Charles Deedes

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]

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]

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]