Vernon is the town where Montgomery crossed the Seine on the 1st Septmeber 1944. The British lost 600 men in 4 days, the Germans 1600 men. But this victory was crucial. It made it possible for the allied troops to go on with their march upon the East. A street in Vernon is named after him, it is one of the numerous testimonies of gratefulness from the inhabitants of the city for their Liberation. We can assume that the date of May 1949 is when Montgomery would have returned as a N.A.T.O. general after the war.