The Montgomery Club, Brussels – A WWII Soldiers’ Club in the Palais d’Egmont

On Christmas Eve 1944, only a few months after the liberation of Brussels, the Palais d’Egmont opened its doors as the Montgomery Club, a rest and recreation centre for the other ranks of the British Liberation Army. Operated by the NAAFI (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) and the Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI),the club was named in honour of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, commander of the 21st Army Group.

For thousands of enlisted men, the Montgomery Club offered a welcome escape from the hardships of the campaign — a place to eat, drink, write letters home, enjoy entertainment, and socialise with comrades. Unlike officers’ messes, it was designed specifically for ordinary soldiers, reflecting the importance of morale and welfare to the Allied war effort.

The setting gave the club a unique character. For centuries, the Palais d’Egmont had been one of Brussels’ grandest residences, hosting kings, philosophers, and noble families. By 1944, its vast marble staircases and reception rooms had been repurposed into restaurants, lounges, and games halls — creating a striking contrast between the palace’s aristocratic past and its wartime role as a soldiers’ club.

The Palais d’Egmont: From Counts to Soldiers

Origins of the Palace

The land on which the Palais d’Egmont now stands lay outside the medieval walls of Brussels. In the 14th century it was known as the Sablon, a sandy district of fields and woods that later became a fashionable quarter as the city expanded. In 1533, the land was acquired by the Countess of Egmont, a Princess of Luxemburg, who began construction of a Gothic-style palace in 1547. Her son, Count Lamoral Egmont, continued the work, creating a residence that quickly became one of the most impressive in Brussels.

In February 1564, Count Egmont hosted a grand tournament in the palace square. The event was remembered less for its pageantry than for an incident in which sixty archers, “armed in the English fashion,” shot at the weather vane on the tower, injuring several onlookers.

Count Lamoral Egmont

Born in 1522, Count Lamoral Egmont was a distinguished soldier and statesman, serving as a Knight of the Golden Fleece and Chamberlain to Emperor Charles V. He was sent to England in 1554 to break off marriage negotiations between Mary Tudor and Philip of Spain, and later became one of the leading nobles of the Low Countries.

When the Spanish Inquisition was introduced to the Netherlands, Egmont defended Flemish liberties and refused to march against his own people. For this defiance he was arrested by the Duke of Alva, condemned, and executed in Brussels’ Grand Place in 1568. His death made him a symbol of resistance, later immortalised in Goethe’s play Egmont.

The Arenberg Era

The palace remained in the Egmont family until 1752, when it was sold to Duke Leopold of Arenberg, whose family had settled in Brussels from Germany in the 15th century. He rebuilt much of the palace in the classical style, adding a marble staircase inspired by Versailles’ Ambassador’s Staircase. Twelve different types of marble were used, chosen to match the rich tapestries that decorated the great hall.

For over a century the Dukes of Arenberg lived here, supporting the arts and sciences of Belgium and hosting royal receptions, balls, and concerts. The palace was famed for its treasures: a picture gallery of celebrated paintings, a library filled with manuscripts, and collections of porcelain, carpets, and sculpture. Among its most prized possessions was the Head of Laocoön, said to be a work of Michelangelo. Notable guests included Queen Christina of Sweden, Louis XV of France, Rousseau, and Voltaire.

Into the Modern Era

In 1918, the palace was sold to the City of Brussels, with the condition that it be preserved. The great reception rooms were once again opened for public exhibitions and fêtes until the outbreak of war in 1939. In the palace gardens, designed in the English style, a replica of Sir George Frampton’s Peter Pan statue was unveiled in 1924 by Princess Marie-Josée, sister of the Belgian king.

During the German occupation (1940–44),the palace was requisitioned to house the German Chamber of Commerce and later a German Army Ordnance Service. When Brussels was liberated in September 1944, German military maps still hung on its walls. Only months later, the Palais d’Egmont was transformed into the Montgomery Club, once again becoming a stage for history — this time for the soldiers of the British Liberation Army.

Life at the Montgomery Club

For the thousands of British soldiers passing through Brussels on leave, the Montgomery Club quickly became a favourite destination. A guide issued to troops in 1945 listed no fewer than 350 rooms, with facilities that rivalled many city hotels. Soldiers could dine in the main restaurant, take tea in one of the lounges, or enjoy a drink in the beer and wine tavern. There were also a cafeteria, games rooms, and live music. Practical needs were not forgotten — the club provided hairdressing, baths, a shop, valet services, a photographic studio, a library, and writing and news rooms.

Getting there was easy. Trams from Gare du Nord and Jardin Botanique stopped directly nearby, bringing a steady flow of servicemen into the heart of the city. Inside, the contrast between the setting and its new role was striking. The marble staircases, ornate reception rooms, and gilded halls that had once entertained dukes, philosophers, and kings were now filled with enlisted men in battledress.

A wartime pamphlet proudly described the palace’s transformation:

“Its doors have now been opened again to admit an assembly which is considerably less brilliant in appearance but not in accomplishment.”

The grandeur of the surroundings was not lost on those who visited. Contemporary postcards of the Montgomery Club show long rows of tables in the main restaurant and a lounge overlooking the sweeping staircase. These images capture the unusual atmosphere of the club — half palace, half soldiers’ canteen — and remain some of the best surviving records of what life inside was like.

For many men, the Montgomery Club offered a brief but welcome reminder of normality: a chance to eat a proper meal, write home, or sit in comfort with friends before returning to the front lines.

Visiting Today

The Palais d’Egmont still stands in central Brussels, though its role has changed once again. Today it houses the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and while the palace itself is generally closed to the public, the gardens remain open at certain times. Visitors can still see the Peter Pan statue in the park, an identical copy of the famous sculpture in London’s Kensington Gardens, gifted to the city in 1924.

For those interested in the wartime story, little inside the palace recalls its brief life as the Montgomery Club, but knowing its history adds depth to a stroll through the grounds. The same marble staircases and reception rooms that once entertained dukes, philosophers, and kings later welcomed thousands of Allied servicemen on leave during the winter of 1944–45.

The Egmont Palace is located on Rue aux Laines, a short walk from the Sablon district, and is easily combined with other historic sites in the city centre. While the Montgomery Club itself has vanished into history, the palace remains a tangible link to Brussels’ long past — from noble residence, to German headquarters, to soldiers’ club, and now the seat of Belgian diplomacy.