Charles Deedes
General Sir Charles Parker Deedes, KCB, CMG, DSO (9 August 1879 – 9 March 1969) was a senior British Army officer who went on to be Military Secretary.
Sir Charles Deedes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 August 1879 |
| Died | 9 March 1969 (aged 89) |
| Allegiance |  |
| Service/ |  |
| Years of service | 1899–1937 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | 3rd Infantry Brigade 53rd (Welsh) Division |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order |
Early life
Deedes was born at Nether Broughton, Leicestershire, the son of the Revd Philip Deedes and educated at Winchester College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[1]
Military career
Deedes was commissioned into the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry as a second lieutenant in February 1899, and promoted to lieutenant on 9 October 1899.[2] He served in the 2nd battalion, which was transferred to South Africa following the outbreak of the Second Boer War that month.[3][4] For his service in the war, he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in the October 1902 South African honours list.[5] After the war ended in June 1902, he returned to regular service with his regiment,[6] and transferred with the battalion to Malta, for which he left Point Natal on the SS Staffordshire in October.[7]
He also served in World War I initially as a General Staff Officer at the General Headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force and then from 1916 with 14th Army Corps and from 1917 as a General Staff Officer with 2nd Division in France.[4]
After the War he was appointed Deputy Director of Staff Duties at the War Office.[4] In 1926 he became Commander of 3rd Infantry Brigade and in 1928 he was made General Officer Commanding 53rd (Welsh) Division.[4] He became Director of Personal Services at the War Office in 1930 and Military Secretary in 1934.[4]
He retired in 1937.[4] He was promoted to general and held the colonelcy of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry from 1927 to 1947.[8]
During World War II he was an Area Commander for the Home Guard.[4]
Family
He married Eve Mary Dean-Pitt and they went on to have a son (Major-General Charles Julius Deedes) and a daughter, Mary Josephine Deedes.[9]
References
- Creagh, Sir O'Moore (1923). "The VC and DSO". Naval and Military Press. p. 310. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- "No. 27160". The London Gazette. 2 February 1900. p. 694.
- Hart′s Army list, 1903
- Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6903.
- "No. 27494". The London Gazette. 11 November 1902. p. 7167.
- "The Army in South Africa - Movements of Troops". The Times (36896). London. 11 October 1902. p. 10.
- "The King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2016.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
- "Sir Charles Parker Deedes". The Peerage.com. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Cubitt |
GOC 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division 1928–1930 |
Succeeded by Charles Grant |
| Preceded by Sir Sidney Clive |
Military Secretary 1934–1937 |
Succeeded by Viscount Gort |