Lt Col David Niven
Normandy 1944

Another side to the film star David Niven that many are not aware of and at this time he is worth remembering.

David Niven attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, graduating in 1930 commissioned as a second lieutenant in the regular Army.
He served with the Highland Light Infantry for two years in Malta and then for a few months in Dover but resigned his commission in 1933.
When war was declared in 1939 he immediately returned to England from the USA even though the British Embassy had advised actors to remain in the US.
He was re-commissioned as a lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade, however wanting something more exciting he joined the commandos and initially commanded "A" Sqn GHQ Liaison Regiment better known as Phantom, whose role was to provide collection, passage and dissemination of real-time information on the progress of battle back to Corps HQ, usually working at or in front of the line of battle.
Niven landed in Normandy a couple of days after D Day and saw action across Europe,

In his spare moments he also worked with the Army film unit, He acted in two films made during the war, "The First of the Few" (1942) and "The Way Ahead" (1944). Both were made with a view to winning support for the British war effort, especially in the U.S. Niven's Film Unit work included a small part in the deception operation that used actor Clifton James to impersonate Field Marshall Montgomery.

He was awarded the Legion of Merit an American military decoration. Presented by Eisenhower himself in honour of Niven's work in setting up the BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme.

He finished the war with the rank of Lt Col.


A man who far exceeded his film characters in courage and depth of commitment to his country and his men.

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The Duke of Kent inspects “Phantom” A Squadron in Richmond Park, Escorting is a helmeted Major David Niven commander of "A" squadron
with Lt Col Hoppy Hopkinson on extreme left.