Anthony Deane - Drummond Major General Anthony John Deane – Drummond CB , DSO , MC & Bar ( 23 June 1917 - 4 December 2012 ) was an officer of the Royal Signals in the British Army , whose career was mostly spent with airborne forces . During the Second World War , he was the second - in - command of a commando force which made a failed raid on 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 and was captured at Arnhem , but successfully escaped for a third time . After the War , he commanded 22 SAS Regiment in Malaya and Oman , and held a number of staff positions , later commanding a division in the British Army of the Rhine before retiring . Early life . The son of Colonel J . D . Deane – Drummond DSO , OBE , MC , Anthony Deane – Drummond was educated at Marlborough College and the Royal Military Academy , Woolwich . He joined the Army after leaving Woolwich , being commissioned into the Royal Signals in 1937 . 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 – command of the force which participated in Operation Colossus , an airborne raid on southern Italy in February 1941 . The raid was unsuccessful , with every member of the unit being taken prisoner by Italian forces . 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 . He then was taken to southern France , and was picked up by the Royal Navy in mid – July 1942 . He received the Military Cross 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 as second – in – command of the divisional signals . He became separated from his unit whilst trying to link up with 1st Parachute Brigade , 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 . He was mentioned in despatches for this second escape , and awarded a bar to his Military Cross . Post - war service . Deane – Drummond attended Staff College , Camberley in 1945 , and then became Brigade Major of 3rd Parachute Brigade . In 1949 he was appointed an instructor at the Royal Military Academy , Sandhurst , 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 . He continued to command the unit until 1960 , which included its service in Oman . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for the regiment ' s successful assault on Jebel Akhdar in January 1959 . In 1961 , Deane – Drummond was promoted to command 44th Parachute Brigade . 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 Royal Signals . Personal life . Deane - Drummond was a recreational glider pilot . As an instructor with the Royal Military Academy , he was ordered to move the Army Gliding Club to Lasham Airfield 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 . He published three books ( one an autobiography ) , and restored antique furniture as a hobby . He married Mary Evangeline Boyd in 1944 ; they would have four daughters .