Charles Deedes

General Sir Charles Parker Deedes, (9 August 1879 – 9 March 1969) was a senior British Army officer who served as Military Secretary.

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.

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. He served in the 2nd battalion, which was transferred to South Africa following the outbreak of the Second Boer War that month. 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.

After the war ended in June 1902, he returned to regular service with his regiment, and transferred with the battalion to Malta, for which he left Point Natal on the SS Staffordshire in October.

He also served in World War I initially, from February 1915, as a General Staff Officer, grade 2 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. He was promoted to general and held the colonelcy of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry from 1927 to 1947.

During World War II he was an Area Commander for the Home Guard.