Major-General Charles Julius Deedes CB OBE MC,

Major-General Julius Deedes, (known as John) who has died aged 91, won an MC for crawling forward to rally his troops under intense fire during the Anzio operation.

On April 1 1944, A Company of the 1st Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI), commanded by Deedes, then a major, was holding a very difficult position in thickly wooded country north-west of the Anzio beachhead south of Rome. The Germans put in a sudden attack supported by artillery, mortars and flamethrowers and laid down a long and heavy concentration of fire on the company area.

When the enemy sent their flamethrowers in ahead, the men in the forward positions were being driven from their trenches and the situation appeared critical. Deedes immediately crawled forward under sustained small arms fire and, by his personal example and courage, managed to steady them.

After a fierce battle at close quarters, the Germans were driven off with heavy casualties. The citation for Deedes's MC paid tribute to his inspired leadership and disregard of his own safety.

Charles Julius Deedes, the son of Gen Sir Charles Deedes, DSO, was born in Edinburgh on October 13 1913 and educated at the Oratory School. Always known as John, he was a good all-round sportsman at school and at Sandhurst.

Deedes was commissioned into the KOYLI in 1933 and went to France with the 1st Battalion as adjutant on the outbreak of war in 1939. Most of the bitterly cold winter of the "phoney war" was spent at Lille, before the battalion moved into position in front of the Maginot Line.

In April 1940, 1 KOYLI was moved to Norway at short notice and, after advancing more than 100 miles down the Gudbrandsal Valley, fought a series of rearguard actions against the Germans. At the Battle of Kvam, Deedes crossed open ground swept by artillery and machine-gun fire to rally men who had lost their officers and become disorganised.

Following fierce fighting in which the battalion held up the German advance for two days, he was awarded the Norwegian Military Cross.

After attending Staff College and an appointment as brigade major with 165 Infantry Brigade, Deedes served in the South Caribbean for a spell before rejoining his battalion in Italy, where he took part in the battle for the Anzio beachhead. He was wounded twice and received the last rites before being evacuated home; he was also mentioned in dispatches.

In 1948, after a two-year appointment as Assistant Military Secretary GHQ Middle East, Deedes took command of the Glider Pilot Regiment. He then commanded 1 KOYLI on operational duties in Kenya, Aden and Cyprus and was again mentioned in dispatches.

Deedes was a formidable CO, but contemporaries remember his dry understated sense of humour as well as his professionalism. When a subaltern complained to him that a newly-arrived padre talked as if he had won the war singlehanded, Deedes told him that it would not do any harm to suggest that one or two others may have given him a helping hand.

Deedes was appointed GSO1 at the War Office in 1950. The already heavy workload of his branch (SD4) had been greatly increased by staff cuts, but he shouldered the burden cheerfully and efficiently and, under his leadership, his call for extra effort from all ranks met with a spirited response.

After a period as OC 146, Infantry Brigade (TA) and then Deputy Director (Staff Studies) at the MoD, Deedes was promoted major-general in 1965 on his appointment as chief of staff, HQ Eastern Command. He retired in 1968.

Deedes was the last Colonel of the KOYLI, from 1966 to 1968, and Deputy Colonel, The Light Infantry (Yorkshire) from 1968 to 1972.

After five years as a schools liaison officer, he settled into the house that he had built in Yorkshire for his retirement. A countryman, he was a keen follower of hounds. He also enjoyed gardening and entertaining his many friends.

John Deedes, who was appointed OBE in 1953 and CB in 1968, died on May 7 2005. He married, in 1939, Beatrice (Betsy) Murgatroyd, who predeceased him; he is survived by their three sons.