Lieutenant-Colonel Gwyn Davies died on 18 September 2009, aged 91. He won an MC in close combat during fierce fighting in the Arakan, Burma, in 1944.

Ralph Gwyn Davies, always known as Gwyn, was born on 3 May 1918 near Alexandria, where his father, W “Barry” Davies, a former Welsh rugby international, was working on the railway. He was educated at Warwick School before training as an accountant near his family’s home at Bleadon, near Weston-super-Mare.

He joined a local Royal Engineers territorial unit before being commissioned into the SL.I Mobilised on the outbreak of war, he went with his company to the Orkneys to guard the naval base at Scapa Flow before going to France with the BEF.

Davies was evacuated from Dunkirk and, in 1942, accompanied the 1^st Battalion SLI to India, where it was on riot duty during the period of unrest that preceded partition. In August 1943 he arrived in Burma.

After the war he was granted a regular commission and served with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in Malaya. He was mentioned in despatches.

Davies subsequently transferred to the Corps of Royal Military Police (RMP). He served in Scotland before being posted to Korea and then commanded the RMP Company in Hong Kong.

After spells in Germany, HQ 3 Division at Bulford Camp and Cyprus, Davies was posted to HQ Southern Command in 1964, where he was promoted Assistant Provost Marshal (APM) in the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

Davies served as APM successively at HQ Rhine Area and HQ Berlin British Sector. In the latter posting he was responsible for the security of Rudolf Hess in Spandau prison. He moved to HQ Northern Command again as APM, before retiring from the Army in 1973. He was appointed OBE in 1971.

Having settled at Bridport, he divided his time between gardening and fishing. An all-round sportsman, as a young man he had played cricket, rugby, hockey and golf.

Gwyn Davies died on September 18. He married, in 1939, Peggy Arnold. She predeceased him and he is survived by their daughter. Another daughter also predeceased him.