a Territorial (now Reserve) that Jo got the opportunity to go on operations, going out with the first contingent of TA soldiers when the peace keeping role in Bosnia ended and NATO moved in. During her time with the TA, Jo moved to a variety of different units and, keen to study and enhance her own knowledge, took the opportunity to arrange various battlefield tours.

It was during a posting to Germany that Jo was asked to study Arnhem specifically to lead German based British Military Units across the ground made famous in 'A Bridge Too Far'. It was this chance request that led to what has been over a twenty year love of the Arnhem battlefields. Whilst in Germany Jo attained an OU Degree in Medieval to Modern History and followed this up in 2017 with a Masters Degree in military history under the tutelage of Professor Gary Sheffield.

In 2005 Jo became a member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides and in 2010 managed to achieve badged status.  

During over twenty years of her battlefield guiding career Jo has guided a variety of different groups including school children, military units, bespoke tours and high end tours. She works for a variety of different tour operators.

Her guiding work has led her from the Western Front to the shores of Gallipoli and from the Normandy Beaches to the Drop and Landing Zones of Arnhem. She has also appeared on a variety of podcasts, webinars, and virtual guides as well as working with Channel 5 for television.  

Jo firmly believes that through her own experience, her sense of empathy and an understanding of the history and ground her forebears fought over allow her to weave not only a strategic overview but also the human story to all her battlefield tours. A sense of ensuring that history is passed on correctly through the generations to ensure sacrifice is never forgotten is her main motivation. 

https://johookmilitaryhistorian.co.uk/