Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Anthony John Deane-Drummond, CB, DSO, MC & Bar (23 June 1917 – 4 December 2012) was an officer of the

Royal Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, whose career was mostly spent with airborne forces. During the Second World War, he was the second-in-command of a commando force which destroyed an aqueduct in southern Italy, and was captured by enemy forces. He escaped from captivity, was recaptured, escaped again, and eventually made his way back to England sixteen months after the raid. He later served in

Operation Market-Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

and was captured at Arnhem, but successfully escaped for a third time. After the War, he commanded 22 SAS Regiment in Malaya and

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

, and held a number of staff positions, later commanding a division in the

British Army of the Rhine There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War and the other after the Second World War. Both formations had areas of responsibility located a ...

before retiring.

Early life

The son of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

J.D. Deane–Drummond DSO, OBE, MC, Anthony Deane–Drummond was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

and the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...

. He joined the Army after leaving Woolwich, being commissioned into the

in 1937.Who's Who

Wartime service

During the Second World War, Deane–Drummond served in Europe and in North Africa; he volunteered for Commando duty, and was assigned as second–in–commandConscript Heroes of the force which participated in

Operation Colossus Operation Colossus was the codename given to the first airborne forces, airborne operation undertaken by the British military, which occurred on 10 February 1941 during World War II. The British airborne establishment was formed in June 1940 by ...

, an airborne raid on southern Italy in February 1941. Although the raid successfully destroyed its target (the Tragino Aqueduct), every member of the unit was taken prisoner by Italian forces.Otway, p. 65 After unsuccessful plans in June and July had to be called off, Deane–Drummond managed to escape from captivity in December. After being recaptured near the Swiss border, he was held in an Italian prisoner–of–war camp for several months before being transferred to a hospital in Florence in May 1942. He escaped from there in June, and made it to Switzerland.Pegasus Archive He then was taken to southern France, and was picked up by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in mid–July 1942. He received the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

for his successful escape. On his return to England, Deane–Drummond was posted to the newly–formed 1st Airborne Division, and saw service in

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...

as second–in–command of the divisional signals. He became separated from his unit whilst trying to link up with

1st Parachute Brigade The 1st Parachute Brigade was an airborne forces brigade formed by the British Army during the Second World War. As its name indicates, the unit was the first parachute infantry brigade formation in the British Army. Formed from three parachute ...

, who were surrounded at the north end of Arnhem Bridge, and along with three other soldiers spent three days trapped in a small room at the back of a German–occupied house. On managing to leave this building, they split up to cross the river; Deane–Drummond successfully swam to the south bank of the Rhine, but was almost immediately taken prisoner. The next day, he managed to escape from a group who were being escorted out of Arnhem, and spent the next eleven days hiding inside a large cupboard until he felt safe to move. After leaving his hiding place, Deane–Drummond made contact with the Resistance, and waited two weeks until he was brought back to British lines as part of

Operation Pegasus Operation Pegasus was a military operation carried out on the Lower Rhine near the village of Renkum, close to Arnhem in the Netherlands. Overnight on 22–23 October 1944, the Allied military forces, MI9, the British intelligence organizatio ...

. He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

for this second escape, and awarded a

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

to his Military Cross.

Post-war service

Deane–Drummond attended

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which i ...

in 1945, and then became

Brigade Major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section direct ...

of 3rd Parachute Brigade, then serving in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

during the

Palestine Emergency A successful paramilitary campaign was carried out by Zionist underground groups against British rule in Mandatory Palestine from 1944 to 1948. The tensions between the Zionist underground and the British mandatory authorities rose from 1938 an ...

(see 6th Airborne Division in Palestine). In 1949 he was appointed an instructor at the

Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town ...

, and in 1952 an instructor at the Staff College. In 1957 Deane–Drummond took command of 22 Special Air Service Regiment, which was serving in the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...

. He continued to command the unit until 1960, which included its service in

. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

for the regiment's successful assault on Jebel Akhdar in January 1959. The capabilities demonstrated on this extremely arduous operation averted the Army's plans to disband the SAS, which would otherwise have occurred on its return from Malaya.Deane-Drummond, Anthony (1992). ''Arrows of Fortune''. Leo Cooper. . In 1961, Deane–Drummond was promoted to command

44th Parachute Brigade 44th Parachute Brigade was a British Army Territorial Army parachute brigade, active from c.1950 to 1978. History Formation From 1950-1956 it was one of the brigades of 16th Airborne Division. From 1956 the division was reduced to the 44th Indep ...

. In 1963 he returned to Sandhurst as the Assistant Commandant, and in 1966 again took an operational command as General Officer Commanding 3rd Division, and was made Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff for Operations in 1968. From 1966 to 1971 he also held the ceremonial post of Colonel Commandant of the

. He was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1960 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

at the BBC Television Theatre. In 1971, after retiring for the first time, he was appointed Director and Chief Executive of the Paper Industries Training Board, pursuing this career for the next 8 years.

Personal life

Deane-Drummond was a recreational

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

pilot and instructor. As an instructor with the Royal Military Academy, he was ordered to move the Army Gliding Club to

Lasham Airfield Lasham Airfield is an aerodrome located north-west of Alton in Hampshire, England, in the village of Lasham. It was built in 1942 and was a Royal Air Force Station during the Second World War, many significant operations being flown from it. ...

in 1951 and so was instrumental in creating one of the world's largest gliding clubs. He was British National Champion in 1957, as well as a member of the British Gliding Team in 1958, 1960, 1963 and 1965 at the

World Gliding Championships The World Gliding Championships (WGC) is a gliding competition held every two years or so by the FAI Gliding Commission. The dates are not always exactly two years apart, often because the contests are sometimes held in the summer in the Southern ...

. He published three books (one an autobiography), and restored antique furniture as a hobby. He married Mary Evangeline Boyd in 1944; they had four daughters.

Notes

References

Books

* * * * * * * * * *

Online sources

*"DEANE-DRUMMOND, Maj.-Gen Anthony John", in (Subscription required * * * *

External links

*
1st British Airborne Division officersPortrait in full dress uniform of general on ''National Portrait Gallery''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deane-Drummond, Tony 1917 births 2012 deaths Operation Market Garden Academics of the Staff College, Camberley Academics of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst British Army Commandos officers British Army major generals British Army personnel of the Malayan Emergency British Army personnel of World War II British glider pilots British military personnel of the Palestine Emergency British World War II prisoners of war Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Operation Pegasus People educated at Marlborough College People from Upton-upon-Severn Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Corps of Signals officers Special Air Service officers World War II prisoners of war held by Italy World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Military personnel from Worcestershire