Death of Maj. General John Anderson

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Major-General Sir John Anderson

Major-General Sir John Anderson, who has died aged 91, was on Montgomery's operational staff in the North African campaign and subsequently became head of the Royal Corps of Signals (RCS) as Signal Officer-in-Chief (Army).

John Evelyn Anderson, the son of a New Zealander who sailed as a deckhand with Captain Scott on one of his Antarctic expeditions, was born at Shrewsbury on June 28 1916 and educated at King's School, Rochester. He attended RMA Woolwich and later became the last senior officer in the RCS to have been trained to drive and operate horse-drawn cable wagons.

Anderson was commissioned into the RCS in 1936 and posted to Egypt Signals two years later. He served in 7th Armoured Division's Signal Regiment on active service as troop commander, adjutant, squadron commander and operational second-in-command from 1939 to 1942.

Anderson took part in a succession of desert battles including Sidi Resegh, operations Crusader and Battleaxe and the work up to El Alamein. After attending Staff College, Haifa, he moved to HQ 8th Army and served as GSO2 on Montgomery's Operations Staff for much of the North African campaign and the invasion of Sicily. He was mentioned in despatches three times.

Another spell at Staff College, Haifa, this time as an instructor, was followed in 1944 by a return to England and a posting to the Signal Directorate at SHAEF. After the war, he held a number of appointments on the General Staff including that of GSO1 in the Directorate of Tactical Investigation; this team carried out the first joint investigation into the effects of atomic war on the structure and tactics of the armed services.

Anderson was appointed senior instructor at the School of Signals before working at the War Office and then moved to New Zealand as Director New Zealand Signals.

After a posting to 11th Armoured Division in BAOR, he went to London District as Chief Signals Officer before returning to BAOR as Commander Royal Signals, 7th Armoured Division.

Staff appointments in Kuala Lumpur, the War Office and BAOR, where he was Chief Signals Officer, were followed by promotion to major-general as Signal Officer-in-Chief (Army). After serving as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Signals), in 1972 he retired from the Army.

Anderson was Colonel Commandant of the Royal Corps of Signals from 1969 to 1974 and Honorary Colonel Women's Transport Corps (FANY) from 1970 to 1976. He was Director General of the Nato Integrated Communications System Management Agency from 1977 to 1981 and Executive Director for Europe of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association from 1981 to 1988.

Throughout his life, Anderson was a keen fly fisherman and was president of the Piscatorial Society from 1982 to 1987. He was appointed CBE in 1963 and knighted in 1971.

John Anderson married, in 1944, Jean Tait, who survives him with their son and a daughter.

Major-General Sir John Anderson - Telegraph