strong and stubborn personalities, both were Eighth Army veterans and both were older than Allfrey. Alexander feared Allfrey simply would not be able to control either men. Montgomery later came to revise his initially low opinion of Allfrey. After hearing in February of Leese writing to the War Office asking if he could sack Allfrey Montgomery, believing Leese to be wrong, writing to Brooke, claimed that "When Allfrey came to the Eighth Army in September 1943 I found he was below the standard of the experienced Corps Commanders in my army i.e. Leese, Horrocks, Dempsey. It seemed to me he had never been properly taught by his former Army Commander. He began rather shakily and was not too good. I accordingly moved my Tac H.Q. near his Corps H.Q., and watched over his operations carefully, and taught him his trade. I had found exactly the same thing previously with Leese, and with Horrocks, and with Dempsey; all required help initially and had to be taught.... I consider that one of the first duties of a commander is to teach his subordinates, and in accordance with his teaching so he will get results, provided the subordinate has character and is teachable. Allfrey is very teachable, and is very willing to learn, and is very grateful for help given. I consider that Leese must teach Allfrey, and bring him on; he is very well qualified to do so and will get good results". However, Leese was eventually successful; in August Allfrey handed over V Corps, which he had now commanded for well over two years, to Lieutenant General Charles Keightley, who had commanded both the 6th Armoured and 78th Infantry Divisions, and was rested from field command. After leave in England, in November Allfrey become GOC British Troops in Egypt, by that stage of the war an almost complete backwater. During his tenure, he was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), and his rank of lieutenant general was made substantive on 23 November 1946. Postwar Egypt was Allfrey's last posting and, after handing over his command to Lieutenant General Richard Gale, he retired from the army, after a 33-year military career, as a lieutenant general in June 1948. After retirement he held numerous honorary appointments, including Colonel Commandant of the Royal Artillery, a position he held from 1947 to 1957, followed by Colonel Commandant of